Focus on Vocabulary 1
Unit 2
Chapter 7
1
Discussion Questions
• When you were a teenager did you have trouble
getting along with your parents?
• In high school, what was your attitude toward
studying and hobbies?
• As a teenager, did you like to try out new things?
Were you a risk taker?
Aggravation: feeling of being annoyed,
annoyance, irritation
• The noise from the road work was causing so
much aggravation for nearby residents.
Alert: giving your attention to what is
happening, watchful, awake
• Taking notes is one of the best ways to stay
alert in lectures.
Alien: a creature from another world
• The SETI institute is dedicated to searching for
evidence of alien life in the universe.
Caretaker: sb who looks after other people
• Children who become caretakers of other family
members often feel satisfied and proud of the
contribution they are making to their family’s
livelihood.
Caution: warn or advise sb that sth
might be dangerous or difficult
• Business leaders are
cautioning against hasty
actions that would
hamper flexibility.
Circuit: the complete circle that an
electric current travels through
• The microprocessor is an integrated circuit
that processes all the information in the
computer.
Consequence: result, effect, outcome
• Many believe that poverty is a direct
consequence of overpopulation.
Constructive: helpful, useful, positive,
practical
• You can improve your writing if you pay attention
to your teacher’s constructive feedback.
Deprivation: lack of sth that you need
• Sleep deprivation can result in mental disorders.
Enthusiasm: strong interest,
eagerness, passion
• We went to the local diving club, full of enthusiasm.
Executive: managerial, administrative,
related to the job of managing or
making decisions
• The executive functions of the company were
carried out by a group of managers.
Habit: mannerism, tendency, custom
• She has a habit of playing with her hair when
she is nervous.
Hobby: leisure activity, pastime, sth
you enjoy doing in your free time
• Retirement gave him the time to pursue his hobbies.
Laboratory: a place for scientist to do
research
• The test on animals were carried out in a
research laboratory.
Leisure: relaxation, recreation, free
time, spare time
• Watching television is now the nations most
popular leisure activity.
Moody: changeable, ill-tempered,
temperamental
• The actress played a moody, self-absorbed woman who
took advantage of her friends to advance her own
career.
Prompt: cause, give rise to, provoke
• The cold weather has prompted a rush to
travel websites to book warm weather
vacations.
Provisional: likely or able to be
changed in the future, temporary
• At the beginning of the semester, you only
need to give your teacher a provisional topic
for your final presentation.
Prune: to make sth smaller by removing
the parts that you don’t need
• The company is pruning staff in order to
reduce costs.
Rehearse: practice sth you are going to
say, drill, prepare, repeat
• The band was rehearsing for their world tour.
Speculate: guess, suppose,
hypothesize
• The police refused to speculate on a motive
for the crime at this early stage in the
investigation.
Temper: bad mood, tendency to
become angry, rage
• You need to control your temper, or it is going
to get you in trouble.
Translate: to change sth into a different
form, express sth in a different way
• Ordinary people are hoping that the recent
economic recovery will translate into more
jobs.
Trim: reduce the number or amount,
cut, crop
• The company had to trim $40,000 from its
advertising budget.
