More School Subject Readings 2/e-Book 2 (E)

cruel

causing pain to others
Those guys are so cruel to animals.

government

the group of people who rule a nation
The government should not interfere with our project.

greedy

wanting to have more of something than you need or already have
Human beings can be greedy sometimes for they are never satisfied.

history

events that happened in the past
Do you know anything about American history?

intelligent

having advanced degree of intelligence
Sarah's kids are very intelligent.

mean

not being kind to anyone or anything
My teacher was very mean to me.

murder

to kill a person unlawfully and on purpose
Jake's friend was murdered last night.

rule

to have control or influence
The king ruled the city.

servant

a person who works in other's house and responsible for chores
Can you tell the servant to cook something for me?

wife

the woman a man is married to
My wife makes the best cakes in the world.

fortress

a strongly defended building
The king lives in a heavily armed fortress.

ghost

the spirits of dead people
Do you believe in ghosts?

haunted

often visited by ghosts
That mansion is haunted.

jewel

a cut and polished precious stone like a diamond, ruby etc.
jewels are very expensive at that store.

lock

to close something with a key so that it cannot be opened
Don't forget to lock the door behind you when you leave for the day.

palace

the official home of a ruler, such as a king or queen
The prime minister lives in the palace.

precious

being very rare, expensive a significant amount of money
This necklace is very precious to me.

prisoner

someone who is kept in a prison as punishment
My cousin is a prisoner at the county jail.

torture

punishment involving severe pain to force information or a confession
The soldier received torture after he was captured behind enemy lines.

attraction

a person or thing that is interesting or gets noticed
This park is a very popular tourist attraction.

balance

to steady something by spreading its weight equally
It is hard for me to keep my balance on a skateboard.

clip

to cut a small section or piece out from something larger
You should clip your fingernails regularly so your hands look neat.

drawbridge

a movable bridge
The drawbridge prevents unwanted people from entering the castle.

get soaked

to be wet by water or another liquid
She will get soaked if she go out without any unbrella.

kingdom

a country governed by a king or queen
He had a kingdom full of strong men ready to die for him.

occasionally

in an irregular manner
I go visit the mall occasionally.

postcard

a small card with a picture to write a message on the other
Send me a postcard when you get to France.

raven

a large black bird with shiny FEATHERS
ravens are associated with bad things.

raw

being uncooked
I can't believe you eat the fish raw.

average

usual or typical
The average rate to stay at this hotel room is $120.

cell

the smallest part of a living thing that can function independently
Tom shares his cell with Eugene.

criminal

a person who commits a crime
She is a criminal for stealing that woman's purse.

crumble

to break into small parts or crumbs
The plaster started to crumble.

drown

to die because one has been under water
My sister almost drowned in the lake today.

escape

to leave a place, to run away from
I was unable to escape from the bees.

gangster

a member of a gang of violent criminals
I heard that this town is full of gangsters.

maintain

keep in good condition or working order
It costs a lot of money to maintain this machine.

mist

very small drops of water that float in the air and can be seen
The weather was cool in the forest, and a heavy mist settled over the grass.

prison

a building where criminals are kept for punishment
My brother is in prison for robbing a store.

bullet

an object, usually metal, that is put in a gun and shot
The elevators are as fast as bullets.

double-deck

a deck that has two levels or layers
The double-deck bus looks fun.

elevator

a machine that carries people between a building's different floors
Take the elevator to the 5th floor for the party.

install

to set something up
I need to install some lights in this room.

occupy

to fill; to be present somewhere
All of the seats on the subway were occupied by people.

pressure

the force that is being put on something
You need to put pressure on your foot to stop the bleeding.

reach

to arrive at a certain place
I reached the park at around 8:00 pm.

steam

the tiny drops of water that collect on a surface
There is a lot of steam coming out of the pot.

supplies

things that you keep for future use
We gather our supplies before we have art class.

tilt

to move into a position in which one side is above the other
Can you tilt the light towards my book.

ancient

belonging to the distant past, especially thousands of years ago
The museum has a lot of ancient artifacts.

escape

to leave a place, to run away from
I was unable to escape from the bees.

ordinary

being not exciting or IMPRESSIVE
That is just an ordinary shelf.

pretend

to behave in a way makes others believe something that is untrue
My baby sister likes to pretend she is a nurse.

ruler

someone who has official control over a country or area
Aladdin is the new ruler of this city.

share

to have or use something that is also used or had by others
Would you like to share this pizza with me?

throne

chair of a royal person
Simba is the new heir of the throne.

trick

to be not honest with someone in order to obtain a result
Josh tricked me into buying a broken walkman.

vomit

to bring food out of stomach through the mouth because one is sick
I vomited after eating all that raw fish.

yearn

to wish or eager something
He was yearning to go home.

environment

all the things that affect the health, growth or progress
What kind of environment do turtles in live?

height

the distance something is from the ground
I don’t enjoy roller coasters because I have a fear of heights.

hypnosis

a trance, as if being asleep
He underwent deep hypnosis through the hypnotist.

logical

being careful and reasonable
This is not a logical decision.

negative

focusing on the bad aspects of someone or something
You always look at the negative side of things.

normal

being usual, ordinary, or regular
Her temperature is normal.

option

choice
It looks like you only have two options to choose from.

panic

a sudden feeling of anxiety and fear
She hit her boyfriend in panic.

productive

causing something to occur or exist
I did not have a very productive day at work.

suffer

to experience a condition that is difficult to deal with
I suffered from intense pain from the surgery.

evergreen tree

a tree which has leaves that remain green all year long
Matt is going to a picnic where has many evergreen trees.

gather

to come together in a group
The crowd gathered around the stage.

gigantic

extremely large
That is a gigantic house you live in.

nearby

within a short distance
His mother lived in nearby town.

plot

to plan something secretly
They were plotting to kidnap Betty.

stick

(informal) to put something in a specific place or position
Will the tape stick to the paper?

stranded

stuck or trapped somewhere
We are going to be stranded on this island forever.

survive

to remain alive
I do not think we will survive in this cold.

sweaty

wet with sweat
Alex is very sweaty from running.

terrified

very frightened
She is terrified of spiders.

cone

a shape with a circular base which narrows to a point at the top
Would you like a cup or cone for your ice cream?

crowd

a large group of people in the same place
I lost my cousin in the large crowd.

death

the time when a person or living thing stops living
The deer fight to the death for their mating partner.

entertainment

something that entertains
The movie was our entertainment for tonight.

exhausted

to be very physically tired
Bill is exhausted from volleyball practice.

gladiator

a man in ancient Rome who fought in front of audience
There will be only one gladiator left standing in this contest.

imagine

to form ideas or images in your head that are not real
Can you imagine my cousin being a doctor?

memorable

worthy of being remembered
She had a very memorable trip to Taiwan.

relieved

happy because something bad did not happen
Roger was so relieved when he found his watch.

tour group

a group of people who has a short trip through a place
I am going to Paris as a tour group.

carnivorous

an animal that eats meat
Lions are carnivorous.

digest

to change food that one has eaten into simpler forms
I am having a hard time digesting my food.

dozen

a group of twelve things
I bought a dozen donuts and shared them with my class.

organism

a living thing, often one that is small
Humans are living organisms.

slippery

having a surface that is smooth and hard to move on or hold onto
The floor is slippery.

soil

the surface material of the earth in which plants set roots
We should plant the seeds in the soil soon.

survive

to remain alive
I do not think we will survive in this cold.

tropical

of or from the TROPICS
The United States is not considered a tropical country.

vine

a long and thin plant that can climb up or grow over something
There are many vines growing along the wall.

well-known

famous; talked about
George Clooney is a well-known actor.

all of a sudden

happening unexpectedly
She started screaming all of a sudden.

dresser

a chest of drawers, usually for clothes
I need to put my clothes in the dresser.

garbage

waste material that has been thrown out
It is your turn to take the garbage out.

gather

to come together in a group
The crowd gathered around the stage.

hatch

to break open in order to allow a young bird, insect to be born
The eggs are going to hatch soon.

odd-looking

looks wired
His hands are very odd-looking.

recycling bin

a box for trash such as can, bottle, or plastic which can be reused
Can you put the cans in the recycling bin?

rotten

being unable to be used as a result of natural processes and effects
The apple is rotten.

tasty

tastes good; yummy
The snacks are really tasty.

tissue

a piece of thin, soft paper used for blowing and cleaning the nose
Can you hand me a tissue?

abundant

being in very great supply
There was abundant evidence to support his theory.

ancestor

a person from your family that lived in the past
Do you know who your ancestors are?

cherished

valed, prized
Today, pet cats are cherished members of many families.

crop

a plant grown for use as food or products
When are you going to plant the crops?

discovery

the act of finding someone or something for the first time
She made an interesting discovery today.

notice

to become aware of something or someone by sight
George noticed the sign on his door.

practice

something that is repeatedly done in a particular manner
He is going to learn the practice of teaching.

rodent

a type of small animal such as a rat, mouse, or rabbit
Are squirrels considered rodents?

sacred

related to a religion
That is the sacred cross of the church.

tame

being used to or unafraid of humans
The dogs at the pound are very tame.

belong to

to be a part of or to regularly involved with some club, group, etc.
This house belongs to my mother.

cautious

avoiding possible danger; demonstrating CAUTION
Be very cautious when giving out strangers your phone number.

condominium

a building containing a number of individually owned apartments or houses
You live in a very nice condominium.

decide

to make a choice after thinking about something
We decided to have Japanese food for dinner.

familiar

well-known or easily recognized
She had such a familiar looking face.

named

known by
They named their son Jacob.

neighborhood

a particular area in a city
The Lee family lived in a very pleasant neighborhood.

odd

being unexpected and different; out of the ordinary
He is a very odd-looking person.

petite

little; tiny
She has very petite figure.

post

to place a sign or notice in a place that can be easily seen and read
Did they post your name on the wanted poster?

anxious

feeling worried about something that might happen in the future
You are anxious about meeting your father for the first time.

approach

to move closer or towards something or someone
Rachel approached me during lunch to discuss about her issues.

dislike

not to like (someone or something)
He really dislikes to take medicine.

hesitate

to stop for a moment before saying or doing something
She hesitated when I asked her a personal question.

hilarious

extremely amusing
The movie was hilarious.

inherit

to officially and legally get something from someone dies
Ruth inherited her father's fortune after he passed away.

instructor

a person who teaches or INSTRUCTS, usually as a job
Who is the instructor of this class?

instrument

a thing used to make sounds and music
A piano is a very popular instrument that is learned by people all over the world.

sign up

to formally agree, in writing, to participate in something
Angela is going to sign up for dancing lessons.

stranger

someone you don't know
My mom told me to never talk to strangers when I was young.

bloodthirsty

eager to cause violence which would result in the shedding of blood
Both women were known as bloodthirsty, daring pirates.

capture

to catch and keep a person or animal against their will
We were captured by pirates.

daring

brave
Robin is a very daring boy when it comes to stunts.

disguise

to change the appearance or sound so that it is unrecognizable
The man was disguised with a hat and a fake beard.

end up with

to become
You are going to end up with nothing if you don’t watch what you spend.

fate

a power that people believe controls what will happen in their lives
I think it is fate that we met at the airport.

flee

to escape or run away
She tried to flee from the men chasing after her.

illegal

not allowed by the laws or rules
It is illegal to smoke in our restaurant.

pregnant

expecting a baby
My friend is pregnant with a boy.

traditional

involved in a tradition
This is their traditional style of clothes.

access

the right to use or do something
Does he have access to our swimming pool?

bunk

beds built like a shelf into a wall
The bunks were not very comfortable.

chef

a person whose job is to cook food in a restaurant or hotel
The chef of that restaurant makes very good crab cakes.

complaint

a statement of unhappiness about something or someone
The customer has a complaint about our products.

decent

being fairly good, acceptable
Those are a decent pair of shoes you got there.

dinghy

a small boat
We took the dinghy around the lake.

lousy

very poor or bad; disgusting
That restaurant has such lousy service.

seasick

feeling sick because of the movement of a boat or ship
Did you get seasick from the boat ride?

unsteady

liable to fall or shake
He has very unsteady hands.

whole

referring to all of something; entire
She ate the whole pizza.