Intensive course with Anastasia Ivbule and Marina Mogilko
"Get 100 or above on TOEFL"
TOEFL
USEFUL VOCABULARY
ENVIRONMENT
biodegradable - something that is able to decay naturally and
harmlessly.
biodiversity - the number and variety of plant and animal species
that exist in a particular environmental area or in the world
generally.
climate - the weather conditions traditionally of a region
climate change - the concept that change is occurring to the earth’s
climate.
deforestation - the process by which the forests are cut down.
desertification - the process by which fertile land is turned into
deserts
fossil fuels - a natural fuel such as coal, gas, or oil formed over
long periods of time from the remains of living organisms.
extinction - the complete dying out of one or many species or a
habitat, a place where animals and plants live
natural resources - resources derived from the environment. For
example, wood and oil.
renewable energy - describes a form of
energy that can be produced as quickly as
it is used, such as solar energy.
EDUCATION
the curriculum - the entire school program including course
materials and testing of students. Everything that a school aims to
teach students.
graduate - a person who has graduated from a school
illiteracy - the inability to read and write
literacy - the ability to read and write
nurture - to help grow or develop
pedagogy - the way of teaching including the instructional methods
that are used
qualification - what someone gets when he/she graduates from
school or a program. For instance, a diploma is a qualification.
social skills - the ability to communicate and interact well with
others
student-centered education - a philosophy of education where the
student is the central focus
tuition - the fees for studying a course
SOME USEFUL VERBS
graduate - to pass a level of study
concentrate (on) - to focus attention towards a particular activity,
subject or problem
revise - to review materials that have already been taught
enroll (in) - to join a class
indoctrinate - to teach people to follow a biased belief or point of
view. For example: Hitler indoctrinated young Germans with a
hatred for other races.
interpret - to understand in a particular way. For example, we need
to interpret the meaning of the painting.
persevere - to not give up. To keep doing something until success is
achieved.
procrastinate - to delay or put off doing something
SOME USEFUL ADJECTIVES
academic - relating to education especially universities.
co-educational (co-ed, informal) - when male and female students
are taught together in the same school.
single sex - when only male or female students are taught in the
same school.
hands-on - to learn by actually doing. We can get hands-on
experience by actually doing things.
multi-disciplinary - involving several different subjects or areas of
study.
pedagogical - relating to teaching methods and principles.
elementary education - a school for the first years of formal
schooling.
secondary education - high school
tertiary education - university or vocational school
vocational - concerns teaches the skills
necessary for a particular job. This
concept is often applied to trade schools.
So if you are studying to be a plumber or
an electrician, you are going to a
vocational school.
TECHNOLOGY
computerization - to control a process by using a computer
or making something digital.
digital divide - the gap between those with easy access to
information technology, and those without it.
gadget - any small piece of equipment.
innovation - a new way of doing something, or a new
application of technology.
revolution - a major change in the way of doing something.
technophobe - someone who has a fear of or a resistance
to technology.
technophile - someone who embraces technology and uses
it often.
telecommunications - technology used in the field of
communications.
MEDIA
a medium - medium is the singular form of media [plural].
censorship - when certain types of messages or images are blocked.
For instance, the government often uses censorship for movies that
are violent.
credibility - refers to whether something is reliable or from a
reliable source.
exaggeration - when the truth is stretched or enlarged.
ideology - a way of thinking or a belief system.
journalism - journalism is the way of reporting the news, by
including newspapers, magazines, radio and television, the internet.
journalist - a person who has a career in journalism.
mass media - mass media refers collectively to all the forms of
media we have such as television, radio, film, online services,
magazines, and newspapers.
propaganda - propaganda occurs when the media or another group
favors certain kinds of stories or distorts messages to influence the
opinions of people.
social media - this usually refers to online
tools for communication such as Facebook
and Twitter.
HEALTH
addiction - the condition of not being able to stop doing something.
Especially something harmful like drinking alcohol or playing video
games.
allergy - a strong reaction to something. For instance, an allergy to
a certain food.
anxiety - stress
diagnosis - an opinion of a patient’s health condition or illness.
diet - 1. everything that we eat.
- 2. a plan to eat carefully to reduce weight.
insomnia - inability or difficulty to sleep.
ingredients - the different foods that are used to create a dish
obesity - being extremely overweight.
nutrition - the health value of food.
physician - another word for doctor.
treatment - a way of curing an illness or
medical condition.
