TOFEL WORD

page 1-6 With Answers

Written by : Milada Broukal

WORDS IN CONTEXT

Introduction

At some point there may be a word you do not know the meaning of, and there may be no prefix or root to help you .In this case, you must look at the context of the word.
The context of a word I the setting in which the word occurs in speech or in writing. Since you normally learn words by hearing or seeing them in contexts, developing this ability will help you to learn more words.The following readings include exercises for words in context. With the exception of the last three selections, these passages are lower in overall difficulty than the reading passages you will find in the TOEFL since the aim of this book is to teach vocabulary.

Strategies

When looking for clues to the meaning of a word in context, one of the following types of contextual clues will help you.A definition of the word is given close by. Try to understand the definition and apply it to the word in context.Paraphrases or synonyms look for the possibility of another word or phrase in the context that has the same meaning.Implied meaning in some context, direct clues are not given but just implied .In this case you must think about the context and guess what the meaning of the word can be. Even if you cannot determine its exact meaning, you will be able to determine its general meaning.Every time you read, practice looking for contextual clues .this will encourage you to analyze the meaning of what you read, and will also train you to think about words and their meanings.

Biology Reading

Read the following passage.

Otters belong to another group of animals, the mustelids. This word comes from the Latin, and means ‘weasel.’ Other members of this family of animals include weasels, skunks, and badgers. They are all short- legged, have thick coats of fur and sharp, tearing teeth, and are carnivorous or meat –catting mammals.

Otters love water, and their webbed feet, thick tails, and dense fur make them well-suited for life in the water. Two kinds of otters are found in and around North America. One is a fresh –water otter, the other is a sea otter.

The home of the fresh-water otter is usually a hole dug into the bank of a stream or lake. The hole leads to a den lined with leaves. Here, the young, usually two or three, are born in late winter or early spring. Before the young can swim, the mother sometimes carries them about on her back in the water and feeds them milk.

But the young learn very quickly to swim themselves .Their parent teach them to dive and to catch the fish on which they feed. Soon the cubs are able to stay underwater for as long as four minutes.

Sea otters are larger and heavier than fresh-water otters. Their thick fur is dark brown with white at the tips and has a frosted appearance. They have white whiskers from which they get the nickname, the ‘old men of the sea’.

Exercise 1

Working out the meaning

Find the words below in the passage .Try to guess the meaning of the words from the passage .circle the correct answer.

Example:

1.fur

a.thick hair on the body of an animal (جواب درست )

b.hard skin on the body of an animal

In the passage the words ”thick coats” are close to the word ”fur” . A coat is usually made of animal hair , not ”hard skin”; therefore ,the correct answer is(a).

2.carnivorous

a.meat-eating (جواب درست )

b.plant-eating

3.mammals

a.animals that lay eggs

b.animals that give milk (جواب درست )

4.webbed

a.with skin between the toes (جواب درست )

b. with long nailson the toes

5.dense

a.thin

b.thick (جواب درست )

6.den

a.home of a meat-eating animal

b.dead animal used for food (جواب درست )

7.to dive

a.run quickly

b.jump into the water (جواب درست )

8.cubs

a.the young of the otter (جواب درست )

b.the parents

9.frosted

a.blue-colored

b.as if covered with ice (جواب درست )

10.whiskers

a.long earsof an animal

b.long hairs near the mouth (جواب درست )

Exercise 2

Dictionary work

A.where do these animal live ? Match animal with its home.You may use the same home more than ance.

den / web / nest / stable / sty / burrow / hive

1.otter……..den

2.rabbit……burrow

3.bee……..hive

4.lion…….den

5.spider…….web

6.pig……….. sty

7.horse…….stable

8.bird………nest

B.List other animals and their homes.

Wolf …… nest

Exercise 3

What is the name for the animal’s bady?Match the animals on the left with the names of their young on the right.You may use the name of the young more than once.

…b……….1.otter a.puppy

….e……….2.goat b.cub

….g……….3.cow c.kitten

…..c………4.cat d.foal

….a……….5.dog e.kid

…..d……..6.horse f.fawn

…..b……..7.lion g.calf

……f…….8.deer

Science Reading (1)

Read the following passage.

The shooting star that streaks across the sky is a tiny particle or piece of matter from outer space.when the particle enters the earth’s atmosphere,friction with the air causes it to glow white hot and then turnto gas.most of these particles, or meteors, are smaller than a grain of rice.
Comets move around the sun and have a very bright head and a long tail.
Many meteors seem to be fragments of comets that crashed into one another.
Other meteors are tiny particles from the tails of comets . Some meteors are iron and some are stone.
once in a while, an extra bright meteor , or fireball,appears.Fireballs can sometimes be seen during the day and may even be as bright as the full moon.Some meteors survive their fall through the Earth’s atmosphere and land on the ground . These are called meteorites,and are usually cool enough to touch when they land.

Exercise 1

Working out the Meaning

Find the words belowin the passage .Try to guess the meaning of the words from the passage . Circle the correct answer.

1.streak

a.move very fast (جواب درست)

b.move slowly

2.particle

a.piece of matter (جواب درست)

b.piece of space

3.friction

a.appearance

b.rapid movement (جواب درست)

4.grain

a.seed (جواب درست)

b.field

5.glow

a.give out cold

b.give out light (جواب درست)

6.fragments

a.small pieces (جواب درست)

b.ice pieces

7.crashed

a.hit violently (جواب درست)

b.mix slowly

8.land

a.go out

b.come down (جواب درست)

Exercise 2

one word in each group does belong .Find the word.

1.hot glow cool grain (جواب درست)

2.particle fragment comet (جواب درست) grain

3.meteor comet fireball sky (جواب درست)

4.space moon star land (جواب درست)

Exercise 3

Dictionary work

The following words represent small pieces or quantities.Match the word and the object it goes with.

grain / fragment / trace / blade /speck / flake / breath / item

1……….grain…….of sand

2………blade……of grass

3………speck…..of dust

4……..breath……of fresh air

5……..flake……of snow

6……… item …..of news

7…..fragment………of a vase

8……….trace….of poison

Exercise 4

put the following words in order of size from the smallest to the largest.

earth / star / meteor / universe /solar system / galaxy

1.meteor

2.earth

3.star

4.solar system

5.galaxy

6.universe

Page 1 to 6 from book : Tofel Word