TOEFL & campus vocabulary
Academic lecture topics and university life. 30 words to learn and practise.
0 due for review · 30 new words
Word list: TOEFL & campus
30 words
- photosynthesisnounb2
how plants make food from sunlight
“Photosynthesis takes place in the leaves.”
Common phrases: process of photosynthesis
- erosionnounb2
the gradual wearing away of land
“Wind erosion shaped the canyon.”
Similar: wearing away
Common phrases: soil erosion · coastal erosion
- sedimentnounb2
sand and stones carried by water
“Rivers deposit sediment at their mouths.”
Similar: deposit
Common phrases: layers of sediment
- migrateverbb2
move from one region to another
“Many birds migrate south in winter.”
Similar: relocate
Common phrases: migrate annually
- adaptverbb2
change to suit new conditions
“Species adapt to their environment.”
Similar: adjust
Common phrases: adapt to · adapt quickly
- predatornounb2
an animal that hunts others
“The owl is a skilled predator.”
Similar: hunter
Common phrases: natural predator
- fossilnounb2
the remains of an ancient plant or animal in rock
“The fossil is over 60 million years old.”
Common phrases: fossil record · fossil fuels
- archaeologynounb2
the study of past human societies from remains
“She studied archaeology at university.”
Common phrases: field archaeology
- artefactnounb2
an object made by humans long ago
“The museum displays Roman artefacts.”
Similar: artifact, relic
Common phrases: ancient artefact
- civilisationnounb2
an advanced human society
“The Maya civilisation built great cities.”
Similar: society
Common phrases: ancient civilisation
- hypothesisnounb2
an explanation to be tested
“The professor proposed a new hypothesis.”
Similar: theory
Common phrases: test a hypothesis
- phenomenonnounb2
something that happens or exists and can be observed
“Rainbows are a natural phenomenon.”
Similar: occurrence
Common phrases: natural phenomenon
- abundantadjectiveb2
existing in large quantities
“Fish were abundant in the lake.”
Similar: plentiful
Common phrases: abundant resources
- scarceadjectiveb2
not enough; hard to find
“Water is scarce in the desert.”
Similar: rare, limited
Common phrases: scarce resources
- subsequentlyadverbb2
afterwards
“The theory was subsequently disproved.”
Similar: later
Common phrases: subsequently published
- consequentlyadverbb2
as a result
“It rained heavily; consequently, the river flooded.”
Similar: therefore
Common phrases: and consequently
- prerequisitenounb2
something required before something else
“Biology 101 is a prerequisite for this course.”
Similar: requirement
Common phrases: a prerequisite for
- seminarnounb2
a small class for discussion
“We have a history seminar on Tuesdays.”
Similar: tutorial
Common phrases: attend a seminar
- syllabusnounb2
a list of topics in a course
“Check the syllabus for the reading list.”
Similar: curriculum
Common phrases: course syllabus
- dormitorynounb2
a university building where students live
“First-year students live in the dormitory.”
Similar: residence hall
Common phrases: college dormitory
- extensionnounb2
extra time to finish work
“Can I get an extension on my paper?”
Common phrases: ask for an extension
- plagiarismnounb2
using someone else’s work as your own
“Plagiarism can lead to failing a course.”
Similar: copying
Common phrases: avoid plagiarism
- thesisnounb2
a long piece of research writing; a main argument
“His thesis is about climate policy.”
Similar: dissertation
Common phrases: write a thesis · thesis statement
- lecturenounb2
a talk to students on a subject
“The lecture was about volcanoes.”
Similar: talk
Common phrases: give a lecture · attend a lecture
- orbitnounb2
the path of one object around another
“The moon is in orbit around the Earth.”
Common phrases: in orbit · orbit the sun
- ecosystemnounb2
all living things in an area and how they interact
“Coral reefs are fragile ecosystems.”
Common phrases: marine ecosystem
- dormantadjectiveb2
not active for a time
“The volcano has been dormant for centuries.”
Similar: inactive
Common phrases: lie dormant
- prevalentadjectiveb2
common in a particular place or time
“The disease is prevalent in tropical areas.”
Similar: widespread
Common phrases: increasingly prevalent
- inhabitverbb2
live in a place
“Penguins inhabit the Antarctic.”
Similar: occupy
Common phrases: inhabit an area
- catalystnounb2
something that causes change
“The invention was a catalyst for industrial growth.”
Similar: trigger
Common phrases: act as a catalyst