150 Academic Words for Pre-TOEFL prep - ESL Mania

18 Pages·2012·6.63 MB·English

by  Global English Express

150
A
C A D E M I C
K
E Y W O R D S
FOR PRE-TOEFL PREP
®
D o w n l o a d
o
d i
u
E A Learn academic
E
R
F
f o r e v e r y p a s s a g e English vocabulary fast,
o n li n e !
and have fun doing it!
Global English Express TOEFL Vocabulary Series #1
®
TOEFL is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Services (ETS). This book is not sponsored or endorsed by ETS.
Kristina J. Hasanova
© 2012 Global English Express
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this free material, provided that you do
not alter the content in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, you are
required to provide a link to www.globalenglishexpress.com.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:
©2012 Global English Express. Website: www.globalenglishexpress.com
Image Credits: The images contained in this book are in the public domain and have been obtained from
Wikimedia Commons and The Open Clip Art Library. Great care has been taken to ensure that all images are
copyright-free and useable. If you would like to report a concern regarding the images used in this book, please
contact us at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
This sample version includes 10 lessons. To view the entire free
eBook, visit us at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
150
A
C A D E M I C
K
E Y W O R D S
FOR PRE-TOEFL PREP
®
Learn academic English vocabulary fast, and have fun doing it!
Kristina J. Hasanova
3
For Students
Studying for the TOEFL® can be a scary experience, can’t it? Some students are ready to take the test and
don’t need much extra practice. However, for other students, just looking at some of the thick TOEFL®
study books can make you feel nervous!
That’s why Global English Express developed the TOEFL® vocabulary series. We know that getting a
good score on this test is important to you, and we know it takes a lot of work to get there. We also think
that many students tire themselves out by starting with high-level, intense TOEFL® books right away.
With 150 Academic Keywords for Pre-TOEFL® Prep, you can begin to build your academic vocabulary
in a fun, stress-free way. Then, when you get to the more difficult study books, you’ll be able to
understand the lessons easily!
Make sure you download the free audio that goes with this book at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
Listen to the audio over and over to remember the words really well. Research has shown that listening
repeatedly to audio is an excellent way to learn and remember English. You can listen while riding the
bus, walking to work, or sitting at the park. Now, that sounds much easier than memorizing word lists,
doesn’t it?
For Teachers
When many students begin studying for the TOEFL®, they jump right into intense, academic study guides
and try to memorize large amounts of words. While this works for students who already have high
academic vocabularies, other students become quickly discouraged. Not only are they trying to memorize
huge amounts of new information, many are also trying to discern how Western methods of education
work. In addition, they are suddenly learning about new subjects and concepts that they may have never
studied before. The combination can be overwhelming, and many students give up quickly.
At Global English Express, we think more students could succeed in higher education study if given the
proper tools. In the 150 Academic Keywords book, our goal is to begin building a large base of academic
words in students’ minds using a fun, easy format. The passages and accompanying audio are interesting,
relevant topics to the pre-TOEFL® student, and they are written in very simple academic English. The
passages start with inspiring stories of famous Americans who have worked hard and overcome obstacles.
Then the passages discuss topics students are currently thinking about, such as choosing a career and a
university. The passages then offer helpful tips for essential life-skills and finish off by exploring some
modern, growing careers.
You’ll notice that all the student materials for 150 Academic Keywords are available totally free. We
believe that quality education should accessible to everyone, and we’re pleased to make useful resources
available for free at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
Finally, don’t forget that the 150 Academic Keywords book is just a bridge to bring students from basic
conversational fluency into greater understanding of academic language. When a student has built a
sufficient base of academic words, it’s time to begin more intensive study using a resource such as The
Official Guide to the TOEFL® by the Educational Testing Service.
Thanks for using 150 Academic Keywords, and don’t forget to connect with us to tell us how we can
improve to meet your stduents needs better. Visit us at www.globalenglishexpress.com to give us
feedback on this tool. We’d love to know how you are using these materials to promote quality education
for every person, in every place!
Acknowlegements
This book and its acompanying audio are a very simple, informal learning tool for ESL learners.
However, the body of educational research undergirding this simple resource is extensive. In particular, I
am grateful for the insight provided by methods such as Greg Thomson’s Growing Participator
Approach, the Read Naturally strategy for reading fluency, and A.J. Hoge’s 7 Rules of Excellent English
Speaking.
Most of the academic keywords taught in these passages (152 out of 154 words) are taken from the
Academic Word List, compiled by Averil Coxhead, Victoria University of Wellington. The Academic
Word List is comprised of the most-used academic words used in universities and therefore represents a
foundational vocabulary for students preparing for the TOEFL®.
I’m also grateful for the patience of my first TOEFL® preparation students: Parya, Zahid, Navid, and
Gulnar. Thank you for helping me learn how to prepare people for this important test using the best
methods possible.
And finally, thank you to my wonderful husband Vusal, whose sharp insight and skillful understanding of
educational methods has directed every step of this project.
About Global English Express
Global English Express is a professional English editing and instructional service run by Kristina
Hasanova, who has over five years in editing experience and four years in ESL teaching
experience. Kristina holds a bachelor of arts in English Writing and spent three years in the
educational publishing industry. She received linguistics and literacy specialist training through
SIL International at the University of North Dakota and has participated in numerous ESL
trainings and workshops. She has taught ESL in the United States and in Azerbaijan.

www.globalenglishexpress.com
5
How to Use This Book
This book is a supplement to the 150 Academic Keywords for Pre-TOEFL® Prep audio series.
We encourage you to focus mainly on listening to and comprehending the audio clips. Repeated
listening is a great way to build comprehension.
To remind you to use the audio clips, instructions are included at the bottom of each page. For
the best results, follow these instructions carefully.
Remember the keywords!
•Download the audio for this passage at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
•Listen to the passage more than 10 times.
•Listen carefully to how the keywords are used in context.
•Listen to the passage again after one or two days to review.
ESL teachers may wish to use the following ideas for teaching with 150 Academic Words:
• Use the book for a conversation club. Ask students to listen to the audio several times before
coming to the club. At the club, discuss the topic. Ask students to write a response to the topic
before the next club.
• Form a pre-TOEFL® study group for students interested in taking the test. Use this book to
build students’ vocabularies, then begin teaching from more intensive TOEFL® instructional
books.
• Use this book to tutor students in one-on-one pre-TOEFL® preparation. Assign listening
passages as homework, and discuss the keywords and passages in your study times together.
• Use the book to fill extra time in regular, upper-level ESL classes. Make copies of a passage
for students to read if they finish an exam early. Require students to listen to the audio several
times before the next class session. During the next class, ask students questions to test whether
they have retained the keywords.
6
Lesson 1: An Unlikely President
region | available | despite | perspective | constantly | legislation | eliminate
Do you live in a place where it is difficult get a good education? Have you
ever wished you had the money to travel somewhere else and study?
Abraham Lincoln is an amazing example of a man who started out in a
poor family in a small town and rose to become the president of the
United States.
When Lincoln was a little boy, his father lost all of the family’s
property. Their family had once been prosperous, but now they had
Source: Wikimedia Commons
very little. When Lincoln was just 9 nine years old, his mother died.
Lincoln’s life was difficult, and he had to spend lots of time in hard manual labor to help his
family. Because his family lived in a remote region of the United States, teachers were not
always available to teach in the local school. By the time he was 21, Lincoln had only attended
less than two years of formal school.
However, despite these challenges, Lincoln kept a wise perspective. He saw that he could
educate himself. Even though teachers were difficult to find, he didn’t stop learning. He read
constantly. Everywhere he went, he kept a book with him. When he couldn’t find a new book to
read, he would read the same books over and over. Once, he even walked 20 miles (which is 32
kilometers) just to borrow one book!
Later, Lincoln became interested in law. He observed lawyers and learned from them. Then, he
began a career in legislation and served as a lawmaker in the state of Illinois. Finally, Lincoln
became the 16th president of the United States. During his time in office, Lincoln led his country
during the American Civil War and worked hard to eliminate slavery. In 1862, he approved the
bill that ended slavery in the United States.

Through diligent study and hard work, a poor, uneducated boy grew up to become one of the
most remembered presidents of the United States of America.
Remember the keywords!
•Download the audio for this passage at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
•Listen to the passage more than 10 times.
•Listen carefully to how the keywords are used in context.
•Listen to the passage again after one or two days to review.
7
Lesson 2: Try It Again
target | persistence | creative | conducting | subsequently | modify | contrary
Reaching a goal can sometimes be discouraging. You see where
your target, but then you look at all the steps you need to take
before you get there. However, looking at the example of people
who have gone before you should encourage you to be courageous!
Often people who achieve their goals have failed many, many
times in the process.
Thomas Edison is a great example of this kind of persistence.
When he failed, he didn’t stop trying.
When Edison was young, he had a hard time focusing in school. Source: Wikimedia Commons
His teacher didn’t think very highly of him, and his mother actually pulled
him out of school to study at home. At home, Edison read many books and loved to learn. He had
a creative mind and was always thinking of interesting things to do. He was constantly
conducting experiments. Once, he started a fire in a train where he had set up a chemical
experiment. Subsequently, he lost his job.
Edison worked on hundreds of inventions. Some failed, but others became very famous. Edison
worked for a very long time to modify the light bulb. However, he didn’t give up. On the
contrary, he said, “If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not
discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.” Now, he is known
around the globe as the man who brought electric light to the world.
Remember the keywords!
•Download the audio for this passage at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
•Listen to the passage more than 10 times.
•Listen carefully to how the keywords are used in context.
•Listen to the passage again after one or two days to review.
8
Lesson 3: Mrs. President
range | intelligent | couple | correspondence | revolution | advocate | gender
One of the most well-known presidents in American history is John
Adams, the second president of the United States. John Adams was
famous for his skill as a lawyer, his role as a Founding Father of
the United States, and his diplomatic service in Europe for his new
country.
However, fewer people know about the most significant person in
John Adams’ life: Abigail Adams. John Adams valued his wife’s
advice deeply. Though Abigail had not received a formal
education, she had studied a wide range of subjects at home. She
had read books on topics such as philosophy, theology, and history,
and she had a very intelligent mind. John frequently sought her
Source: Wikimedia Commons
counsel and opinions on matters related to politics and government.
In fact, the press began to call Abigail “Mrs. President” because they thought that she influenced
many of John’s decisions.
John and Abigail wrote many letters to each other throughout their married life. In them, the
couple often called each other, “my dearest friend.” Thankfully, their correspondence was
retained and can be read today. The letters provide accurate descriptions of the American
Revolution from eyewitnesses who watched the ongoing war happen.
Abigail was also an advocate for women. She once wrote to her husband to remember women in
his legislation. She urged him to make laws that were fair to the female gender.
Remember the keywords!
•Download the audio for this passage at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
•Listen to the passage more than 10 times.
•Listen carefully to how the keywords are used in context.
•Listen to the passage again after one or two days to review.
9
Lesson 4: Fighting Discrimination
racism | discrimination | ignored | alter | revenue | tense | vision
In the early 20th century, racism was all over the United States.
People from minority races faced discrimination constantly. Black
people were forced to ride at the back of the bus, drink water from
separate places, and attend different schools than white-skinned
people. Even worse, many black people were denied employment
by many companies and couldn’t live in certain areas.
Some people ignored the situation. Others wanted to see change
happen. One man worked very hard to alter the treatment of black
people in the United States. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent years
organizing non-violent protests against discrimination. In 1955,
King assisted in leading a boycott in which black people refused to
ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama. This created problems for Source: Wikimedia Commons
the bus lines, because they received much of their revenue from black people. The tense boycott
situation drew national attention to the problem of discrimination and eventually resulted in new
legislation.
Later, King led 250,000 people in marching to Washington D.C. to again promote Civ il Rights.
There he gave a famous speech in which he shared his vision of the United States as a country
where people would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
In 1968, King was tragically killed. But before his death, he had made significant progress in the
fight against discrimination. He was arrested more than twenty times for his work, he was
personally attacked several times, and his home was even bombed once. Still, King persevered
and stood for the cause he believed in.
Remember the keywords!
•Download the audio for this passage at www.globalenglishexpress.com.
•Listen to the passage more than 10 times.
•Listen carefully to how the keywords are used in context.
•Listen to the passage again after one or two days to review.
10