Education Check your vocabulary for TOEFL

Check your vocabulary for TOEFL

Education

Exercise 1

Complete definitions 1 – 14 with words and expressions from the box. You will not need all of the words and expressions from the box.

acquire     class      correspondence course       course       day release      degree       discipline       doctorate       elementary (education)       elementary school        enroll       exam       experience       faculty        fail       fees           grade        grades        grade school         graduate (noun)       graduate (verb)        graduate school        grant              higher degree       higher education        high school        junior high school       kindergarten        learn                   learning resources center         lecture        lecturer        lesson          literacy         mature (student)        middle school      night class         numeracy         opportunity        pass          physical education          private school         professor      prospectus        public school        qualifications         quarter        retake (an exam)          resources                     secondary (education)           semester           seminar           SAT® (Scholastic Aptitude Test)         sit / take (an exam)       skills          study          subject         syllabus        topic         tutor         tutorial         undergraduate

1	A ______________ is an educational course that you take at home, receiving your work and sending it back by mail or email. A ______________ is a lesson in the evening for people who work during the day. People who have a job might be given ______________ by their employer, which means that can take a day off work about once a week to attend a course of study.
2	The ______________ is an examination that students must take before they can go to university.
3	A ______________ is a period of time in which students are taught a subject in school (also called a ______________.
4	A ______________ is a talk given to a group of students at college or university about a particular ______________. The person who gives this talk is called a ______________. A ______________ is a meeting at which a group of students discuss something they are studying. A ______________ is a meeting at which one student, or a small group of students, discusses something he / she is studying with his / her ______________.
5	______________ is the ability to read and write. ______________ refers to basic skills in mathematics.
6	A ______________ is a small book that provides information about a university. Once a students who has read this book decides he / she would like to study there, he must ______________ (in other words, he / she puts his / her name on the official list of students).
7	A ______________ is a main department at a university. This word can also be used to refer to the teaching staff of a school, college, university, etc.
8	______________ refers to sports and exercise that children do at school as a school subject.
9	A ______________ is a school that is funded by taxes. A ______________ is a school where the parents of the children who attend it must pay ______________.
10	A ______________ is school for very young children (aged 4 or 5), which prepares them for the first ______________ at school. An ______________ is a school for the first six or eight years of a child's education. It is also known as a ______________.
11	A ______________ is a list of the main subjects in a course of study (sometimes called a curriculum).
12	A ______________ is a school for students between the ages of 12 and 14 or 15. It is also known as a ______________. From the age of 14 or 15, students attend a ______________.
13	A ______________ is one of two periods into which the school year is divided. A ______________ is one of four periods into which the school year is divided.
14	A ______________ is someone who has completed a course at school, college, or university. A ______________ is a college or university where students can study for a ______________ such as a Master's or Ph.D.

Exercise 2

Use your dictionary to check the meanings of the other words and expressions in the box.

Exercise 3

Complete this case study with appropriate words and expressions from the box in Exercise 1. You may need to change the form of some of the words.

You are never too old to learn. Do you agree with this statement? Education is a long process that not only provides us with basic (1) _______________ such as (2) _______________ and (3) _______________, but is also essential in shaping our future lives. From the moment we enter (4) _______________ as 5 year-olds, and as we progress through (5) _______________ and (6) _______________ education, we are laying the foundations for the life ahead of us. We must (7) _______________ ourselves to work hard so that we can (8) _______________ exams and gain the (9) _______________ we will need to secure a good job. We must also (10) _______________ valuable life skills so that we can fit in and work with those around us. And of course (11) _______________ helps us to develop our bodies and stay fit and healthy. For most people, this process ends when they are in their mid-to-late teens and they (12 _______________ from high school. For others, however, it is the beginning of a lifetime of learning. After they finish school, many progress to (13) _______________ education where they will work towards a (14) _______________ in a chosen (15) _______________ at university. After that, they may work for a while before opting to study at a (16) _______________ for a Masters degree, or a (17) _______________. Alternatively, they may choose to attend a (18) _______________ after work or, if they have a sympathetic employer, obtain (19) _______________ so that they can study during the week. And if they live a long way from a college or university, they might follow a (20) _______________ using mail and the Internet. In fact, it is largely due to the proliferation of computers that many people, who have not been near a school for many years, have started to study again and can proudly class themselves as (21) _______________ students. We live in a fascinating and constantly changing world, and we must continually learn and acquire new knowledge if we are to adapt and keep up with changing events. Our schooldays are just the beginning of this process, and we should make the best of every (22) _______________ to develop ourselves, whether we are eighteen or eighty. You are, indeed, never too old to learn.

Exercise 4

Now try this essay. Use words and expressions from the vocabulary box in Exercise 1, and any other words or expressions that you think would be relevant.

Do you agree with this statement? “The most important things in life are not learnt at school or college.” Use examples and details in your answer.

ANSWER KEY

 

Children and the family Check your vocabulary for TOEFL

Check your vocabulary for TOEFL

Children and the family

Exercise 1

Complete definitions 1 – 15 with words and expressions from the box. You will not need all of the
words and expressions from the box.

adolescence      adolescent       adopt       authoritarian       birth        rate       bring        up        dependent       divorced      extended family        family life        formative years        foster       foster child        foster family      freedom       infancy     infant        juvenile       juvenile delinquency      lenient        minor (noun)        nuclear family       nurture                     over-protective        protective          raise         rebellious         relationship         relatives        responsible            separated       siblings       single         parent         single-parent         family        strict        supervision          running wild      teenager        upbringing       well-adjusted

1	__________ is the period in someone's life when they change from being a child to being a young adult. A boy or a girl who is at this stage in their life is called an __________.
2	A __________ is someone who has not reached the age at which they are legally an adult.
3	Your brothers and sisters are sometimes referred to as your __________.
4	A couple (for example, a husband and wife) who are __________ no longer live together. If a married couple get __________, their marriage is legally ended.
5	A __________ is a family that looks after someone else's child in their own home for a period of time. A child who lives with this family is called a __________. The verb is __________.
6	A __________ is a formal word for a young person, and can also be used as a word for a young person who has committed a crime.
7	A __________ child is one who is mentally strong and able to deal with problems without becoming upset. A child who is badly behaved and refuses to obey his / her parents, teachers, etc., can be described as __________.
8	Your __________ are those in your life when your character and beliefs are most strongly influenced.
9	If you bring someone else's child into your family and legally make him or her your own child, we say that you __________ him / her.
10	A __________ is a child between the ages of 13 and 19.
11	An __________ is a baby or very young child. This period in a child's life is called __________.
12	__________ and __________ both mean the same thing: to take care of children while they are growing up.
13	An __________ is a family group that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. A __________ is a family unit consisting of a mother, a father, and their children.
14	A __________ or __________ parent is one who makes their children follow rules and behave in a very “correct” way. The opposite of this is __________.
15	A __________ is a child or other relative to whom you give food, money, and a home. This word can also be an adjective.

Exercise 2

Use your dictionary to check the meanings of the other words and expressions in the box.

Exercise 3

Complete this case study with appropriate words and expressions from the box in Exercise 1. You may need to change the form of some of the words.

Bob's problems began during his (1) ________________. His parents got (2) ________________ when he was young, and neither of his parents wanted to raise him or his brother and sister, so he was (3) ________________ by a (4) ________________ chosen by his parent's social worker. Unfortunately, his foster-father was a strict (5) ________________ and often beat him. Bob rebelled against this strict (6) ________________ and by the time he was eight, he was already (7) ________________ stealing from shops and playing truant. By the time he reached (8) ________________ sometime around his thirteenth birthday, he had already appeared in court several times, charged with (9) ________________. The judge blamed his foster parents, explaining that children needed (10) ________________ parents and guardians who would look after them properly. The foster father objected to this, pointing out that Bob's (11) ________________ – his two brothers and sister – were (12) ________________ children who behaved at home and worked well at school. This has raised some interesting questions about the modern family system. While it is true that parents should not be too (13) ________________ with children by letting them do what they want when they want, or be too (14) ________________ by sheltering them from the realities of life, it is also true that they should not be too strict. It has also highlighted the disadvantages of the modern (15) ________________ where the child has only its mother and father to rely on (or the (16) ________________, in which the mother or father has to struggle particularly hard to support their (17) ________________). In fact, many believe that we should return to traditional family values and the (18) ________________ family: extensive research has shown that children from these families are generally better behaved and have a getter chanceof success in later life.

Exercise 4

Now try this essay. Use words and expressions from the vocabulary box in Exercise 1, and any other words or expressions that you think would be relevant.

Some people believe that children nowadays have too much freedom. Others believe that children are protected too much by their parents. Which of these statements do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your decision.

ANSWER KEY