LESSON 12 ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS

 

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS LESSON 12

 

1 ignite (iɡˈnīt) set on fire a Spark plugs ignite in an automobile engine. b One match can ignite an entire forest. c A careless remark helped to ignite the conflict* between the brothers and the sisters. 2 abolish (əˈbäl’ ish) do away with completely; put an end to a The death penalty has recently* been abolished in our state. b We abolished numerous* laws that didn’t serve any purpose in this decade.* c My school has abolished final exams altogether. 3 urban (ər’ bən) of or having to do with cities or towns a Many businesses open offices in urban areas. b I plan to exchange my urban location for a rural* one. c Only a small minority* of the people of the United States live far from any urban area.     Words in Use Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. The Electric Auto Is on Its Way Ignite gasoline and you have noise and smoke; turn on an electric motor and you abolish two headaches that are dreaded* by urban populations. Automobile manufacturers are frank about the way their motors pollute the air, and that is why there are frequent* hints that the big companies will soon reveal a practical electric car. So far, lack* of knowledge of storing electricity in the car prohibits wide production of electric autos, but recently* Congress called urgently for adequate research into the battery or fuel cell problem. Electric autos would be inexpensive* to run and would decrease air pollution.* It might be weird,* however, to live in the quiet surroundings of a city where autos that used to be noisily audible would be whisper-quiet.     Picture It Which of the words studied in this lesson is suggested by the picture?   Fill in the Blanks Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below. 1 The doctor was completely ________ with the dying man. 2 In an ________ whisper, Maria called for my attention. 3 We didn’t need any evidence* to see that the poor man was in ________ need of money and food. 4 All his life the child was used to living in ________ areas. 5 Dry matches to ________ the campfire were sought by the boy scout. 6 Smoking is ________ in the medical building. 7 Gasoline fumes help to ________ the air. 8 The ________ in the number of people voting in national elections is due to lack* of interest. 9 Some citizens believe that we will never be able to ________ war. 10 The ________ of New York City is about eight million people. 11 In the comics, Superman never ________ his true identity. 12 They needed an ________ supply of water to last for the entire trip through the desert.   Word Detective From the list of 12 new words that follows, choose the one that corresponds to each definition below. ignite abolish urban population frank pollute reveal prohibit urgent adequate decrease audible   1 having to do with cities or towns ______________________________ 2 make known ______________________________ 3 as much as is needed; sufficient ______________________________ 4 make dirty ______________________________ 5 do away with completely ______________________________ 6 make or become less ______________________________ 7 free in expressing one’s thoughts ______________________________ 8 demanding immediate action ______________________________ 9 set on fire ______________________________ 10 people of a city or country ______________________________ 11 able to be heard ______________________________ 12 forbid by law or authority ______________________________   Spotlight On ignite—Some years ago, much attention was given to the fiery comet Kohoutek, which was supposed to blaze spectacularly across the sky. The people of medieval times spoke of four such types of natural history: aerial meteors (winds), aqueous meteors (rain, snow), luminous meteors (rainbow, halo) and igneous meteors (lightning, shooting stars). Now that you know the definition of ignite, you can see why such heavenly occurrences were called igneous.

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