TOEFL wordlist 35

1. rodeo [ˈrəʊdiəʊ]

n. In the United States, a rodeo is a public entertainment event in which cowboys show different skills, including riding wild horses and catching cattle with ropes.

Rodeo have provoked opposition from animal rights and animal welfare advocates.

2. specimen [ˈspesɪmən]

(1). n. A specimen is a single plant or animal which is an example of a particular species or type and is examined by scientists.

(2). n. A specimen of something is an example of it which gives an idea of what the whole of it is like.

(3). n. A specimen is a small quantity of someone's urine, blood, or other body fluid which is examined in a medical laboratory, in order to find out if they are ill or if they have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs.

(4). n. You can use specimen to refer to someone who has a quantity of a particular kind.

Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the Moon.

3. legible [ˈledʒəbl]

adj. Legible writing is clear-enough to read.

The song she had written for the contest wasn't legible.

4. limb [lɪm]

(1). n. Your limbs are your arms and legs.

(2). n. The limbs of a tree are its branches.

(3). phrase. If someone goes out on a limb, they do something they strongly believe in even though it is risky or extreme, and is likely to fail or be critized by other people.

(4). phrase. If someone threatens to tear you limb from limb, they mean that they are extremely angry with you, and may use violence against you.

For a while, she lost the use of her limbs.

5. dorsal [ˈdɔːsl]

adj. Dorsal means relating to the back of a fish or animal.

The fishes' dorsal fins are usually cut off by the fishermen.

6. mansion [ˈmænʃn]

(1). n. A mansion is a very large house.

(2). n. Mansions is often used in the names of blocks of flats.

The family lived in an 18th century country mansion.

7. aquarium [əˈkweəriəm]

(1). n. An aquarium is a building, often in a zoo, where fish and underwater animals are kept.

(2). n. An aquarium is a glass tank filled with water, in which people keep fish.

It was estimated that in 1999 over nine million US households owned an aquarium.

8. wholesome [ˈhəʊlsəm]

(1). adj. If you describe something as wholesome, you approve of it because you think it is likely to have a positive influence on people's behaviour or mental state, especially because it does not involve anything sexually immoral.

(2) adj. If you describe food as wholesome, you approve of it because you think it is good for your health.

Bitter pills may have wholesome effects.

9. melodrama [ˈmelədrɑːmə]

n. A melodrama is a story or play in which there are a lot of exciting or sad events and in which people's emotions are very exaggerated.

Instead of tragedy, we got melodrama.

10. lichen [ˈlaɪkən]

n. Lichen is a group of tiny plants that looks like moss and grows on the surface of things such as rocks, trees, and walls.

Lichens are famous for their ability to survive a water shortage.

11. gospel [ˈɡɒspl]

(1). n. In the New Testament of the Bible, the Gospels are the four books which describe the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

(2). n. In the Christian religion, the gospel refers to the message and teachings of Jesus Christ, as explained in the New Testament.

(3). n. You can use gospel to refer to a particular way of thinking that a person or group believes in very strongly and that they try to persuade others to accept.

(4). n. Gospel or gospel music is a style of religious music that uses strong rhythms and vocal harmony. It is especially popular among black Christians in the southern United States of America.

(5). n. If you take something as gospel, or as gospel truth, you believe that it is completely true.

Mahalia Jackson's powerful, joyous gospel music style had gained her an international reputation.

12. mesmerize [ˈmezməraɪz]

v. If you are mesmerized by something, you are so interested in it or so attracted to it that you cannot think about anything else.

We were mesmerized by her performance.

13. groan [ɡrəʊn]

(1). v. If you groan, you make a long, low sound because you are in pain, or because you are upset or unhappy about something.

(2). v. If you groan something, you say it in a low, unhappy voice.

(3). v. If you groan about something, you complain about it.

(4). v. If wood or something made of wood groans, it makes a loud sound when it moves.

(5). v. If you say that something such as a table groans under the weight of food, you are emphasizing that there is a lot of food on it.

(6). v. If you say that someone or something is groaning under the weight of something, you think there is too much of that thing.

The trees creaked and groaned in the wind.

14. hike [haɪk]

(1). n. A hike is a long walk in the country, especially one that you go on for pleasure.

(2). v. If you hike, you go for a long walk in the country.

(3). n. A hike is a sudden or large increase in prices, rates, taxes, or quantities.

(4). v. To hike prices, rates, taxes, or quantities means to increased them suddenly or by a large amount.

Her sister's children love to hike in the mountains.

15. scurry [ˈskʌri]

(1). v. When people or small animals scurry somewhere, they move there quickly and hurriedly, especially because they are frightened.

(2). v. If people scurry to do something, they do it as soon as they can.

Ants scurried around the pile of rotting wood.

16. outspoken [aʊtˈspəʊkən]

adj. Someone who is outspoken gives their opinions about things openly and honestly, even if they are likely to shock or offend people.

He was outspoken in his criticism of the government's handling of the disaster.

17. perpetuate [pəˈpetʃueɪt]

v. If someone or something perpetuates a situation, system, or belief, especially a bad one, they cause it to continue.

Insects have many enenies, but they must perpetuate their kind.

18. factual [ˈfæktʃuəl]

adj. Something that is factual is concerned with facts or contains facts, rather than giving theories or personal interpretations.

The story of the train may not be completely factual.

19. formidable [fəˈmɪdəbl]

adj. If you describe something or someone as formidable, you mean that you feel slightly frightened by them because they are very great or impressive.

They faced formidable difficulties in their attempt to reach the mountain summit.

20. dearth [dɜːθ]

n. If there is a dearth of something, there is not enough of it.

There is a dearth of good young actors at the moment.

21. humble [ˈhʌmbl]

(1). adj. A humble person is not proud and does not believe that they are better than other people.

(2). adj. People with low social status are sometimes described as humble.

(3). adj. A humble place or thing is ordinary and not special in any way.

(4). adj. People use humble in a phrase such as in my humble opinion as a polite way of emphasizing what they think, even though they do not feel humble about it.

(5). phrase. If you eat humble pie, you speak or behave in a way which tells people that you admit you were wrong about something.

(6). v. If you humble someone who is more important or powerful than you, you defeat them easily.

(7). v. If something or someone humbles you, they make you realize that you are not as important or good as you thought you were.

In my humble opinion, you should listen to other first and then decide.

22. staunch [stɔːntʃ]

(1). adj. A staunch supporter or believer is very loyal to a person, organization, or set of beliefs, and supports them strongly.

(2). v. To staunch the flow of something means to stop it.

(3). v. To staunch a wound, or to staunch the blood from a wound, means to stop the wound from bleeding.

The president is a staunch supporter of free trade.

23. malice [ˈmælɪs]

n. Malice is behaviour that is intended to harm people or their reputations, or cause them embarrassment and upset.

I think he certainly bears you no malice, so don't worry.

24. embargo [ɪmˈbɑːɡəʊ]

(1). n. If one country or group of countries imposes an embargo against another, it forbids trade with that country.

(2). v. If goods of a particular kind are embargoed, people are not allowed to import them from a particular country or export them to a particular country.

The house agent places the apartments under an embargo between the house owner and the lodger.

25. ordeal [ɔːˈdiːl]

n. If you describe an experience or situation as an ordeal, you think it is difficult and unpleasant.

She was suffering the ordeal of divorce.

26. abhor [əbˈhɔː(r)]

v. If you abhor something, you hate it very much, especially for moral reasons.

The history teacher abhors all forms of racism and segregation.

27. pernicious [pəˈnɪʃəs]

adj. If you describe something as pernicious, you mean that it is very harmful.

Puppy love is seen to have a pernicious influence on students in school.

28. venturesome [ˈventʃəsəm]

adj. If you describe someone as venturesome, you mean that they are willing to take risks and try out new things.

To climb Mount Everest is a venturesome trip for amateur climbers.

29. regiment [ˈredʒɪmənt]

(1). n. A regiment is a large group of soldiers that is commanded by a colonel.

(2). n. A regiment of people is a large number of them.

After  the earthquake, a whole regiment of volunteers rushed to the disaster-hit areas.

30. smelting [ˈsmeltɪŋ]

(1). phrase. Smelt is a past tense and past participle of smell.

(2). v. To smelt a substance containing metal means to process it by heating it until it melts, so that the metal is extracted and changed chemically.

Smelting represented a major technological achievement.

31. cartilage [ˈkɑːtɪlɪdʒ]

n. Cartilage is a strong, flexible substance in your body, especially around your joints and in your nose.

The cartilage in John's nose was broken when it was hit.

整理自《柯林斯词典》、《新东方托福词汇》，侵删歉。