Monday, August 13, 2012

< V > TOEFL Vocabulary (100)


Downpour (noun) 
a heavy rain
The scientists found that one downpour leads to another. In effect, they were able to
pinpoint the culprit of these torrential rains in the Midwest.
    
Downsizing (noun) 
the act of reducing in size 
I managed to survive two rounds of corporate downsizing, but the third round was a
20 percent reduction in the workforce, which included me." 

Down slope (noun) 
moving from place of higher elevation to a place of lower elevation
In spring, the built up snow melts and runs down slope into brooks. These brooks flow
down and join a river.

Downstream (noun) 
in the direction of the flow of water running along the surface of the earth;  in the direction
of the flow of something The strength of intense downdrafts that emerge from the mountain storms can stir up
severe weather downstream.

Drainage (noun) 
the act, the process, or method for carrying off waster matter
Human activities which act to further destabilizing slopes are logging, woodland
conversion, road building, housing construction, and any activity which alters normal
drainage patterns.

Dramatic (adjective) 
filled with action, emotion, or exciting qualities
Gases trapped in ice cores show the dramatic impact that human activities have had on
the planet since the Industrial Revolution.

Drilling (verb) 
to do or perform repeatedly so as to master 
At the Union camp at Shiloh, the Federal troops spent a day drilling and merry making.

Driven (verb) 
to fix an idea in someone’s mind by emphasis and repetition
Driven by an intense need to characterize the traditions of the South, the writer
sometimes depicts his characters as vulnerable, ill-informed, and racist.

Drought (noun) 
a prolonged or chronic shortage or lack of something, especially water
A serious Midwestern drought during the 1930's devastated many farmers’ crops. 

Drunkenness (noun) 
given to habitual excessive use of alcohol of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication
The immediate physical effects of drinking alcohol range from mild mood changes to
complete loss of coordination, vision, balance, and speech any of which can be signals of
the temporary systemic poisoning known as acute alcohol intoxication, or
drunkenness.  

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