< V > TOEFL Vocabulary (186)

Speck (noun) 

a small discoloration or spot especially from stain or decay; a very small amount 

The other, a composite of four wide angle images, shows the moon as a speck just as it

sets below the Martian horizon.

Spec (abbreviation) 

short for specification 

From CPUs to RAM to optical storage, we'll break down the jargon--and tell you which

specs are most important to your purchase. 

Spectacular (adjective) 

an impressive exhibition

Their eruptions are typically characterized by the relatively quiet outflow of very fluid

lava and by sometimes spectacular lava fountains. 

Spectrum (noun) 

a continuous range or sequence

She continues to produce a wide spectrum of music and is truly a musical treasure.

Speculation (noun) 

the act or process of thinking, reasoning, or theorizing

Many speculations exist about the origin and composition of dark matter.

Speedily (adverb) 

at a high rate of speed

Anxious to finish since it was the last day of class; the students speedily completed the

exam.

Spell (noun) 

a rather short period

A spell of freezing weather before the onset of winter is usually enough to kill any

remaining mosquitoes or larvae.

Spike (noun) 

an usually high and sharply defined maximum

In cores from Antarctica and Greenland, researchers have pinpointed the beginning of

atomic bomb testing in the mid 1950s. They have also identified spike representing

fallout from stepped up atmospheric testing that took place just prior to the 1963 Test

Ban Treaty, which allowed for underground tests only.

Splendid (adjective) 

particularly excellent 

When he returned to Salzburg he was given the position of court organist (1779) and

produced a splendid series of church works, including the famous Coronation Mass.

Splotch (noun) 

a blend of the word spot and blotch; a small area visibly different (as in color, finish, or 

material) from the surrounding area 

Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Langley had spent many years documenting the cyclic

appearance of dark splotches on the sun now referred to as sunspots and had traveled

across the world to observe total solar eclipses.