Academic Vocabulary: Academic Words - Olsen Amy E. 2012

Chapter 21. Geology

Above and Below

The Australian hinterland, known as the Outback, is one of the harshest environments on Earth. The desert receives little rain, and summer temperatures can reach 115° F (45° C), with averages around 90° F. The wonder of the region is Uluru, a huge red sandstone monolith that rises 1,150 feet (350 meters) above the plain. In 1872, the explorer William Gosse named the monolith Ayers Rock after a South Australian politician who supported his escapades. Uluru is the Aboriginal name for the rock. The rock has been a sacred site for the Aborigines who have lived in the area for 20,000 years. In 1985 the rock was made part of a national park, and the name of the rock was officially recognized as Uluru. The word Uluru can be roughly translated as "mother of the earth." Except for the rock grouping Kata Tjuta nineteen miles away, the land around Uluru is flat, which heightens the impressive nature of the rock. The monolith is the result of 600 million years of physical forces. Though the huge rock may look impervious to weather conditions, wind, sand, and rain erosion still play a part in shaping the rock by wearing holes in its surface. The beauty of the rock needs to be appreciated throughout the day. The changing light makes the rock look brown during the day, but, as the sun sets, the rock turns red, purple, and orange. Today thousands of visitors climb the rock and enjoy the tourist facilities nearby. Those with acrophobia, however, are discouraged from climbing the rock as the ascent is made by holding on to a chain link fence. Several people have had to be rescued from the rock. It has not, however, been a fear of heights that has caused more people to refrain from the climb. The rock is considered a sacred site to the Aborigines, and they prefer people not climb it. Each year more visitors are respecting their wishes.

The Grand Canyon is a marvel of nature. In its layers of rock, more than two billion years of geology are recorded. The scale of the canyon is impressive. On average the canyon is one mile (1.6 km) deep, nine miles (15 km) wide, and runs for 280 miles (450 km). Located in northern Arizona, temperatures at the Grand Canyon fluctuate from over 100° F (38 ° C) in the summer to 0° F (-18 ° C) in the winter. The eight-mile descent on switchback trails takes one through several environments. Every 1,000 vertical feet is equal to 300 miles of southward travel. The region is an oasis for diverse animal populations from mountain species like bighorn sheep to desert animals like rattlesnakes. The erosive forces of the Colorado River formed the canyon. Six million years ago the river began wearing away the rocky surface at about one hundredth of an inch (2.5 mm) a year. At one point the canyon was nothing more than a ravine, but over millions of years the narrow valley grew. The walls of the canyon reveal the permutations the area has gone through. Plankton fossils embedded in the rocks show that the region was once under the sea, and other layers expose the area as having been part of a mountain range. Like Uluru, the beauty of the canyon can best be valued with the changing light. The canyon rocks are usually red, but dawn gives them a gold and silver hue, and sunset turns them bright red. A portion of the canyon was made a national park in 1919, and the park gets well over a million visitors a year. Many of these visitors would surely agree with the geologist Francois E. Matthes: "Whoever stands upon the brink of the Grand Canyon beholds a spectacle unrivaled on this earth."

Predicting

For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, return to the reading on page 128, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predictions, check your answers against the Word List on page 133. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you'll want to study closely.

Set One

a large single block of stone

back country

incapable of being influenced

the process by which the surfface of the earth is worn away

a fear of heights

□ 1. hinterland (line 1) ...

□ 2. monolith (line 6) ...

□ 3. impervious (line 17) ...

□ 4. erosion (line 17) ...

□ 5. acrophobia (line 21) ...

Set Two

a narrow valley

a downward slope

a rising or climbing movement

alterations

a refuge

□ 6. ascent (line 21) ...

□ 7. descent (line 31) ...

□ 8. oasis (line 35) ...

□ 9. ravine (line 42) ...

□ 10. permutations (line 43) ...

Self-Tests

1 Put a T for true or F for false next to each statement.

1. Using a shield made of paper would make a person impervious.

2. It is dangerous for children to play near ravines.

3. One can slide down a hill during an ascent.

4. If a woman has climbed the twenty highest peaks in North America, she probably has acrophobia.

5. A teenager's bedroom can be an oasis from the stresses of school and relationships.

6. You could possibly slide down a hill during a descent.

7. New York City is considered the hinterland of the United States.

8. Usually the erosion of a mountain is easy to see on a day-to-day basis.

9. An essay can go through many permutations before a student is ready to hand it in.

10. A statue sitting on the comer of a person's desk could be called a monolith.

2 Match the quotation to the word it best illustrates. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

impervious

hinterland

acrophobia

oasis

ravine

monolith

ascent

erosion

descent

permutations

1. "I tried to persuade my father to let me go to the concert, but he wouldn't let me."

2. "The statues on Easter Island are so impressive."

3. "I'm afraid to look over the side of the building. We are on the twentieth floor!"

4. "This cafe is my lunch-hour refuge from the stresses of work."

5. "The wind has made the rocks into interesting shapes."

6. "I am going to get away this summer; I am going to the Yukon in Canada."

7. "There have been so many alterations to the plan that I am not sure what time to pick up Athena."

8. "His advancement in the company has been amazing. He is now a vice-president, and he was working in the mailroom just ten months ago."

9. "I'm a bit afraid of going down. There are several loose rocks on the path."

10. "We are going to have to leap across this one."

3 Circle the word that correctly completes each sentence.

1. The latest (permutation, ascent) in the City Hall redesign plan shows a swimming pool replacing a parking lot.

2. The (ascent, erosion) of the mountain took all day. We set up camp near the top just before dark.

3. I hadn't realized I suffered from (oasis, acrophobia) until we took a hot air balloon ride. I was terrified the whole ride.

4. I am excited about my vacation to the (monolith, hinterland) of the African jungle. It will be great to get away from civilization.

5. Luckily our tent was (permutation, impervious) to water because it rained all night.

6. Her (descent, ascent) into madness was quick. Last week she was fine, and this week she is convinced that she is Queen Victoria.

7. The nomads were pleased to come across the (ravine, oasis); they were getting thirsty.

8. We had to pull Quan out of the (ravine, monolith). He wasn't looking, and he fell in.

9. The heavy rains this winter caused a lot of (erosion, descent) on the hillside.

10. The new black skyscraper has aptly been called a(n) (acrophobia, monolith). It is so massive it dominates the downtown skyline.

Identify the two vocabulary words represented in the photographs.

Collocations

The award had to be given posthumously because the ambassador died in a plane crash on her most recent peace-saving mission. (Chapter 19)

Word Pairs

Metaphor/Simile: Metaphor (Chapter 19) means "a figure of speech that makes a comparison between things that are not literally alike." A simile (Chapter 19) means "a figure of speech that compares two unlike things, introduced by the word like or as." The poet uses both a metaphor ("her eyes are diamonds") and a simile ("her cheeks are like apples") to describe the woman.

Ascent/Descent: Ascent (Chapter 21) means "a rising or climbing movement." Descent (Chapter 21) means "a downward slope." The ascent was steep and I started breathing hard, but the view from the top was worth it. I hope that the descent will be easier; maybe I can roll down part of the hill.

Interesting Etymologies

Jargon (Chapter 20) in the Middle Ages meant "twittering" and later "meaningless chatter." That meaning still applies to one of the definitions, "unintelligible talk," and likely the definition— "the language of a particular profession or group"—sounded like meaningless chatter to those not involved in that profession.

Acrophobia (Chapter 21) comes from the Greek akros, "at the end, the top," plus phobia, "fear of." Together they join to make "a fear of heights."

Interactive Exercise

Give an example for each word. The example might be where something could happen or be found. Think locally and globally.

Examples:

Monolith an Eas:ter Island s:tatue

Permutation four high rises built downtown this: year

1. acrophobia

2. ravine

3. ascent

4. permutation

5. descent

6. oasis

7. erosion

8. monolith

9. hinterland

10. impervious

Conversation Starters

An excellent way to review the vocabulary words and help to make them your own is to use them when you are speaking. Gather three to five friends or classmates, and use one or more of the conver­sation starters below. Before you begin talking, have each person write down six of the vocabulary words he or she will use during the conversation. Share your lists with each other to check that you did'not all pick the same six words. Try to cover all of the words you want to study, whether you are reviewing one, two, or more chapters.

1. What would a utopian society be like to you? Do you think it possible that humans will ever live in a utopian world? Explain why you feel this way.

2. What types of books do you like? What attracts you to these genres? Do you have a favorite author? Is there a type of literature you really don't like? Why is that?

3. How do you use computers in your everyday life? Do you see computers as being more beneficial or dangerous? Of the areas mentioned in the reading for Chapter 20, which seems the most threatening to you?

4. Would you enjoy traveling to the hinterland of some country? Would you have to overcome acrophobia or another kind of fear in your Journey? What kind of geological features are there around your town or city?

Words to Watch

Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. Write the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice could be the final touch to learning a word.