TEST 3: Reading Passage 3: Whatever happened to the Harappan civilization

Civilisation

human society with its well-developed social organizations (ˌsɪvəlaɪˈzeɪʃən)

Shed light on

to explain a situation (ʃɛd laɪt ɒn)

Disappearance

loss, vanishing (ˌdɪsəˈpɪərəns)

Flourish

grow, thrive, prosper (ˈflʌrɪʃ)

Abandon

leave (əˈbændɒn)

Sophisticated

developed to a high degree of complexity (səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd)

Megacity

a very large city (ˈmɛɡəˌsɪti)

Luxury

very great comfort and pleasure (ˈlʌkʃəri)

Depiction

picture, portrait (dɪˈpɪkʃən)

Self-imagery

the use of words or pictures to describe one's personality or achievements (ˈsɛlf ɪˈmædʒəri)

Representation

picture, painting (ˌrɛprɪzɛnˈteɪʃən)

Mystery

something that is difficult to understand (ˈmɪstəri)

Archaeological

related to the study of ancient societies (ˌɑːkiəˈlɒdʒɪkəl)

Alleyway

a narrow street between buildings (ˈæliweɪ)

Well

a deep hole in the ground for water (wɛl)

Drainage

the system of water or waste liquids flowing away (ˈdreɪnɪdʒ)

Thriving

flourishing, prosperous (ˈθraɪvɪŋ)

Transformation

change, alteration (ˌtrænsfərˈmeɪʃən)

Ritual

a set of actions performed regularly (ˈrɪtʃuəl)

Fall/Go/Be out of use

not in use anymore (fɔːl/ɡoʊ/bi aʊt əv juːz)

Demise

the end of something powerful (dɪˈmaɪz)

Glacier

a large mass of ice (ˈɡleɪʃər)

Course

flow, direction (kɔːrs)

Cope with

deal with, face (koʊp wɪð)

Exhaust

run out, use up (ɪɡˈzɔːst)

Succumb to smt

give in (səˈkʌm)

Invasion

an occasion of forceful entry (ɪnˈveɪʒən)

Provision

the act of providing something (prəˈvɪʒən)

Solid

strong, firm (ˈsɒlɪd)

Speculation

assumption, theory (ˌspɛkjʊˈleɪʃən)

Investigation

study, inspection (ɪnˌvɛstɪˈɡeɪʃən)

Be supposed to be

be expected to be (bi səˈpoʊzd tuː bi)

Inhabit

live in, settle in (ɪnˈhæbɪt)

In relation to

in connection with something (ɪn rɪˈleɪʃən tuː)

Inaccuracy

a situation of incorrectness (ɪnˈækjʊrəsi)

Settlement

a group of houses (ˈsɛtəlmənt)

Flaw

faulty or imperfect (flɔː)

Fieldwork

testing scientific theories in real situations (ˈfiːldwɜːrk)

Astonishing

amazing, surprising (əˈstɒnɪʃɪŋ)

Definitive

conclusive, final (dɪˈfɪnɪtɪv)

Plain

a large area of flat land (pleɪn)

Shell

the hard outer covering (ʃɛl)

Sediment

solid material that settles (ˈsɛdɪmənt)

A means of Ving

a way of doing something (ə miːnz əv Ving)

Trace

find, discover (treɪs)

Monsoon

rainy season (mɒnˈsuːn)

Abrupt

sudden, unexpected (əˈbrʌpt)

Evaporation

process of a liquid changing to a gas (ɪˌvæpəˈreɪʃən)

Exceed

to be greater than a particular number (ɪkˈsiːd)

Indicative

a sign that something exists (ɪnˈdɪkətɪv)

Drought

a long period of little rain (draʊt)

Estimate

calculate, approximate (ˈɛstɪmeɪt)

Variable

likely to change (ˈvɛəriəbl)

Obtain

get, acquire (əbˈteɪn)

Grain

seed from a plant (ɡreɪn)

Cultivate

to prepare land for crops (ˈkʌltɪveɪt)

Work out

find the answer to something (wɜːrk aʊt)

Extreme

severe, intense (ɪkˈstriːm)

Stress

force (strɛs)

Adjust

modify, adapt (əˈdʒʌst)

Pottery

objects made of clay (ˈpɒtəri)

Distinctive

easy to recognize because of differences (dɪˈstɪŋktɪv)

Specific

exact, precise (spəˈsɪfɪk)

Insight (into something)

understanding of something (ˈɪnsaɪt)

Interactive

involving communication (ˌɪntərˈæktɪv)

Unique

sole, exclusive (juːˈniːk)

Investigate

examine or study (ɪnˈvɛstɪˌɡeɪt)

Respond to smt

react (rɪˈspɒnd tuː)

Threat

danger, risk (θrɛt)

Administrative

relating to arrangements to control operation (ədˈmɪnɪstrətɪv)

Body

group of people joined together (ˈbɒdi)

Proactive

taking action to cause change (proʊˈæktɪv)

Preserve

protect, conserve (prɪˈzɜrv)

Heritage

history and traditions important to a society (ˈhɛrɪtɪdʒ)