TEST 2: Reading Passage 2: What destroyed the civilisation of Easter Island?

Civilisation

human development (sɪvəl-aɪˈzeɪʃən)

Ancient

very old (ˈeɪnʃənt)

Remote

distant, far-off # central (rɪˈməʊt)

Settle

set up home, emigrate to (ˈsetl)

Isolated

remote (ˈaɪsəleɪtɪd)

Carve

to make something by cutting into especially wood or stone (kɑːv)

Massive

very large, solid, and heavy (ˈmæsɪv)

Platform

stage (ˈplætfɔːm)

Identity

who a person is (aɪˈdentəti)

Stranded

stuck (ˈstrændɪd)

Extraterrestrial

a creature that people think may exist on another planet (ekstrətəˈrestriəl)

Archaeological

belonging to the study of ancient societies by examining what remains of their buildings, graves, tools etc. (ɑːkiəˈlɒdʒɪkəl)

Genetic

relating to genes or genetics (dʒəˈnetɪk)

Definitively

perfectly (dɪˈfɪnɪtɪvli)

Folklore

myths, legends (ˈfəʊklɔː)

Assume

presume, to think or accept that something is true without having proof (əˈsjuːm)

Drag

pull (dræɡ)

Rope

very strong thick string (rəʊp)

Log

a thick piece of wood from a tree (lɒɡ)

Pollen

a fine powder produced by flowers (ˈpɒlən)

Sediment

solid substances that settle at the bottom of a liquid (ˈsedəmənt)

Descendant

offspring, previous generation (dɪˈsendənt)

Wreck

ruin, destroy, damage (rek)

Fragile

easily broken # strong (ˈfrædʒaɪl)

Fertilise

to spread a natural or chemical substance on land or plants (ˈfɜːtəlaɪz)

Ash

the soft grey powder that remains after something has been burned (æʃ)

Scarce

rare, insufficient # plentiful, abundant (skeəs)

Erosion

the fact of soil, stone, etc. being gradually damaged and removed (ɪˈrəʊʒən)

Descend

fall # ascend (dɪˈsend)

Collapse

breakdown, failure, end (kəˈlæps)

Scenario

situation (səˈnɑːriəʊ)

Accelerate

quicken, speed up # slow down (əkˈseləreɪt)

Destruction

the act or process of destroying something (dɪˈstrʌkʃən)

Display

an arrangement of things (dɪˈspleɪ)

Rival

opponent # ally (ˈraɪvəl)

Chieftain

the leader of a tribe (ˈtʃiːftɪn)

Assert

to make other people recognize your right or authority (əˈsɜːt)

Dominance

superiority, power, authority (ˈdɒmənəns)

Haul

drag, pull, tug (hɔːl)

Feed

give food to, provide food for (fiːd)

Topple

to take power away from a leader or government (ˈtɒpəl)

Catastrophe

disaster (kəˈtæstrəfi)

Infertile

unproductive # fertile (ɪnˈfɜːtaɪl)

Windbreak

something that gives protection from the wind (ˈwɪndbreɪk)

Moist

wet, damp # dry (mɔɪst)

Pioneer

leader (paɪəˈnɪə)

Sustainable

able to continue for a long time (səˈsteɪnəbəl)

Contend

argue, claim, assert (kənˈtend)

Upright

straight up (ˈʌpraɪt)

Manoeuvre

move, turn (məˈnuːvə)

Replica

copy, duplicate, reproduction (ˈreplɪkə)

Tilt

move, tip (tɪlt)

Convince

persuade (kənˈvɪns)

Wholly

completely (ˈhəʊl-li)

Extinct

no longer in existence (ɪkˈstɪŋkt)

Nut

seed (nʌt)

Groove

a thin line cut into a hard surface (ɡruːv)

Overrun

if a place is overrun by unwanted things or people (əʊvəˈrʌn)

Doom

ruin, destroy (duːm)

Deforestation

the cutting or burning down of all the trees in an area (diːfɒrəˈsteɪʃən)

Stable

fixed = steady # changeable (ˈsteɪbəl)

Immunity

resistance, protection (ɪˈmjuːnəti)

Slave

someone who is owned by another person (sleɪv)

Decimate

destroy, devastate, ruin (ˈdesɪmeɪt)

Shrivel

become smaller, shrink (ˈʃrɪvəl)

Ingenious

clever, good at inventing (ɪnˈdʒiːniəs)

Steward

manager, keeper, guardian, supervisor (ˈstjuːəd)

Reckless

careless # careful, cautious (ˈrekləs)

Abject failure

the state of being extremely poor, unhappy, unsuccessful (ˈæbdʒekt ˈfeɪljə)