DEGREE A TOEFL Vocabulary Week 1

WEEK genuine peculiar devise long

7 adverse offspring eminent tranquil

WORDS IN CONTEXT

Erin's peculiar question made everybody in the office very uncomfortable.

peculiar
/pɪˈkjuːlɪə/ I don't know how to explain his peculiar behavior; I admit it wasn't normal.
- adjective

Peculiar means… A. difficult B. strange C. stupid

Do you think it was a genuine apology? I don't believe in his sincerity.

genuine You have to prove us that your diamond ring is genuine.
/ˈdʒɛnjʊɪn/
-adjective

Genuine means… A. real B. complete C. big, huge

If you choose me as your new manager, I will devise a perfect system for the staff.
devise
/dɪˈvʌɪz/ When the software company Niantic devised Pokemon Go, some experts told them
-verb people forgot about Pokemon completely.

Devise means… A. allow B. plan, invent C. research, analyze

In our country, some people are angry at working mums for leaving their
offspring
/ˈɒfsprɪŋ/ offspring at a kindergarten.
-noun He expected all his offspring to become doctors.

Offspring means… A. best friend B. grandparents C. children

eminent They asked the most eminent doctors of the country to treat their daughter.
/ˈɛmɪnənt/ Bob Dylan is an eminent singer and songwriter. It is interesting he got the Nobel
- adjective
prize for literature.

Eminent means… A. handsome B. famous C. great

long After spending so many days in the jungle, I longed for a hot bath.
/lɒŋ/ Jean longed to see her kids one more time before she died of cancer.
-verb

Long means… A. to desire, to want B. hate C. focus, concentrate

something very much
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DEGREE A TOEFL Vocabulary Week 1

The game was cancelled because of the adverse weather conditions.

adverse
/ˈadvəːs/ Pollution has adverse effects on the skin.
-adjective

Adverse means…
A. dark B. negative, harmful C. beneficial

We talked to the neighbors and decided to build a tranquil playground for our
tranquil
/ˈtraŋkwɪl/ kids.
-adjective The tranquil sky got dark in minutes and a strong storm took its place.

Tranquil means… A. quiet, peaceful B. safe C. fun

READING
Video Games and the Brain

Video Games and The Brain: Why do you think offspring play a lot of computer games? Most of us have
experienced a feeling of anger when we get busted playing a video game and heard our parents saying:
“Can’t you do something better for yourself” or “Can’t you do something more intelligent like reading books
or studying” etc. Do you think this is peculiar? This is the result of a lot of misconceptions and wrong ideas
circulating in society such as spending a lot of time before the screen makes your eye-sight worse or playing
video games makes you careless or causes attention deficits. Rather than embracing these common-sense
adverse comments, why don’t we take the subject into consideration in a more scientific manner? There is a
lot of research proving all these claims wrong; for example, playing action shooter games and spending so
much time before the screen does not make your eyesight worse, instead, it makes it better and makes you
more attentive to the quick changes in an environment. However, when it goes too far it is no good for
anyone.
1. So what is your opinion?

Horizon: How video games can change your brain

The video game industry is a global phenomenon. There are more than 1.2 billion gamers across the
planet, with sales projected soon to pass $100bn (£65bn) per year.
The games frequently stand accused of causing violence and addiction. Yet three decades of research have
failed to produce consensus among scientists. In laboratory studies, some researchers have found an
increase of about 4% in gamers' levels of aggression after playing violent games. But other research groups
have concluded factors such as family background, mental health or simply being male are more significant
in determining levels of aggression. What is certain is that science has failed to find a causal link between
video games and real-world acts of violence. But away from the controversy, a growing body of work is
beginning to show these games in a different light.
Motor skill

Dr. Henkten Cate Hoedemaker is the man behind Underground. In the game, players must guide a child and
her pet robot out of a mine. But this is no ordinary game. Dr. Hoedemaker is a keyhole surgeon, and
Underground is designed to hone the skills of his profession. Players use adapted controllers that mimic the
tools used in surgery - and those who perform well in the game also do better in tests of their surgical skills.
Visual abilities
Around the world, other researchers are investigating the potential hidden benefits in video games. At the
University of Geneva, Prof Daphne Bavelier has compared the visual abilities of gamers and non-gamers. In
one test, subjects must try to keep track of the position of multiple moving objects. She has found that
individuals who play action video games perform markedly better than those who do not. Prof. Bavelier's
theory is that fast action games require the player to constantly switch their attention from one part of the

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DEGREE A TOEFL Vocabulary Week 1
screen to another while also staying vigilant for other events in the environment. This challenges the brain,
making it process incoming visual information more efficiently.
Brain growth
At the Max-Planck Institute of Human Development, in Berlin, Prof. Simone Kuhn also researches the effects
of the video games on the brain. In one study, she used fMRI (functional MRI) technology to study the brains
of subjects as they played Super Mario 64 DS, over a period of two months. Remarkably, she found that three
areas of the brain had grown - the prefrontal cortex, right hippocampus and cerebellum - all involved in
navigation and fine motor control. The visual layout of this game is distinctive: a 3D view on the top screen
and a 2D map view on the bottom. Prof. Kuhn believes having to navigate simultaneously in different ways
may be what stimulates brain growth.
Keeping sharp
Arguably the most exciting field of research is exploring the potential of video games to tackle mental decline
in old age. While electronic "brain training" games have long had enormous popular appeal, there is no hard
evidence playing them has any effect beyond improving your score. But at the University of California, San
Francisco, Prof Adam Gazzaley and a team of video game designers have created a game with a difference:
Neuroracer. Aimed at older players, it requires individuals to steer a car while at the same time performing
other tasks. After playing the game for 12 hours, Prof. Gazzaley found pensioners had improved their
performance so much they were beating 20-year-olds playing it for the first time. He also measured
improvements in their working memory and attention span. Crucially, this showed that skills improved through
playing the game were transferable into the genuine world. To test whether off-the-shelf games might bring
similar benefits to elderly players, the BBC's Horizon programme recruited a small group of older volunteers
from a sheltered housing complex in Glasgow. They learned to play a popular karting game, clocking up
about 15 hours each over five weeks. Their working memory and attention spans were tested before and
after.
On average, both these scores increased by about 30%. Although this was only a small test, larger scientific
studies will continue to explore the effects of playing video games. Prof. Gazzaley believes we are only just
beginning to tap their potential. "I'm intrigued with the idea that in the future, a psychiatrist or neurologist
might pull out their pad and instead of writing down a drug, writes down to play a tablet game twice a day,
and uses that as a therapy, as a digital medicine," he says.
Adapted from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34255492

POST READING

A. Answer the following questions

1. What are the games accused of?

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2. Why did the writer think the science has failed?
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3. What is the name of the game that helps one develop motor skills?
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4. What was found about brain growth?
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5. What is Prof. Gazzaley’s opinion about games and their future?
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DEGREE A TOEFL Vocabulary Week 1

COMPREHENSION CHECK POINT

1. Which of the following might ruin a tranquil 5. Samuel is in a job interview. Which one is a
journey? peculiar question ?
a. Watching the sunset a. Where did you work before?
b. Running over somebody b. What political party did you vote for?
c. Listening to slow music c. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

2. What would a homeless person long for? 6. Paul couldn't finish his assignment on time
a. a tie and his teacher asked him why. Which one is an
b. a bowl of hot soup adverse reaction?
c. keys a. My cousin passed away.
b. I had to look after my little sister.
3. How can you tell if somebody's love for you is c. It doesn't concern you.
genuine?
a. By observing what they do for you 7. What are the Germans usually eminent for?
b. By smelling their hair a. Their interest in discipline
c. By having a fight with them b. Being relaxed all the time
c. Being very lively
4. Which of the following do you need to devise
if your company is losing money? 8. What can good parents expect from their
a. a survey offspring?
b. a new business plan a. To be better than everybody else
c. an escape plan b. To have an open mind and respect everybody
c. To get married as soon as possible

WORD FAMILIES

NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADVERB

1. Tranquil

Tranquil atmosphere ✔

Tranquility of mind

2. Adverse

Adverse conditions

Times of adversity

3. Peculiar

A peculiar man

Peculiarity of the movie

4. Long

Long for youth

Feel a longing
B. Read the first half of each sentence and match it with the appropriate ending.
1. She experienced adversity a. for an understanding family

2. They had some b. in search of tranquility.

3. Josh felt a deep longing c. very annoying peculiarities.
4. He moved to a cottage d. in her childhood.

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DEGREE A TOEFL Vocabulary Week 1

WORD IN SENTENCES

adverse tranquil offspring devise

long genuine peculiar eminent

1. After my graduation ceremony, I sat under the .................. sky on my own and thought about my
future.
2. I wish they would ................. a time machine some time soon.
3. If all the people in the world stopped having ..........................., humanity would come to an end.
4. Jess ...................... to be a mother for years. Finally she gave up trying to have her own child and
decided to adopt a kid.
5. In the main square of the city, there were statues of ................... people.
6. He never cared about .................... criticism; he only listened to compliments.
7. He felt a ............. interest in model cars.
8. Why do you find it so .......................... to believe first humans came out of Africa?

WORD IN EXPRESSIONS
1. Peculiar
* Peculiar to Belonging primarily to one person, one group etc.

2.Long
Long for something To want something very badly
Long to do something To want to do something very badly

a. Thomas: I know we have to accept reality and be more understanding towards others but I really
don't understand why they elected him as a manager
James: Well, I guess most people now ................. a bossy, ignorant and simple man as a boss.
b. Elsa: My mother regrets quitting college when she got pregnant.
Umberto: I know. She told me she ................................. become a lawyer in her youth.

c. Judy: I read an interesting article in the newspaper yesterday.

Nick: What was it about?
Judy: They wrote that fascism was rising everywhere, it was not ............................ the USA only.

WORD IN READING

Peculiar to Tranquility Long for Genuine Offspring

He hoped the ......................... of the night would help him focus on his novel. He was not very
keen on literature. He was a shallow man. All he wanted was to help his ...................... live an
easy life. Also, he ........................... fame just like everybody else he knows. So, this shallowness
was not ...................... him, it was the new world order that forced people to think less and want
more. Nobody had ................ interests; he knew the majority read bestsellers and wanted to give
them a new one.

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DEGREE A TOEFL Vocabulary Week 1

IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Use the new vocabulary to make sentences, in your own words to help you memorise them.
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Writing Task
After familiarizing yourself with the material provided, try to come up with an essay discussing the effects of
playing video games on your brain. You are free to choose your own side, namely, you can write about the
good or bad effects of playing video games. There are some points to make your job easier:
1. Playing video games makes you more attentive to changes.
2. Those who are playing video games are better at multi-media tasking.
3. Spending too much time on video games may make your social skills deteriorate.
4. Playing violent video games may result in the emergence of violent and deviant behavior.
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