同义 barren（a. 贫瘠的）
要点 托福阅读中多用到arid“干旱的”这个词义，如arid zone“干旱带”，arid climate“干旱气候”，可与dry替换使用。
bare［ber］a. 赤裸的；无遮盖的；勉强的 v. 露出
例句 1. The paintings rest on bare walls, with no backdrops or environmental trappings around them. 画作留在光秃秃的墙上，周围没有任何背景和环境装饰。
2. In a very short time, angiosperms would fill many areas that had been bare. 在一段很短的时间里，被子植物就会覆盖许多原本光秃的土地。
同义 naked, bald（a. 赤裸的）
barren［'bærən］a. 贫瘠的；不结果实的；不生育的
例句 1. The fertile soils of the West drew farmers from regions with barren soils in America. 在美国，西部肥沃的土地吸引了来自土壤贫瘠地区的农民。
2. The region also permitted armed predators to prowl in the barren surroundings. 这一地区使武装的捕食者能够埋伏在周围的荒地里。
3. Dubai, which was merely a barren desert land four decades ago, was at the height of an unparalleled economic boom now. 四十年前还是一块贫瘠沙漠的迪拜如今已经处在空前的经济繁荣的鼎盛时期。
同义 infertile, unproductive（a. 不生育的）
bend［bend］v. 俯身；使弯曲 n. 弯；拐角
例句 These figures are shown in appropriate poses, bending or squatting as they are carrying out tasks. 这些人物造型以恰当的动作呈现，比如弯腰和下蹲，仿佛他们正在执行任务。
block［blɑ:k］v. 阻塞；阻碍 n. 大块；障碍物
搭配 block to 塞住
例句 1. Architects perfected the semicircular arch made of blocks of stone. 建筑师完善了那座用石块建造的半圆形拱门。
2. To test the idea that people orienting according to the position of the Sun, he blocked the view of the Sun and used mirrors to change its position. 为了验证人们可以根据太阳来确定方向这一观点，他挡住了人们面前的太阳光，并用镜子改变其位置。
3. Stone statues were made of single rectangular blocks of stones. 石像是用一块块矩形的石块制作的。
同义 back up（阻碍）
boredom［'bɔ:rdəm］n. 厌烦，令人厌烦的事物
例句 Their yawning seems to have nothing to do with sleepiness or boredom. 他们打哈欠似乎与瞌睡和无聊无关。
brick［brik］n. 砖，砖状物 v. 用砖砌
例句 The ancient building materials that are available today are wood, stone and brick. 从古代沿用至今的建筑材料只有木材、石头和砖块。
bypass［'baipɑ:s］n. 旁道 v. 绕过；置…于不顾
例句 It is unable to bypass the automatic system. 绕过自动电子系统是不可能的。
canal［kə'næl］n. 运河；沟渠 v. 开运河
例句 Canal building decreased after the steam locomotive appeared. 蒸汽机出现以后，就很少修建运河了。
cement［si'ment］n. 水泥；胶合剂 v. 巩固；使团结
例句 The modern building is made of cement and steel rather than wood. 现代的大楼是用水泥和钢铁建造的，而不是木材。
cereal［'siriəl］n. 谷物；谷类食物
例句 In this country, wild cereals and nuts can be used to change for exotic objects. 在这个国家，野生谷物和坚果可以用来交换他国的物品。
同义 grain（n. 谷物）
chip［ʧip］n. 碎片；芯片；瑕疵 v. 削（或凿）下
搭配 silicon chip 硅片
例句 1. The chips in the painted figures that are suggested to be made by spears thrown at the drawings can be seen as the evidence of the theory. 绘出的图形中的碎片可以看作这一理论的证据，而这些碎片被认为是将茅掷向画作时所产生的。
2. Early settlers used to chip blocks of ice, in order to melt it for drinking water. 早期移民常常凿开冰块，将其融化成饮用水。
同义 integrated circuit（集成电路，芯片）；break off[削（或凿）下]
communal［kə'mju:nl］a. 公共的，共享的；社区的
例句 1. The primary reason for moving to America was the social benefits associated with communal life. 移居美国的主要原因是与公共生活相关的社会福利。
2. After several generations of population growth, people packed the landscape in densities so high that communal pueblos may have been a necessary outcome. 经过几代的人口增长，该地区已被高度密集的人口填满，因此社区的出现是一种必然结果。
3. His paintings depict the communal cultural experience of Mexican descended people in the U.S. 他的绘画描写了美籍墨西哥人的社区文化经历。
要点 communal在托福阅读中通常用的是“社区的”这个词义，比如communal villages“社区村落”。
condition［kən'diʃn］n. 状况；［常 pl.］环境，形势
搭配 on condition（that）如果；out of condition 健康不佳
例句 1. Growing conditions throughout the Middle East are generally poor forcing Middle Eastern people to depend on imported food. 整个中东地区的种植条件都很匮乏，这迫使该地区的人们必须依赖进口食品。
2. An animal can hide from predators by choosing the light environment, but it may require moving to different parts of the forest at different times or under different weather conditions. 通过选择不同的光环境，动物可以躲避天敌，但这可能需要在不同时间或者根据气候条件躲避到森林的不同地方来实现。
3. Both animals and plants have different appearances in these various lighting conditions. 在不同的光照环境中，动物和植物都会有不同的外观。
confine［kən'fain］v. 限制；禁闭
例句 1. Upper Paleolithic art was not confined to cave paintings. 旧石器时代晚期的艺术不仅局限于洞穴壁画。
2. The other early apartment buildings were confined to the typical New York building lot. 其他早期的公寓楼的分布局限于典型的纽约建筑用地。
同义 restrict, limit（v. 限制）
consist［kən'sist］v. 在于，存在于；由…组成
搭配 consist of 由…组成在一起；consist in 在于，存在于
例句 1. The first successful plants on Hawaii were probably lichens, which consist of algae and fungi. 第一种在夏威夷成功存活下来的植物或许是地衣，包括藻类和菌类。
2. Ancient Greek philosophers thought the Earth consisted of five elements. 古希腊哲学家认为地球由5种元素构成。
3. A balanced meal consists of five key elements: proteins, carbo-hydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. 平衡的膳食包括5个关键的要素：蛋白质、碳水化合物、脂肪、维生素和矿物质。
同义 compose（v. 由…组成，由…构成）
派生 consistent（a. 一致的）；consistently（ad. 一贯地）
要点 托福阅读中也会经常用到consist的形容词形式consistent“始终如一的，一致的”，以及词组be consistent with“与…一致”。
consumption［kən'sʌmpʃn］n. 消耗（量）；消费（量）；食用；挥霍
搭配 consumption pattern 消费模式
例句 1. Nowadays, the cinema became a form of mass consumption. 如今，电影成了一种大众消费形式。
2. A large number of products was transported by water to markets in the cities, where the consumption of fruit and vegetables was no longer restricted to the wealthy. 大批的农产品通过水路运送到城市中的市场，水果和蔬菜不再是只有富人才能食用了。
contain［kən'tein］v. 包含；容纳；控制
例句 1. Research shows that ancient oceans on Mars contained only small amounts of carbon. 调查显示，火星上的远古海洋只含有少量的碳。
2. The earliest Ediacara fossil formation, which contains the oldest known animal fossils, consists exclusively of soft-bodied forms. 最早形成的埃迪卡拉化石包含已知最古老的动物化石，仅包含软体组织形式。
3. A slightly younger fossil formation containing animal remains was found in Russia. 在俄罗斯发现了一个年代稍近的含有动物残骸的化石。
同义 admit（v. 容纳）；control（v. 控制）
要点 contain这个词在托福阅读中出现的频率非常高，常用“包含”这个词义，相当于include。
cover［'kʌvər］v. 盖，覆盖；范围为，占；掩饰
搭配 cover up 掩盖，掩饰；take cover 隐蔽；under cover 秘密地
例句 1. The proof is wide-ranging because it covers multiple age-groups. 证据很广泛，因为它涵盖了很多年龄组。
2. Most of Earth's history recorded that glaciers did not exist, but at the present time about 10 percent of Earth's land surface is covered by glaciers. 大多数有关地球史的记载表示冰川并不存在，但是目前看来，地球表面有10%的陆地都被冰川覆盖。
3. Research now shows that the parts of the inner continental shelf remain covered with ice. 调查表明部分内部大陆架现在依然有冰雪覆盖。
crack［kræk］v.（使）破裂；破坏 n. 裂缝，裂纹
搭配 crack down（on...）镇压，严厉打击
例句 1. Large quantities of water may also be stored in lime stones when cracks have been enlarged to form cavities. 当裂缝扩大形成洞穴的时候，大量的水可能被储存于石灰石中。
2. The otter uses a stone to crack mussel shells. 海獭用石头敲碎贝壳。
同义 break［v.（使）破裂］；crush（v. 压碎）；split（n. 裂缝，裂纹）
cramped［kræmpt］a. 狭窄的；拥挤的
例句 About 350 B.C., a small village settlement of cramped pit dwellings was founded here. 大约公元前350年，一个狭窄的洞穴房屋构成的小村落在这里建成了。
cultivation［ˌkʌlti'veiʃn］n. 耕种；培养，教育
例句 1. The cultivation of crops has expanded into drier regions as the population density is growing. 由于人口密度不断增长，作物的种植开始向干旱地区扩展。
2. Bringing more land under cultivation produced enough food to support population growth. 耕作更多的土地能提供更多的粮食产量，以应对人口增长。
3. After several years of cultivation and harvest, people here led a happy life. 经过多年的劳作，这里的人们过上了幸福生活。
current［'kə:rənt］a. 现行的；流通的 n. 流；趋势；涌流
搭配 air currents 气流
例句 1. This fact was of great value in helping the national economies find their place in the evolving currents of the international economy. 这个事实在帮助该国经济在不断变化的国际经济趋势中找到自己的位置方面具有很大价值。
2. The islanders were skilled enough to sail against the prevailing winds and currents. 这些岛民的技术足够娴熟，可以逆着风向和洋流航行。
同义 stream［ n.（液体、气体的）流］；tendency（n. 趋势）
要点 current在托福阅读中经常用到“当前的”这个词义，相当于ongoing；还会用到“气流”这个词义，如：currents in the Pacific“太平洋上的气流”。
cushion［'kuʃn］n. 垫子，靠垫 v. 缓冲
搭配 air-cushion vehicle 气垫船
例句 1. Alpine cushion plants have been found growing at an altitude of 6,180 meters. 我们发现高山上的垫状植物生长在6180米海拔之上。
2. The carpet cushioned the fall of the vase. 地毯缓冲了花瓶的坠落。
同义 pillow（n. 垫子）
damage［'dæmiʤ］n. 毁坏，损害；［常 pl.］损害赔偿（金）v. 毁坏，损害
例句 1. Parasitic damage to Australian rabbits was never reversed because the rabbits can not bear the parasites attacks. 寄生虫对澳大利亚兔子种群的损害从来没有改变过，因为兔子无法忍受寄生虫的攻击。
2. Damage to the environment by humans is often much more severe than that by natural events. 人类对环境的破坏通常比自然事件造成的损害更为严重。
3. They have to fix the damage caused by the global economic crisis and ask for a bigger budget and continue with their business. 他们必须弥补在全球经济危机中造成的损失，要求更高的预算并继续他们的业务。
debris［də'bri:］n. 岩屑；废墟，残骸；碎屑，散落的碎片
例句 1. The tremendous energy of slowly moving glaciers finally deposits rock debris into large rock formations. 这座缓慢移动的冰川具有的巨大能量最终使岩石碎块沉积成了巨大的岩石结构。
2. Scientists have warned that satellite failures would become a commonplace since the amount of space debris reaches a tipping point. 科学家已经警告由于太空中的残骸数量已经达到极限，因此卫星发射失败可能会变成一件司空见惯的事情。
3. Debris thrown into the atmosphere by an asteroid collision would presumably contain large amounts of iridium, and at the same time atmospheric currents would carry this material all over the globe. 大气层中行星撞击形成的碎片可能含有大量的铱元素，与此同时，大气的气流会把这些铱带到地球的每个地方。
同义 ruin, remains（n. 废墟，残骸）；fragment（n. 碎屑，散落的碎片）
deceive［di'si:v］v. 欺骗
例句 We may be deceived by the figure since over 80 percent of the world's freshwater is locked up as ice in glaciers. 我们可能被这个数字欺骗了，因为世界上80%的淡水都是以冰的形式冻结在冰川中的。
deplete［di'pli:t］v. 使枯竭，耗尽；倒空；消耗
例句 1. Except for being depleted in volatile elements, chondritic meteorites are probably very similar in the matter which makes up planets. 除了缺乏挥发性元素外，球状陨石的组成物质与行星十分相似。
2. The meteorite is depleted in the most volatile elements, like hydrogen and carbon. 这颗陨星耗尽了大部分的挥发性元素，比如氢气和碳。
3. Some plants can bear relatively low levels of certain minerals, but they are of little use for recycling nutrients back into depleted soils. 某些植物能够忍受某些特定矿物质的较低含量，但这些植物几乎无法将营养供给到贫瘠的土壤中循环再用。
同义 exhaust（v. 使枯竭，耗尽）
depletion［di'pli:ʃn］n. 削减，消耗
例句 1. The depletion of the ozone layer over the Arctic region has reached an unprecedented level — a loss of 40% from the beginning of the winter to late March in 2011. 从冬天开始到2011年三月下旬，南极地区的臭氧层减少了40%——这已达到一个空前的水平。
2. In modern agriculture, mineral depletion of coal is a major concern. 在现代农业中，煤炭资源的消耗是最令人担忧的。
3. The black loams of the prairies were tempting to New England farmers working their rock and to southeastern farmers plagued with soil depletion. 大草原提供了诱人的黑色土壤——这对整日与岩石地打交道的新英格兰农民或为土壤贫瘠所困扰的东南部农民来说极具吸引力。
disperse［di'spə:rs］v. 分散，散开；疏散
例句 1. In some cases, owls get food from the seeds that are dispersed in the wind. 在一些情况下，猫头鹰把飘散在风中的种子当做食物。
2. A survey shows that it is difficult to get to know people personally when they are milling about and dispersed in large groups. 一项调查显示，当人们兜兜转转，分散在大群体中的时候，想要了解一个人是很困难的。
3. The fact that pollinators obtain food from the flowering plants makes the plants have its pollen distributed and seeds dispersed much more efficiently than they would be if they were carried by the wind only. 传粉者从开花植物中获取花粉，这比植物仅依靠风的作用来传播花粉或分散种子的效率更高。
domestication［dəˌmesti'keiʃn］n. 驯养；教化
例句 1. Many complicated theories attempt to explain the way of early domestication of animals. 很多复杂的理论试图解释早期驯养动物的方法。
2. The proposed areas of the domestication of African crops lie in a bank in West Africa. 提到的非洲作物驯化的区域位于西非某条河的河畔。
drain［drein］v.（使）流走，流干；渐渐耗尽
例句 1. Much of the water in a sample of water-saturated sediment will drain from it if the sample is placed in a dry place. 如果将样本放在一个干燥的位置，那么这个渗满水的沉积物样本中大部分的水分都会流失。
2. It is thought the total volume of water in the saturated sample cannot drain away. 饱和样品的总含水量被认为是不可能耗尽的。
3. Endogenous rivers often do not reach the sea but drain into inland basins. 内生河流通常不会流入大海，而是会在内陆盆地中逐渐干涸。
同义 flow away（流走）
drainage［'dreiniʤ］n. 排水；排水系统，排水装置
例句 Extensive irrigation with poor drainage makes the surface of the soil salty, which reduces water and air absorption. 过度灌溉和排水不畅使土地表层盐化，这导致土壤对水分和空气的吸收有所减少。
electrical［i'lektrikl］a. 电的，与电有关的
例句 1. Lightning is a brilliant flash of light created by an electrical discharge from storm clouds. 闪电是暴风云放电产生的一道明亮的闪光。
2. Changes in the electrical pattern of the brain show that the stimulus is getting through to the central nervous system and evoking some form of response. 大脑电波模式的改变显示刺激已通过中枢神经系统，并引发了一些形式的反应。
escape［i'skeip］n./v. 逃脱；渗出；躲避
例句 1. The theater can be seen as one tool for people to define and understand their world or escape from unpleasant realities. 戏剧可以看作人们定义和理解他们世界的工具，也是逃避不愉快现实的工具。
2. The surface-to-volume ratio of bigger animals is usually lower, that's to say, they have proportionately less surface through which heat can escape. 对于体积较大的动物，其体表面积与体积之比通常较低，也就是说，它们只有较少的体表面积可以散热。
3. After 1815, improved transportation enabled more and more western farmers to escape a self-sufficient lifestyle and enter a national market economy. 1815年之后，更加发达的交通工具使越来越多的西方农民摆脱了自给自足的生活方式，进入了市场经济模式。
exhaust［ig'zɔ:st］v.（使）非常疲倦；耗尽 n.（机器排出的）废气
搭配 exhaust emission 尾气排放
例句 1. During the period of a shorter drought, if they exhausted their stored food supplies, they would get in deep trouble since growing crops required rain rather than reservoirs. 在短暂的干旱时期，如果他们耗尽了储存的粮食，将使自己陷入严重的困境，因为种植作物更需要的是雨水而不是水库中的水。
2. He returned from the gym, too exhausted to eat dinner. 他从健身房回来后精疲力竭，连饭都懒得吃了。
fertilizer［'fə:rtəlaizər］n. 肥料，化肥
例句 They applied more fertilizers to supply more nutrients to plants. 为了给植物提供更多的营养，他们增加了肥料的使用量。
fiber［'faibər］n. 纤维；光纤
例句 The rope of the late Ice Age found in the French cave consists of fibers spiraling to the right, proving that it was tressed by a right-handed person. 在法国岩洞里发现的冰河时代晚期的绳子是由向右旋转的纤维制成的，证明它是由右撇子的人拧成的。
派生 fibrous（a. 含纤维的）
flat［flæt］a. 平坦的；（价格）固定的；单调的
例句 On the flat plains, he saw moraines, that reminded him of the terminal moraines found at the end of valley glaciers in the Alps. 在平坦的平原上，他看到了冰碛石，这让他想起在阿尔卑斯山山谷的冰河尽头发现的终碛。
float［flout］v.（使）漂浮，（使）浮动，（使）飘动
例句 1. Spores light enough to float on the breezes were carried thousands of miles and traveled across the bare mountain flanks. 足够轻的孢子可以随着微风飘荡几千公里，飘过荒山的侧峰。
2. Saturn belongs to the outer planets and has a density of only 0.7 that of water, which means it would float in water. 土星属于带外行星，其密度只有水的70%，也就意味着它会漂浮在水上。
3. Some small local canals allow only small rafts of timber to float. 一些本地小的运河只能使小木筏在上面漂浮。
同义 drift［v.（使）漂浮］
foodstuff［'fu:dstʌf］n. 食料，食品；饮料
例句 At a time when maintaining low prices was especially important, the Dutch imported grain and other products since they had the demand for other foodstuffs and consumer goods. 当维持低廉价格极其重要的时候，由于对其他食品和生活消费品的需求，荷兰人进口了粮食和其他产品。
forage［'fɔ:riʤ］n. 草料，饲料 v. 觅食
例句 1. People exploited the landscape intensively, foraging for wild cereal grasses and nuts on hill slopes. 人们仔细搜索这片土地，在山坡上寻找野生谷物作物和坚果。
2. Goats forage across the field in large numbers. 山羊成群结队地在田野上搜寻食物。
同义 feed, fodder（n. 草料，饲料）；rummage（v. 搜寻）
freight［freit］n. 货运；运费 v. 运送货物；装货于（船等）
