Open Mind

intermediate WORD LIST

UNIT two
Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence
ability noun [count.] /blti/ the fact of being able to do When humans developed
something higher cognitive abilities such
as language, their sense of
smell was less important.
academic adjective /kdemk/ good at learning things by I was quite academic at school
studying I worked hard and I got good
grades.
amygdala noun [count.] /mgdl/ the part of the brain that In the human brain, the
processes emotions and amygdala is located near the
memories olfactory cortex. This is why
smell and emotion are closely
linked.
animal noun [count.] /nm()l/ any living thing that is not a A humans sense of smell is
human, a plant, an insect, a weaker than that of many other
bird or a fish animals.
associate verb phrase /ssiet/ to form a connection in your I always associate the
something mind between different people smell of chocolate with my
with or things grandmothers house.
something/
someone
attitude noun [count.] /ttjud/ someones opinions or feelings Its important to have a
about something, especially as positive attitude when you
shown by their behaviour start a new job.
authority noun [count.] /rti/ people with power over you, When I was a teenager I always
usually in an official way questioned authority, like
teachers and my parents.
baby noun [count.] /bebi/ a very young child who cannot The sense of smell develops
yet talk or walk. in babies before the sense of
vision.
be located verb phrase /bi lketd / existing in a particular place In the human brain, the
brainstem is located in front of
the cerebellum.
beagle adjective /bi()l/ a dog with short hair and long My first dog was a beagle
ears that is kept as a pet or for named Bonzo.
hunting
bloodhound noun [count.] /bldhand/ a large dog that can smell very A bloodhound has 220 million
well and has long hanging smell receptors and so it has
ears, often used for finding out an excellent sense of smell.
where someone is or has been
bored adjective /b(r)d/ feeling impatient or dissatisfied Im bored at work because
because you are not interested every day is the same!
in something or because you
have nothing to do.
certain determiner /s(r)t()n/ used for referring to someone Certain smells make me think
or something without being of when we lived in Greece.
specific about exactly what or
who they are
child noun [count.] /tald/ a young person from the time Did you have any pets when
they are born until they are you were a child?
about 14 years old

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

childhood noun [uncount.] /taldhd/ the time of your life when you She had a happy childhood with
are a child her parents and two brothers.
chocolate-chip noun [count.] /tklt tp kki/ a type of biscuit that contains The smell of chocolate-chip
cookie small pieces of chocolate cookies reminds me of my
mum, as she used to do a lot
of baking.
clearly adverb /kl(r)li/ in a way that is sensible and I can clearly remember the day
not confused I got my first puppy.
cognitive adjective /kntv/ in psychology, a cognitive Humans developed higher
science or process is one that cognitive abilities, such as
is connected with recognising language.
and understanding things
cologne noun [uncount.] /kln/ a liquid with a pleasant smell When I smell that cologne I
that you put on your skin. It think of my father as he always
is usually less expensive than wore it.
perfume.
compare verb /kmpe(r)/ used for saying how good or How do your test results
bad one thing is in relation to compare with other students in
another your class?
country noun [count.] /kntri/ an area of land that has its The country of my birth is
own government and official France.
borders
cue noun [count.] /kju/ an event, action or statement Researchers have done
that tells someone indirectly experiments to compare smell
that they should do something stimuli with other stimuli as
memory cues.
danger noun [count.] /dend(r)/ a situation in which harm, Animals use their sense of
death, damage or destruction smell to recognise danger
is possible and it can be the difference
between life and death.
definitely adverb /def()ntli/ without any doubt I was definitely a party animal
when I was at college. I was
always out at parties.
dementia noun [uncount.] /dmen/ a serious illness affecting My father suffers from dementia
someones brain and memory and now he doesnt know who I
in which they gradually stop am when I visit him.
being able to think or behave
in a normal way
describe verb /dskrab/ to give details about what Can you describe the man
someone or something is like you saw in detail? What did he
look like?
emotion noun [count.] /m()n/ a feeling that you experience, The emotion I felt more
for example love, fear or anger than anything after my exams
was relief!
emotional adjective /m()nl/ relating to feelings and the Why do smells cause strong
way that they affect your life emotional responses?
except preposition /ksept/ used for introducing the only I got on well with most of
person, thing or fact that is my teachers except the
not included in your main Geography teacher who was
statement very strict.
experience noun [count.] /ksprins/ something that happens to We often forget an experience
you or a situation that you are until we smell something
involved in associated with it.

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

experiment noun [count.] /kspermnt/ a scientific test to find out Researchers have done
what happens to someone experiments to compare smell
or something in particular stimuli with other stimuli.
conditions
fair noun [count.] /fe(r)/ an event where people ride When I was a child I loved the
on special machines and play rides and the games at the
games to win prizes local fair.
feel verb /fil/ to be in a particular state as How did you feel on your first
a result of an emotion or a day at school?
physical feeling
findings noun [uncount.] /fandz/ information that you discover The government seems to
or opinions that you form after have ignored the findings of its
doing research own report.
fresh adjective /fre/ recently done, made or I love the smell of fresh bread
experienced straight from the oven!
geeky adjective /iki/ to be boring, especially Hes a bit geeky. He spends
because you are interested only most of the weekend on his
in one subject like computers, laptop and games console.
technology etc
hear verb /h(r)/ to realise that someone or When I hear that song, it
something is making a sound makes me feel sad.
hearing noun [uncount.] /hr/ your ability to hear sounds Her hearing is quite poor you
have to speak very loudly.
human noun [count.] /hjumn/ a person Human beings have fewer
smell receptors than many
animals.
immediately adverb /miditli/ without delay Smell memories are so
strong they can transport us
immediately to the past.
implication noun [count.] /mplke()n/ a possible effect or result What medical implications
does research in smell and
memory have?
importance noun [uncount.] /mp(r)t()ns/ the fact of being important or Research emphasises the
the degree to which something importance of exercise in
or someone is important reducing blood pressure.

include verb /nklud/ to make someone or Decide which ideas you want
something part of a group, set to include and organise them.
or collection of things
international adjective /nt(r)n()nl/ involving several countries or International aid organisations
existing between countries are appealing for donations
from Western governments.
joker noun [count.] /dk(r)/ someone who likes to tell My boss is a bit of a joker
jokes or to do things to make he likes us to have fun at work.
people laugh
lifetime noun [count.] /laftam/ the period of time when He achieved a lot in his short
someone is alive lifetime.
love noun [count.] /lv/ someone who you have a Her perfume reminded him
romantic relationship with of an old love from his home
town.
make changes verb /mek tendz/ make something different Please dont make any changes
to my work I like it as it is.
medical adjective /medk()l/ relating to medicine and the What medical implications
treatment of injuries and does research in smell and
diseases memory have?

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

memorise verb /memraz/ to learn something so that you I memorised my speech so I
remember it perfectly could say it without the words
in front of me.
memory noun [uncount.] /mem()ri/ the ability to remember things My memory is getting worse as
I get older. I cant remember
peoples names.
memory noun [count.] /mem()ri/ something that you remember The memory of that night is
still clear in my mind.
memory loss noun [uncount.] /mem()ri ls/ when you cannot remember Researchers have found that
things when people with memory loss
smell something associated
with their youth, they are often
able to describe a memory in
great detail.
million number /mljn/ the number 1,000,000 People download millions of
songs every day.
nose noun [count.] /nz/ the part of your face above Look at the models face: she
your mouth that you use for has green eyes, a small mouth
smelling and breathing and a perfect nose.
olfactory noun [count.] /lfkt()ri the part of the brain where our In the human brain, the
cortex k(r)teks/ sense of smell is located amygdala is located near the
olfactory cortex. This is why
smell and emotion are closely
linked.
party animal noun phrase /p(r)ti nm()l/ someone who enjoys going to Maria is a bit of a party animal
lots of parties shes always out with her
friends at parties.
perfume noun [uncount.] /p(r)fjum/ a liquid with a pleasant smell This perfume smells lovely.
that you put on your skin Do you want to try it?
personality noun [count.] /p(r)snlti/ the part of a person that makes Whats her personality like? Is
them behave in a particular way she friendly or quite shy?
in social situations, for example
in a friendly or unfriendly way,
or in a confident or shy way.
You use the word character
when you are talking about
whether someone is good or
bad, or honest or dishonest
physiology noun [uncount.] /fzildi/ the way that the body of a The reason we react to smells
particular living thing operates comes down to our human
physiology.
poem noun /pm/ a piece of writing using We had to memorise poems at
beautiful or unusual language school and say them aloud in
arranged in fixed lines that our English class.
have a particular beat and
often rhyme
popcorn noun [count.] /ppk(r)n/ a food made from dried grains They always buy popcorn to
of maize that swell when they share when they go to the
are heated cinema.
popular adjective /ppjl(r)/ a popular person is liked by Hayley was very popular at
most people school. Everyone liked her!
puppy noun [count.] /ppi/ a very young dog My dog is big now, but when
he was a puppy he could sit in
the palm of my hand.

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

question verb /kwest()n/ to express doubts about When he was a teenager he
something or challenge it used to question authority
all the time. He was always
arguing with his parents.
rebel noun [count.] /reb()l/ someone who opposes James has always been a bit of
people in authority or opposes a rebel, but hes not a criminal!
accepted ways of doing things
recent adjective /ris()nt/ happening or starting a short My hearing has become worse
time ago in recent years it used to
be fine.
recognise verb /reknaz/ to know who the person is or Animals use their sense of
what the thing is that you are smell to recognise danger
seeing, hearing etc because and it can be the difference
you have seen, heard etc them between life and death.
before
remind verb /rmand/ to make someone think of She reminds me of my sister.
someone or something else They look very similar.
because of being very similar
to them
research noun [uncount.] /rs(r)t/ the detailed study of something Recent research shows that
in order to discover new facts, music has a positive effect on
especially in a university or patient health.
scientific institution
response noun [count.] /rspns/ a reaction Humans have strong emotional
responses to smells.
scan verb /skn/ to read something very quickly, Scan the article quickly to find
in order to get a general out the main points.
idea of its meaning or to find
particular information
sense of smell noun [uncount.] /sens v smel/ the natural ability that most A humans sense of smell is
people have to smell weaker than that of many other
animals.
short adjective /(r)t/ a period of time that is short I gave a short presentation
does not last very long or about the new product. It only
seems to pass quickly lasted for a few minutes.
sight noun [count.] /sat/ a person or thing that you see Certain sights or sounds bring
that has a particular feature back memories.
sight noun [uncount.] /sat/ the ability to see using your eyes He has lost 75 per cent of his
sight in his right eye.
smell noun [count.] /smel/ the pleasant or unpleasant Its strange how certain smells
quality of something that you can bring back vivid memories.
notice when you breathe in
through your nose
smell verb /smel/ to notice or recognise the When I smell the sea, I always
smell of something think of the summers I used to
spend there.
smell receptor noun [count.] /smel rsept(r)/ a nerve in your nose that sends Humans have 20 million smell
messages to your central receptors compared to a
nervous system bloodhound with 220 million!
song noun [count.] /s/ a piece of music with words When I hear this song it brings
that you sing back memories of being at
university.
sound noun [count.] /sand/ something that you can hear The room was very quiet I
couldnt hear a sound.

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

species noun [count.] /spiiz/ a plant or animal group whose An animals sense of smell
members all have similar enables it to recognise other
general features and are able animals of the same species.
to produce young plants or
animals together
stimuli noun [count.] /stmjli/ things that produce a reaction Researchers have done
in a plant, animal or person experiments to see the effect
of smell stimuli on our memory.
strong adjective /str/ able to produce a powerful Smell memories are so
effect strong they can transport us
immediately to the past.
suddenly adverb /sd()nli/ quickly and without any A strange feeling suddenly
warning came over him.
suffer from verb /sf(r) frm/ to have a particular illness or She suffered from depression
physical problem for most of her adult life.
survival noun [uncount.] /s(r)vav()l/ the fact or state of continuing When humans developed
to live or exist, especially in higher cognitive abilities such
difficult conditions as language, their sense of
smell was less important.
sweet adjective /swit/ pleasant in smell, sound or My first puppy was so sweet
appearance and gentle.
taste noun [count.] /test/ the flavour that something The smell and taste of chocolate
creates in your mouth when remind me of being a child.
you eat or drink it
technology noun [count.] /teknldi/ advanced scientific knowledge How has technology changed
used for practical purposes, childrens lives?
especially in industry
tend (to) verb /tend/ to usually do a particular thing The gym tends to get very
busy at about six oclock.
think back (to) phrasal verb /k bk/ to think about something that Ive been trying to think back
happened in the past to the last time I saw her.
times tables noun [uncount.] /tamz teb()lz/ a multiplication table We had to memorise our times
tables at school and say them
aloud in our maths class.
tone of voice noun [uncount.] /tn v vs/ the sound of someones voice Really? Simone said in a
that shows what they are feeling surprised tone of voice.
touch noun [uncount.] /tt/ the sense that tells you what You have to identify the foods
something feels like, through through touch and smell you
your skin or when you put your cant see or taste them!
fingers on it
transport verb /trnsp(r)t/ to make you imagine or feel as Certain smells can transport us
if you are in a different place immediately to the past.
or time
troublemaker noun [count.] /trb()lmek(r)/ someone who causes Fred was a troublemaker
problems, often by being at school, but now hes a
violent or by making others policeman!
argue or not obey people in
authority
uncertain adjective /ns(r)t()n/ not feeling sure about what I left the meeting feeling
to do, whether something is anxious and uncertain about
true etc what to do next.
vaguely adverb /veli/ in a way that is not clear I vaguely remember meeting
Kate, but Im not sure where or
when.

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

visual adjective /vl/ relating to things that you can Television news brings us visual
see images from around the world.
vivid adjective /vvd/ having or producing very clear I have a vivid memory of the
and detailed images in the first time we met. I remember
mind it clearly.
whole adjective /hl/ all of something Practise saying the whole
presentation so you know it
from start to finish.
youth noun [uncount.] /ju/ the time in someones life In his youth, he had travelled
when they are young and seen much of the world.

Useful Expressions
Useful Expressions Topic / Category Sample Sentence
be named Then and now My first dog was a beagle named Bonzo.
be stimulated with Then and now Memories can often be stimulated
with smells.
bring back memories of Then and now The smell of the sea brings back
memories of childhood holidays.
By the time I was I had already Then and now By the time I was four I had already
learned to ride a bike.
get into trouble Then and now At school he was really naughty. He was
always getting into trouble.
I suppose Then and now I suppose he was a bit geeky at
school but now hes a very wealthy IT
entrepreneur.
in (great) detail Then and now He can remember his childhood home
in great detail.
make sense Then and now I dont understand where I am
the map doesnt make sense.
sort of a Then and now I remember Joe. He was sort of a rebel
at school, wasnt he? He got into trouble
a lot!
What about you ? Then and now Ive been really busy this week. What
about you? What have you been doing?

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