SKIP TO CONTENT

voa lisa see polysy

32 words 0 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Full list of words from this list:

  1. freckle
    a small brownish spot on the skin
    But I have red hair and freckles so I don’t look very Chinese, but I did grow up in a very traditional Chinese American family.
  2. movie theater
    a theater where films are shown
    “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” will be released in movie theaters across America on July fifteenth.
  3. ethnicity
    an affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties
    Like most Americans, she celebrates her ethnicities.
  4. spectrum
    a broad range of related objects, values, or qualities
    I live in Los Angeles and today, in Los Angeles, I have about four hundred relatives, of which the majority of them are still full Chinese and there there’s this spectrum with me on one end – there are about a dozen that look like me – but then, sort of, this spectrum all the way up to the majority being full Chinese.”
  5. Chinese
    of or pertaining to China or its peoples or cultures
    It continues the story of two Chinese sisters who readers met in See’s novel, “Shanghai Girls.”
  6. novel
    an extended fictional work in prose
    It continues the story of two Chinese sisters who readers met in See’s novel, “Shanghai Girls.”
  7. inspire
    serve as the inciting cause of
    But also a lot of other people who weren’t Chinese, who were going to China kind of inspired by what was going on there, or even hoping to start a business.”
  8. celebrate
    have a festivity
    Like most Americans, she celebrates her ethnicities.
  9. involve
    contain as a part
    She not only finds him but becomes involved with the changes taking place in the country.
  10. theater
    a building where performances can be presented
    “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” will be released in movie theaters across America on July fifteenth.
  11. majority
    the main part
    I live in Los Angeles and today, in Los Angeles, I have about four hundred relatives, of which the majority of them are still full Chinese and there there’s this spectrum with me on one end – there are about a dozen that look like me – but then, sort of, this spectrum all the way up to the majority being full Chinese.”
  12. register
    an official written record of names or events
    READER: “Her delicate eyebrows, pretty nose and full lips register absolute astonishment at seeing me.
  13. traditional
    consisting of or derived from a practice of long standing
    But I have red hair and freckles so I don’t look very Chinese, but I did grow up in a very traditional Chinese American family.
  14. writer
    a person who is able to write and has written something
    The writer Lisa See takes readers on a trip across the Pacific Ocean in her latest book, “Dreams of Joy.”
  15. occupation
    the principal activity in one's life to earn money
    In that book, Pearl and May escaped the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in the nineteen thirties.
  16. feature
    a prominent attribute or aspect of something
    The cool shadows of indifference fall over her features.
  17. describe
    give a statement representing something
    Here, from “Dreams of Joy,” the character Pearl describes the moment she finds her daughter.
  18. victim
    an unfortunate person who suffers from adverse circumstances
    Some who returned, Chinese and foreigners, became victims of political unrest.
  19. release
    grant freedom to; free from confinement
    “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” will be released in movie theaters across America on July fifteenth.
  20. absolute
    perfect or complete or pure
    READER: “Her delicate eyebrows, pretty nose and full lips register absolute astonishment at seeing me.
  21. involved
    connected by participation or association or use
    She not only finds him but becomes involved with the changes taking place in the country.
  22. delicate
    developed with extreme subtlety
    READER: “Her delicate eyebrows, pretty nose and full lips register absolute astonishment at seeing me.
  23. appeal
    earnest or urgent request
    She says those themes have special appeal for her.
  24. Irish
    of or relating to or characteristic of Ireland or its people
    She says she is also part Irish.
  25. republic
    a form of government whose head of state is not a monarch
    LISA SEE: “Actually, there were a lot of Chinese going back to the People’s Republic of China at that time, ninety-thousand in one year from Fukien Province alone.
  26. major
    greater in scope or effect
    In the late nineteen fifties, China’s government ordered major changes that caused economic problems.
  27. dozen
    the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
    I live in Los Angeles and today, in Los Angeles, I have about four hundred relatives, of which the majority of them are still full Chinese and there there’s this spectrum with me on one end – there are about a dozen that look like me – but then, sort of, this spectrum all the way up to the majority being full Chinese.”
  28. economic
    of or relating to production and management of wealth
    In the late nineteen fifties, China’s government ordered major changes that caused economic problems.
  29. century
    a period of 100 years
    It deals with Chinese American culture from the first half of the twentieth century.
  30. government
    the system or form by which a community is ruled
    She says many young Chinese were sympathetic to the country’s new government.
  31. several
    of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
    Lisa See has written several best-selling novels about Chinese-related subjects.
  32. moment
    an indefinitely short time
    Here, from “Dreams of Joy,” the character Pearl describes the moment she finds her daughter.
Created on Fri Jun 10 11:26:30 EDT 2011

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.