Unit 3: Vocabulary from Readings 2

This list covers Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, "Wangari Maathai," "Free Rice Online Quiz Game," and Address by César Chávez.
23 words 38 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. humility
    a feeling of modesty about oneself or one's accomplishments
    And it is with a profound sense of humility that I accept the honor—the highest there is—that you have chosen to bestow upon me.
  2. mutilate
    alter so as to make unrecognizable
    No one may speak for the dead, no one may interpret their mutilated dreams and visions.
  3. anguish
    extreme mental distress
    I remember his bewilderment, I remember his anguish.
  4. deportation
    the act of expelling a person from their native land
    The ghetto. The deportation. The sealed cattle car.
  5. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    And then I explain to him how naïve we were, that the world did know and remained silent.
  6. jeopardy
    a source of danger
    When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant.
  7. integrity
    moral soundness
    One person—a Raoul Wallenberg, an Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King, Jr.—one person of integrity, can make a difference, a difference of life and death.
  8. dissident
    a person who objects to some established policy
    As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true.
  9. curtail
    place restrictions on
    This inspired her in 1977 to form an organization—primarily of women—known as the Green Belt Movement aiming to curtail the devastating effects of deforestation and desertification.
  10. devastating
    wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction
    This inspired her in 1977 to form an organization—primarily of women—known as the Green Belt Movement aiming to curtail the devastating effects of deforestation and desertification.
  11. erosion
    condition in which the earth's surface is worn away
    Her desire was to produce sustainable wood for fuel use as well as combating soil erosion.
  12. vilify
    spread negative information about
    She was vilified by Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi’s government but succeeded in thwarting the plans.
  13. thwart
    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire
    She was vilified by Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi’s government but succeeded in thwarting the plans.
  14. coalition
    an organization of people involved in a pact or treaty
    But in elections in 2002, she was elected as MP with 98% of the votes as part of an opposition coalition which swept to power after Mr. Moi stepped down.
  15. holistic
    emphasizing the organic relation between parts and the whole
    The Nobel Peace Prize committee praised her for taking “a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women’s rights in particular.”
  16. sustainable
    capable of being prolonged
    The Nobel Peace Prize committee praised her for taking “a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women’s rights in particular.”
  17. stimulate
    cause to be alert and energetic
    WFP uses the donations from the site to purchase rice locally, both feeding people in need and stimulating local economies.
  18. carcinogen
    any substance that produces cancer
    The chief source of carcinogens in these communities are pesticides from the vineyards and fields that encircle them.
  19. pesticide
    a chemical used to kill destructive insects or animals
    The chief source of carcinogens in these communities are pesticides from the vineyards and fields that encircle them.
  20. leach
    permeate or seep into gradually
    Health experts believe the high rate of cancer in McFarland is from pesticides and nitrate-containing fertilizers leaching into the water system from surrounding fields.
  21. toxic
    of or relating to or caused by a poison
    Toxic exposure begins at a very young age—often in the womb.
  22. plague
    any epidemic disease with a high death rate
    Who ask in fear, ‘where will this deadly plague strike next?’
  23. wanton
    indulgent in immoral or improper behavior
    I studied this wanton abuse of nature.
Created on Thu Jan 07 12:21:23 EST 2021 (updated Mon Jan 11 17:42:20 EST 2021)

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