For this module, there are a three suggested reading passages. Each comes from different subject matter (business, psychology and biology) in order to give you experience reading and comprehending different topics. The words in this glossary will be helpful to the understanding of those passages.
Business Passage Vocabulary
1. Consumers are spending more money online then ever before due to the pandemic that is forcing people to stay at home.
consumer: A person who purchases goods and services for personal use
2. At the young age of 10, Mary had started her own business selling cupcakes, so it was no surprise to anyone that she grew up to become a successful entrepreneur.
entrepreneur: A person who organizes, manages, and takes on the risks of a business.
3. In the year 1900, the life expectancy of a man was 46 years old.
life expectancy: the average number of years an individual can be expected to live, given current social, economic, and medical conditions
4. There are many not-for-profit organizations dedicated to helping animals. The Humane Society of the United States is one of the most well-known.
not-for-profit organizations: organizations with charitable, educational, community, and other public service goals that buy goods and services to support their functions and to attract and serve their members
5. Research shows that customers like to have access to tangible items in a store so that they can try them out before buying.
tangible: capable of being touched; real, concrete
Psychology Passage Vocabulary
1. In order to demphasize the low score he had gotten in Biology, John first showed his parents the high scores he received in his Math and Psychology classes.
demphasize: to take importance away from something; the opposite of emphasize
2. The student's paper was interesting and well-written, but his lack of empirical evidence to support his ideas lead to a low score on the essay.
empirical: based on observation or experiment
3. My goal was to finish the race in record time, but I began to falter after the third lap.
falter: to lose strength
4. Research has been conducted to determine the heritability of athletic and musical abilities, but the results have been very unclear as to how much is actually passed down from the parents.
heritability: ability of a trait to be passed down from one generation to the next
5. The company wanted to hire a new employee who could come up with unusual solutions and be able to think outside the box.
outside the box: a creative way of thinking
Biology Passage Vocabulary
1. There is a high level of biodiversity in this park, and so it is extremely important to keep it clean and preserved.
biodiversity: the number of different species in an area
2. Bees are an important part of our ecosystem. Without them, many plants would be unable to survive.
ecosystem: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
3. With the elimination of paper receipts, the company moved closer to their goal of becoming totally paperless.
elimination: the removal of something
4. This organization is dedicated to saving plants and animals on the verge of extinction.
extinction: A term that typically describes a species that no longer has any known living individuals
5. When I planted this vine, I didn't know that it was an invasive species that would take over my yard.
invasive: tending to spread aggressively; intrusive
