Vocabulary #6

Hubris- 1: Exaggerated pride or self-confidence.

Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of Chanel, has exhibited his very hubris persona throughout the years by making statements on fashion and the world that surronds it.

Dearth- 1: Scarcity that makes dear; Famine. 2: An inadequate supply.

Southern California is experiencing a dearth of water because of the droughts that are plauging all of its major water sources. Without these water supplies providing the naturally desert climate of Southern California, with water, there will have to be major changes in the way they get water.

Emulate- 1a: to strive to equal or excel. 1b: to imitate by means of an emulator. 2: To equal or approach equality with.
In the film Kissin' Cousins, starring Elvis Presely, Elvis plays two characters. He emulates himself when he plays Elvis' evil blonde cousin who lives in the mountains.


Inchoate- 1: Being only partly in existence or operation. Imperfectly formed or formulated.
Cookie dough is inchoate because it is in the process of being formed into a solid cookie. The cookie is only partly in existance because only the cookie dough exists, not its shape or its complete flavor.


Precursor- 1a: One that precedes and indicates the approach of another. 1b: Predecessor. 2: A substance, cell, or cellular component form which another substance, cell, or cellular component is formed.
The 2007 Golf GTI was the precursor to this 2009 Golf GTI. The 2007 Golf was much less sporty and resembled the rabbit. Now this car has a drag racing look which is much different.

Letter to an elected official

To Norman D. Dicks (WA), Chairman of Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

Delia Scott, Subcommittee Clerk

Room B-308 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3081

Dear Mister Chairman,

I am writing to bring attention to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a plastic waste dump that is rapidly filling the oceans of the world. When I learned about this plastic wasteland floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I was shocked at the level of pollution the world really has. Plastic is a material that doesn’t decompose, it photodegrades, which means that when it is exposed to large amounts of sunlight, it just keeps getting smaller and smaller. The tiny particles of plastic floating in the North Pacific Ocean are being mistaken for food by sea life and in turn it is fatal to those consuming it. The North Pacific Garbage Patch is continuously growing and is now approximately twice the size of Texas.

This patch of plastic floating around the ocean not only demonstrates the problem with our countries’ dependency on plastic and the detrimental effects it is having on the Earth, but it also shows what poor recycling systems we have in place. San Francisco is the only city that has actually passed legislation concerning the use of plastic bags, the biggest contributor to the garbage patch. They made it so that grocery stores are not allowed to use plastic bags anymore and thus encourage people to start using recyclable bags. If there is to be any difference made in the garbage patch, it must start at legislation. The only way to calm it and keep it from growing is to reduce the amount of plastic waste people put out by making it not available to them.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a beacon of pollution worldwide. To know what it is, and to understand how it was created should be enough of a wake up call to people around the world. Pollution isn’t something we just forget about, and this garbage patch is a perfect reminder of the effects human industry is having on the Earth. If moves are not made soon by those who can make a difference, like you Chairman, the garbage patch will continue to grow and pollute the ocean and all life that is in it. Soon our beaches will be garbage dumps if action is not taken soon.

Sincerely a concerned citizen,

Eve W.

The Great Garbage Patch PSA

You can read about this topic more in depth on my website : http://sites.google.com/a/hightechhigh.org/pacific-garbage/

Vocabulary #5

Euphoria- feeling of well-being or elation.

In the novel Dracula by Bram Stroker, Lucy Westenra was in a state of euphoria before Count Dracula preyed on her. She had just been engaged to Lord Arthur Holmwood, the love of her life, and her best friend Mina was staying with her on the shore. Dracula bit her while she was sleepwalking and she became a vampire after he continually fed off of her.
Erode- 1: to diminish or destroy by degrees a: to eat into or away by slow destruction of substance. b: to wear away by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice. c: to cause to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away. 2: to produce of form by eroding.

The Yosemite Valley is surrounded by gigantic granite rocks that were all formed by erosion when they came up to Earth's surface. Over time many glaciers have filled the valley creating further erosion and forming of the valley floor and rocks.
Esoteric- 1a: designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone. b: requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group. 2: limited to a small circle. 3: of special, rare, or unusual nature.

Skull and Bones is a secret society at Yale University that many influential people in our country have been a part of. Since it is a secret society they have esoteric rules and networks that are unknown to any outsiders.
Espouse- 1: marry. 2: to take up and support as a cause: become attached to.

This November, Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty and industrialist Raj Kundra were espoused. The ceremony took place over several days and was a lavish affair.

Equivocate- 1: to use equivocal language especially with intent to deceive. 2: to avoid committing oneself in what one says.

In the film Charade, the man, working at the American Embassy in Paris, Bartholomew, equivocates about his position in the CIA, and fools Audrey Hepburn throughout the film. He tells Hepburn to immediately give the money that has disappeared to him once she finds it, and tells her to keep their meetings secret. Bartholomew turns out to be Dyal, one of the men who is trying to kill Hepburn for the money.