TOEFL · Natural Sciences · Beginner

• plant

  n. a living thing that grows in soil and makes its own food

  Green plants need sunlight to grow.

• animal

  n. a living creature that can move and feel

  A dog is a friendly animal.

• energy

  n. the power needed to do work or cause change

  The sun gives us light and energy.

• oxygen

  n. the gas in air that living things need to breathe

  We breathe in oxygen from the air.

• cell

  n. the smallest basic unit of a living thing

  The human body is made of tiny cells.

• growth

  n. the process of getting bigger or developing

  Sunlight helps the growth of plants.

• climate

  n. the usual weather of a place over a long time

  The desert has a very dry climate.

• weather

  n. the state of the air, such as rain or sun

  The weather is sunny today.

• soil

  n. the top layer of earth where plants grow

  Plants take water from the soil.

• ocean

  n. a very large area of salt water

  Whales live in the ocean.

• forest

  n. a large area covered with trees

  Many animals live in the forest.

• desert

  n. a dry area with little rain and few plants

  Few plants grow in the desert.

• season

  n. one of the four parts of the year

  Spring is my favorite season.

• gravity

  n. the force that pulls things toward the ground

  Gravity makes the apple fall down.

• motion

  n. the act of moving

  The motion of the waves is gentle.

• mineral

  n. a natural solid found in the ground

  Salt is a common mineral.

• metal

  n. a hard, shiny material like iron or gold

  Iron is a strong metal.

• liquid

  n. a substance that flows, like water

  Water is a clear liquid.

• solid

  n. a firm substance that keeps its shape

  Ice is water in a solid form.

• seed

  n. the small part of a plant that grows into a new plant

  A tree grows from a tiny seed.

• root

  n. the part of a plant that grows under the ground

  The roots hold the tree in the soil.

• leaf

  n. the flat green part of a plant

  The leaf turns yellow in autumn.

• insect

  n. a small animal with six legs

  An ant is a tiny insect.

• mammal

  n. an animal that feeds milk to its young

  A whale is a large mammal.

• bone

  n. one of the hard parts inside the body

  The arm has a long bone.

• muscle

  n. the body tissue that helps you move

  Exercise makes your muscles strong.

• blood

  n. the red liquid that flows in the body

  The heart pumps blood to the body.

• brain

  n. the organ in the head that controls the body

  The brain helps us think.

• organ

  n. a part of the body with a special job

  The heart is an important organ.

• breathe

  v. to take air into the body and let it out

  Fish cannot breathe out of water.

• predator

  n. an animal that hunts other animals for food

  The lion is a powerful predator.

• prey

  n. an animal hunted by another for food

  The rabbit became the fox's prey.

• habitat

  n. the natural home of a plant or animal

  The forest is the bear's habitat.

• species

  n. a group of similar living things

  This bird is a rare species.

• planet

  n. a large round body that moves around a star

  Earth is the planet we live on.

• gas

  n. a substance like air that has no fixed shape

  Air is a mix of many gases.

• cloud

  n. a white or gray mass of water in the sky

  Dark clouds often bring rain.

• storm

  n. bad weather with strong wind and rain

  The storm broke many trees.

• flood

  n. a large amount of water covering dry land

  The flood damaged the village.

• drought

  n. a long period with little or no rain

  The drought killed the crops.

• volcano

  n. a mountain that can throw out hot melted rock

  The volcano sent ash into the sky.

• earthquake

  n. a sudden strong shaking of the ground

  The earthquake shook the whole city.

• mountain

  n. a very high area of land

  Snow covers the top of the mountain.

• valley

  n. low land between mountains or hills

  A river runs through the valley.

• lake

  n. a large area of water with land around it

  They swam in the cool lake.

• wave

  n. a moving ridge of water on the sea

  A big wave hit the boat.

• tide

  n. the regular rise and fall of the sea

  The tide comes in twice a day.

• coral

  n. a hard sea structure made by tiny animals

  Fish hide among the coral.

• bacteria

  n. very small living things, some causing illness

  Some bacteria can make us sick.

• virus

  n. a tiny agent that can cause disease

  A virus caused the flu.

• disease

  n. an illness of the body or mind

  Clean water helps prevent disease.

• medicine

  n. a substance used to treat illness

  The doctor gave her some medicine.

• cure

  v. to make an illness or person healthy again

  This drug can cure the disease.

• fever

  n. a body temperature higher than normal

  She stayed home because of a fever.

• wound

  n. an injury to the skin or body

  The nurse cleaned the wound.

• pulse

  n. the regular beat of the heart felt in the body

  The doctor checked his pulse.

• vision

  n. the ability to see

  Glasses can improve your vision.

• nerve

  n. a thread in the body that carries signals

  A nerve sends pain signals to the brain.

• gene

  n. the part of a cell that decides traits

  Eye color comes from your genes.

• temperature

  n. how hot or cold something is

  The temperature drops at night.

• surface

  n. the outer or top layer of something

  Ice formed on the surface of the lake.

• heat

  n. the quality of being hot; warm energy

  The heat of the sun warms the earth.

• light

  n. the brightness that lets us see

  Plants turn light into food.

• matter

  n. the physical material that things are made of

  Everything around us is made of matter.

• force

  n. a push or pull that can move an object

  A strong force pushed the door open.

• mixture

  n. something made by combining different things

  Air is a mixture of gases.

• melt

  v. to change from solid to liquid by heat

  The ice will melt in the sun.

• freeze

  v. to become solid because of cold

  Water freezes at zero degrees.

• float

  v. to stay on the surface of a liquid

  Wood can float on water.

• sink

  v. to go down below the surface of water

  A stone will sink in water.

• grow

  v. to become bigger or develop

  Plants grow fast in spring.

• pollution

  n. harmful materials that damage the environment

  Air pollution harms our health.

• recycle

  v. to use materials again instead of throwing away

  We recycle paper and plastic.

• atmosphere

  n. the layer of air around the earth

  The atmosphere protects us from the sun.

• shadow

  n. a dark shape made when light is blocked

  The tree made a long shadow.

• reflect

  v. to send back light or heat

  The mirror reflects the light.

• absorb

  v. to take in liquid or energy

  Plants absorb water through roots.

• produce

  v. to make or create something

  Plants produce oxygen.

• breath

  n. the air taken into and out of the lungs

  She took a deep breath.

• healthy

  adj. in good condition; not sick

  Fruit keeps your body healthy.

• natural

  adj. existing in nature; not made by people

  Wind is a natural source of power.

• current

  n. a continuous flow of water or air

  A strong current carried the boat away.

• chemical

  n. a substance used in or made by chemistry

  Some chemicals can be dangerous.

• experiment

  n. a test done to learn something

  They did an experiment in class.

• observe

  v. to watch something carefully

  Scientists observe the stars at night.

• measure

  v. to find the size or amount of something

  We measure the temperature each day.

• record

  v. to write down information to keep

  She records the results in a notebook.

• result

  n. what happens because of an action

  The result of the test was clear.

• material

  n. the substance something is made from

  Glass is a useful material.

• shape

  n. the outer form of something

  The moon has a round shape.

• heavy

  adj. weighing a lot

  The rock was too heavy to lift.

• deep

  adj. going far down from the top

  The ocean is very deep.

• warm

  adj. having some heat but not hot

  Spring days are pleasantly warm.

• dry

  adj. having no water

  The desert air is very dry.

• wild

  adj. living in nature, not tamed

  Wild animals live in the forest.

• poison

  n. a substance that can harm or kill

  Some plants contain poison.

• spread

  v. to move over a larger area

  The fire spread through the forest.

• protect

  v. to keep safe from harm

  Trees protect the soil from rain.

• survive

  v. to continue to live

  Few plants survive in the desert.

• develop

  v. to grow or change over time

  The seed develops into a plant.

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