Nâng cấp từ vựng – IELTS Vocab Booster 2.CAM9 – Test2- READING PASSAGE 2

 

Venus in transit

June 2004 saw the first passage., known as a ‘transit` of the planet Venus across the face of the Sun in  122 years. Transits have helped shape our view of the whole Universe, as Heather Cooper and Nigel Henbest explain

882. On 8 June 2004, more than half the population of the world were treated to a rare astronomical event. For over six hours, the planet Venus steadily inched its way over the surface of the Sun. This “transit` of Venus was the first since 6 December l882. On that occasion, the American astronomer Professor Simon Newcomb led a party to South Africa to observe the event. They were based at a girls’ school, where – if is alleged – the combined forces of three schoolmistresses outperformed the professionals with the accuracy of their observations.
883. For centuries, transits of Venus have drawn explorers and astronomers alike to the four corners of the globe. And you can put it all down to the extraordinary polymath Edmond Halley. In November 1677, Halley observed a transit of the innermost planet Mercury, from the desolate island of St Helena in the South Pacific. .He realized that from different latitudes, the passage of the planet across the Sun’s disc would appear to differ. By timing the transit from two widely-separated locations, teams of astronomers could calculate the parallax angle – the apparent difference in position of an astronomical body due to a difference in the observer’s position. Calculating this angle would allow astronomers to measure what was then the ultimate goal; the distance of the Earth from the Sun. This distance is known as the ‘astronomical unit` or AU.
884. Halley was aware that the AU was one of the most fundamental of all astronomical measurements. Johannes Kepler, in the early 17*h century, had shown that the distances of the planets from the Sun governed their orbital speeds, which were easily measurable. But no-one had found a way to calculate accurate distances to the planets from the Earth. The goal was to measure the AU; then, knowing the orbital speeds of all the other planets round the Sun, the scale of the Solar System would fall into place. However, Halley realized that Mercury was so far away that its parallax angle would be very difficult to determine. As Venus was closer to the Earth, its parallax angle would be larger and Halley worked out that by using Venus it would be possible to measure the Sun`s distance to 1 part in 500. But there was as problem: transits of Venus, unlike those of Mercury; are rare. occurring in pairs roughly eight years apart every hundred or so years. Nevertheless, he accurately predicted that Venus would cross the face of the Sun in both 1761 and 1769 – though he didn`t survive to see either.
885. Inspired by Halley’s suggestion of a way to pin down the scale of the Solar System, teams of British and French astronomers set out on expeditions to places as diverse as India and Siberia. But things weren’t helped by Britain and France being at war. The person who deserves most sympathy is the French astronomer Guillaume Le Gentil.

He was thwarted by the fact that the British were besieging his observation site at Pondicherry in India. Fleeing on a French warship crossing the Indian Ocean, Le Gentil saw a wonderful transit – but the ship`s pitching and rolling ruled out any attempt at making accurate observations. Undaunted, he remained south of the equator, keeping himself busy by studying the islands of Mauritius and Madagascar before setting off to observe the next transit in the Philippines. Ironically after travelling nearly 50,000 kilometres, his view was clouded out at the last moment, a very dispiriting experience.

1. While the early transit timings were as precise as instruments would allow the measurements were dogged by the ‘black drop’ effect. When Venus begins to cross the Sun’s disc, it looks smeared not circular – which makes it difficult to establish timings. This is due to diffraction of light. The second problem is that Venus exhibits a halo of light when it is seen just outside the Sun’s disc. While this showed astronomers that Venus was surrounded by a thick layer of gases refracting sunlight around it, both effects made it impossible to obtain accurate timings.
2. But astronomers labored hard to analyze the results of these expeditions to observe Venus transits. Jonathan Franz Encke, Director of the Belin Observatory, finally determined a value for the AU based on all these parallax measurements: 153340,000 km. Reasonably accurate for the time, that is quite close to today’s value of 149,597,870 km, determined by radar, which has now superseded transits and all other methods in accuracy. The AU is a cosmic measuring rod, and the basis of how we scale the Universe today The parallax principle can be extended to measure the distances to the stars. If we look at a star in January – when Earth is at one point in its orbit – it will seem to be in a different position from where it appears six months later. Knowing the width of Earth`s orbit, the parallax shift lets astronomers calculate the distance.
3. June 2004’s transit of Venus was thus more of an astronomical spectacle than a scientifically important event. But such transits have paved the way for what might prove to be one of the most vital breakthroughs in the cosmos – detecting Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars.

1. Giải thích từ vựng

• In transit (n) /ˈtræn.zɪt/ đang trên đường vận chuyển, đang trên đường đi

Eg: Our boxes are in transit and should arrive tomorrow.

• Treat to: thết đãi ai cái gì/ cho thưởng thức

Eg: Put your money away – i’m going to treat you to this.

• Rare (a) /reər/ hiếm, hiếm có, ít có 

Eg: The museum is full of rare and precious treasures.

Một số từ đồng nghĩa :

• Unusual that’s an unusual name – where does it come from?
• Uncommon it’s not uncommon (= it is common) for people to become ill when they travel.
• Unconventional i had a very unconventional childhood.
• Unique this is your chance to own a unique piece of jewellery.

• Outperform (v) /ˌaʊt.pəˈfɔːm/ làm tốt hơn

Eg: The company has consistently outperformed its rivals this season.

• Innermost (a) /ˈɪn.ə.məʊst/ ở tận trong cùng, ở ở gần trung tâm nhất

Eg: The spacecraft will fly through the innermost rings of saturn.

• Desolate (a) /ˈdes.əl.ət/ hoang vắng, không người ở

Eg: The house stood in a bleak and desolate landscape.

The house stands desolate and empty.

• Ultimate (a) /ˈʌl.tɪ.mət/ lớn nhất, tối đa

Eg: Some people believe that he is the ultimate painter of this century.

Your ultimate goal is to play the game as well as you can.

• Apparent (a) /əˈpær.ənt/ rõ rành rành, hiển nhiên, không thể chối cãi được

Eg: It was becoming increasingly apparent that he could no longer take care of himself.

Một số từ đồng nghĩa:

• Obvious it’s obvious that she’s upset.
• Clear it was clear that he was unhappy.
• Plain his disappointment was plain to see.
• Evident the company president was impressed by her evident ambition.
• Manifest his manifest lack of interest has provoked severe criticism.

• Fundamental (a) /ˌfʌn.dəˈmen.təl/ cơ bản, cơ sở, chủ yếu

Eg: One of the most fundamental principles of the rule of law is that one person cannot be punished for the actions of another.

It’s one of the fundamental differences between men and women.

Một số từ đồng nghĩa: 

• Basic i just need some basic information.
• Elementary i started an elementary-level art history course.
• Rudimentary they have only the most rudimentary grasp of the language.
• Essential we have been able to determine the essential nature of a healthy diet.
• Underlying the underlying idea is that having freedom is valuable.

•  Fall into place: diễn ra tốt đẹp, suôn sẻ, không vướng mắc, không gặp khó khăn

Eg: If you plan the project well, then everything should fall into place.

Once I discovered that the woman was his sister, everything fell into place.

• Parallax (n) /ˈpær.ə.læks/ thị sai

Eg: Parallax error is always a concern with point-and-shoot cameras.

• Pin down (phrasal verb) khám phá chi tiết chính xác về cái gì đó

Eg: The fire department is trying to pin down the cause of wednesday’s fire.

The government can’t pin down where the leak came from.

• Expedition (n) /ˌek.spəˈdɪʃ.ən/ cuộc thám hiểm/  cuộc hành trình

Eg: Scott died while he was on an expedition to the antarctic in 1912.

Hawkins had died on the same expedition a few weeks earlier.

Collocation 

• Expedition to something
• On an expedition

• Diverse (a) /daɪˈvɜːs/ gồm nhiều loại khác nhau, đa dạng

Eg: Students from countries as diverse as colombia and lithuania use cambridge textbooks.

New York is a very culturally diverse city.

Một số từ đồng nghĩa:

• Different i like her haircut – it’s different!
• Dissimilar the twins may look alike, but they are quite dissimilar when it comes to personality.
• Heterogeneous they tested a heterogeneous population.

• Sympathy (n) /ˈsɪm.pə.θi/ sự thông cảm, sự thương cảm

Eg: The president has sent a message of sympathy to the relatives of the dead soldiers.

I don’t have much sympathy for her – i think she’s brought her troubles on herself.

I have absolutely no sympathy for people who get into debt by overspending.

• Thwart (v) /θwɔːt/ cản trở, ngăn trở, phá ngang, làm trở ngại

Eg: Our holiday plans were thwarted by the airline pilots’ strike.

The city council thwarted his reform efforts.

Một số từ đồng nghĩa :

• Prevent vaccination will prevent the spread of the disease.
• Avoid label the boxes to avoid confusion.
• Stop this should stop any further trouble.
• Avert we had to act quickly to avert disaster.
• Prohibit behavioural problems in the classroom prohibit learning.
• Check children are being vaccinated in an attempt to check the spread of the disease.

• Besiege (v) /bɪˈsiːdʒ/ bao vây, vây hãm

Eg: The town had been besieged for two months but still resisted the aggressors.

• Undaunted (a) /ʌnˈdɔːn.tɪd/ không bị khuất phục; ngoan cường; tính dũng cảm

Eg: Undaunted by the cold and the rain, people danced until 2 a.m.

• Set off (phrasal verb) khởi hành (một chuyến đi)

Eg: What time do we set off tomorrow?

• Cloud (v) mây che, che phủ; làm tối sầm

Eg: That day, the skies had clouded and it had become cool.

Doubts were beginning to cloud my mind.

• Dispiriting (a) /dɪˈspɪr.ɪ.tɪŋ/ chán nản, mất hăng hái, mất nhuệ khí

Eg: It was a bit dispiriting to see so few people at the meeting.

There has been a dispiriting fall in sales.

It was very dispiriting to see people who i thought were friends turn away from me.

• Precise (a) /prɪˈsaɪs/ đúng, chính xác

Eg: The bunker’s precise location is a closely guarded secret.

He caught me at the precise moment that i fainted.

Một số từ đồng nghĩa:

• Correct that answer is correct.
• Right all his answers were right.
• Accurate her novel is an accurate reflection of life in spain.
• Exact “i still owe you £7.00, don’t i?” “actually, it’s £7.30 to be exact.”

• Dog (v)  /dɒɡ/ kìm kẹp, cảm trở

Eg: Technical problems dogged our trip from the outset.

• Diffraction (n) /dɪˈfræk.ʃən/ sự nhiễu xạ

Eg: The diffraction limit for a single image may decrease, although higher resolution datasets can still be collected due to the decreased radiation damage rate.

• Exhibit (v)  /ɪɡˈzɪb.ɪt/ trưng bày, biểu lộ, đưa ra

Eg: Most zoos try to exhibit animals in naturalistic settings.

The crown, decorated with diamonds and other precious stones, was exhibited in a special case.

• Refract (v) /rɪˈfrækt/ khúc xạ

Eg: The glass prism refracted the white light into the colours of the rainbow.

• Labor (v) /ˈleɪ.bər/ gắng công, nỗ lực, dốc sức

Eg: Hours after the explosion, rescue teams were still laboring to free those trapped.

• Supersede (v) /ˌsuː.pəˈsiːd/ thế, thay thế

Eg: Most of the old road has been superseded by the great interstate highways.

Wireless broadband could supersede satellite radio one day.

Collocation 

• Be superseded by sth it is important to ascertain that the documents in your possession have not been superseded by new laws.
• Supersede a law/regulation/sb’s authority if the bill is passed, it will supersede the fed’s authority.

• Spectacle (n) /ˈspek.tə.kəl/ cảnh tượng, quang cảnh

Eg: It was a strange spectacle to see the two former enemies shaking hands and slapping each other on the back.

• Pave the way for sth: mở đường cho cái gì, tạo ra một tình huống giúp điều gì đó có thể xảy ra một cách dễ dàng hơn.

Eg: I believe that this agreement can pave the way for restoring economic ties.

• Distort (v) /dɪˈstɔːt/ vặn vẹo, bóp méo, làm méo mó

Eg: The map distorted greenland to appear four times its actual size.

With this form of editing you can distort the shape of an object or piece of text.

• Toxic (a) /ˈtɒk.sɪk/ độc, độc hại

Eg: These substances can be toxic to humans.

• Distant (a) /ˈdɪs.tənt/ xa, cách, xa cách

Eg: In their little boat they planned to voyage to distant lands.

She heard the wind whistling through the trees and the howl of a distant wolf.

1. Luyện tập

Bài 1: Chọn từ trong khung để hoàn thành các câu bên dưới

outperform	transit	dogged	exhibit	pin down
distant	rare	pave	supersedes	place

1. Goods are in ……………… between factory and store
2. This is a …………………. opportunity to visit the building.
3. Employment reports suggest that the US economy will ……………. Europe in the months to come.
4. Then I found his diary and it all began to fall into ……………………
5. The difference between the two approaches is hard to ……………. precisely.
6. The significant development of technology may ……………… the way for improving our economy.
7. Looking southeastwards, they could see the ………………………… mountains.
8. The newly signed deal ……………………… the current contract and runs to the end of 2012.
9. The new wing of the museum had to be large enough to ……………. several huge dinosaur skeletons.
10. He had been ………………….. by ill health all his life.

Bài 2: Chọn đáp án đúng để điền vào chỗ trống

1. In this cavity the light penetrates, and the rays are ………………. and trapped.                        A. refracted            B. superseded
2. He was in his study …………….. away over some old papers.                                                  A. laboring            B. exhibiting
3. The company has cut ……………….. chemicals from its printing process.                                A. distant                 B. toxic
4. Her face was……………………. by anger.                                                                                   A. dogged            B. distorted
5. Let’s not trouble ourselves about the ………………… details at the moment.                              A.precise             B. rare
6. The …………………. or the most exclusive area in this network carried the highest status.         A. desolate        B. innermost
7. Among young people, this brand of designer clothing is the …………………… status symbol.    A. desolate        B. ultimate
8. Diversity is of ……………….. importance to all ecosystems and all economies.                            A. fundamental     B. apparent
9. The contribution of color to depth perceived from motion ………………..                                      A. parallax          B. transit
10. He had made two ………………………. to Spain to study wild plants.                                         A. sympathy         B. expeditions
11. Linguistics embraces a ……………….. range of subjects such as phonetics and stylistics.       A. diverse              B. undaunted
12. We ……………… for London just after ten.                                                 A. pin down           B. set off
13. His ambition to be a painter was ………………. by poor eyesight.              A. besieged           B. thwarted
14. The report is a fascinating and ……………….. read.                                  A. dispiriting            B. precise
15. His judgement was …………….. by jealousy.                                            A. clouded                B. dogged
16. The first corresponds to geometrical optics effects, while the second is associated with ……………………….. A. spectacle   B. diffraction
17. He seemed ……………… by all the opposition to his idea.                                                         A. toxic                 B. undaunted
18. After the controversial show, the television network was ………………… with complaints.        A. besieged         B. outperformed
19. It was difficult to imagine a more …………………… place.                                              A. ultimate          B. desolate
20.  The ………………. cause of death was drowning, but further tests were needed.         A. apparent        B. fundamental
21. She said that she was deeply moved by all the letters of ………………… she had received.                  A. diffraction       B. sympathy
22. We witnessed the extraordinary ………………… of an elderly lady climbing a tree to rescue her cat.      A. spectacle      B. transit
23. The crowd were ……………… to a superb display of tennis.                           A. treated                   B. outperformed

1. LUYỆN TẬP

Bài 1: 

1.transit 2. rare 3. outperform 4. place 5. pin down 

6. pave 7. distant 8. supersedes 9. exhibit 10. dogged 

Bài 2: 

1.A 2. A 3. B 4. B 5. A

6. B 7. B 8. A 9. A 10. B
7. A 12. B 13. B 14. A 15.A
8. B 17. B 18. A 19. B 20. A
9. B 22. A 23. A

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