Vocabulary Notes from Level 3 Reading Class, East Asia and the Pacific (and Current Events)

There will be aerial spraying for Gypsy Moth in Burnaby until June 1. Some people disagree; others agree. Someone tried a lawsuit, but it failed.

A blueprint for the future (of any project) . A blueprint is a kind of plan, such as for a house or building, so this idiom applies to any kind of future plan, not just for buildings.

A futurist predicts the future.

In Fiji, there was a coup attempt today. A coup is when, for example, the army tries to take over the government. It comes from the French, coup d’etat (hitting the state)

A meteor is a rock falling in the sky; a meteorite is that rock on the ground.

A subsistence farmer is one that just makes enough to live each year. A bad year is a serious problem.

A man got the wrong drug at the drugstore. He wanted a laxative, but he got morphine.

A sponsor teacher takes a new teacher and helps him or her learn. 

Cottage industries are small home businesses, such as those making baskets, or clothing. If you take “pieces” of something to put together, we call this “piece work”.

When you have mountains, it often rains more. Why? This is a microclimate. Rain varies by each hill.

A hurricane is a typhoon.

Quiz on this word list.