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Suggested terms: Science, News, VOA Special English
Click one for hint, twice for full word
result in
Meaning: To cause something to happen.
Example: Movement of the Earth’s plates can result in violent earthquakes.
as permanent as
Meaning: Appearing unchanging or lasting forever.
Example: The Earth’s surface is not as permanent as once believed.
push up
Meaning: To force something upward from below.
Example: Melted rock pushes up from inside the planet to form new crust.
fit together
Meaning: To match in shape or form as if forming a whole.
Example: Wegener noticed that South America and Africa could fit together like puzzle pieces.
move apart
Meaning: To separate or drift away from each other.
Example: Continents move apart as new ocean floor is created.
tectonic plate
IPA (UK): /tekˈtɒn.ɪk pleɪt/
IPA (US): /tekˈtɑː.nɪk pleɪt/
Meaning: A large, rigid piece of the Earth’s crust that moves slowly over the mantle.
Meaning: A large, rigid piece of the Earth’s crust that moves slowly over the mantle.
Example: Earthquakes occur where tectonic plates meet or move.
fault line
IPA (UK): /ˈfɔːlt laɪn/
IPA (US): /ˈfɑːlt laɪn/
Meaning: A fracture in the Earth’s crust where movement occurs.
Meaning: A fracture in the Earth’s crust where movement occurs.
Example: The San Andreas Fault is one of the most famous fault lines in the world.
hotspot
IPA (UK): /ˈhɒt.spɒt/
IPA (US): /ˈhɑːt.spɑːt/
Meaning: A fixed area where hot magma rises, creating volcanoes.
Meaning: A fixed area where hot magma rises, creating volcanoes.
Example: The Hawaiian Islands were formed as a plate moved over a hotspot.
basalt
IPA (UK): /ˈbæs.ɔːlt/
IPA (US): /bəˈsɔːlt/
Meaning: A dark, dense volcanic rock that forms most of the ocean floor.
Meaning: A dark, dense volcanic rock that forms most of the ocean floor.
Example: The ocean floor is made of basalt, unlike the granite-like continental crust.
Pangaea
IPA (UK): /pænˈdʒiː.ə/
IPA (US): /pænˈdʒiː.ə/
Meaning: A supercontinent that existed over 200 million years ago before splitting apart.
Meaning: A supercontinent that existed over 200 million years ago before splitting apart.
Example: Wegener proposed that all continents were once joined in Pangaea.
Other Listening Exercises
About Earthquakes and the Process that Causes Earthquakes
In progressB2 · 14:22