Unit 10 | Definitions and expressions of intent or purpose

Recognizing definitions
The answers to some vocabulary questions are given directly in a reading.
SPOTLIGHT ON TESTING

Phrases like in other words, that is, or that means could introduce a definition.
Synonyms may also provide definitions. Understanding these definitions also
helps you understand the reading overall.

1 Identifying definitions in a reading

Read the email. Write the letter of the expression that is closest in meaning to the
underlined word or phrase.

1. Congress is getting ready to vote on a law a. a chemical element

called the EVL. b. bill
2. My new hybrid car gets great gas mileage.
c. chemical combinations
3. The batteries use safe lithium compounds.
4. The car batteries won’t be useful unless we d. renew a supply of energy
find a way to recharge them. e. using two kinds of engine
5. The new batteries contain lithium. together

Members of EarthPrime
Your EarthPrime leaders
October 11
RE: Contact Congress about Clean Cars

Today is an important turning point in American history. Will you help America turn in the right direction?
(1) Congress is considering important legislation to make cars cleaner. (2) This bill, called the “Electric
Vehicle Law” (EVL), is meant to provide $700 million for research into new kinds of car batteries. This is the
technology of our future. Write to your congressperson to support this important legislation.
(3)The EVL is designed to create a supply of really good lithium-ion batteries for cars. Lithium is a very
light metallic element, right after hydrogen and helium on the periodic table. Lithium batteries are
extremely common. You probably have one in your laptop computer or maybe even your cell phone.
But cars are not computers. A car battery has to survive extreme heat and cold, sudden starts and stops,
and demands by power-hungry car parts, from spark plugs to radios. (4) In order to adapt lithium-ion
technology to the needs of cars, high-tech laboratory work must continue at major universities throughout
the country. The road to the future runs through the research lab.
We have to find better ways to recharge lithium-ion batteries, that is, to renew their supply of electrical
energy after long use. (5) For some all-electric cars, recharging would be at plug-in stations, where a driver
would pay to hook the car up to an ordinary electrical outlet. We need government support to set up the
basics of a national system of plug-in stations. For hybrid cars, those that combine an electric engine with
a gasoline-powered engine, research has to make batteries smaller and lighter. Lithium battery packs
are highly mutable, meaning they can be made into nearly any shape a car design might require. New
chemical compounds—combinations of lithium with manganese, cobalt, and other elements—are safe and
environmentally harmless.
Research is needed to push technology ahead, and research takes money. Contact your congressperson
today to strengthen America’s energy future. Thank you.

20 Spotlight on Testing • Unit 10

Strategies for taking the: TOEFL® Test TOEIC® Test IELTS™ Test
Understanding the purpose of an action
Test questions may ask about the purpose of an action. Look for phrases like
designed to, supposed to, meant to, or in order to. Also, infinitives often have this
meaning, as in I called to ask for a favor.

2 Practicing with purpose

Read the e-mail again. A number appears before five of the sentences. Write the expression of
purpose that you see in each numbered sentence. The first one is done as an example.
1. to make cars cleaner
2.
3.
4.
5.

3 Expressions of purpose in speech

AUDIO FILE Listen to the conversation. Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. What main task are the students supposed to do in their assignment?
a. to make a presentation about Mark Twain’s writings
b. to make a presentation about Mark Twain’s life
c. to make a presentation using pictures in a computer slide show
2. What was Jaya’s main purpose in reading Huck Finn?
a. to discover Twain’s ideas as expressed therein
b. to finish his work before the others finished theirs
c. to show that Twain’s life was exactly like Huck’s
3. What does Jaya mean when he says, “You have to do something else to make it up to me?”
a. The others have to explain the project to him.
b. The others have to do other work that is equal to what he did.
c. The others have to tell the teacher that Jaya did an excellent job.

4 Check your understanding

AUDIO FILE Listen to the conversation again. Write T for true or F for false.
1. A book known as Huck Finn was written by Mark Twain.
2. Jaya, Mariana, and Omar will do a presentation together.
3. Jaya is the only one who is reading Huck Finn.
Definitions
4. Mark Twain was poor and illiterate. in a reading might be
found in parentheses, “( )”,
5 Skills in review dashes, “—”, or commas.
Read the article about laptops on p. 64 of the Workbook. Find You can easily scan
expressions of intent that include aim, designed, and so. What for these.
intent is expressed in each one? (Be careful. Designed and so also
appear in sentences that do not show intent.)

Spotlight on Testing • Unit 10 21