Straightforward B2 Upper Intermediate Vocabulary, Lesson 7D

Date taught: 8 November 2023

7D – (Tech) Trends

Theme: Making predictions about lifestyles in the future..

tech boom – If there is a boom in technological developments, there is a sizeable increase in new technology development, for example in the amount of things that are being designed and created, and specifically sold. Usually refers to the popularity of new technology and how useful it is to the economy and society at large.

vision of the future (n) [B2] – an idea or image in your mind of what something could be like in the future

futuristic (adj) [B1] – imagining what the future will be like

innovation (n) [B2] –
1. the introduction of new things, ideas or ways of doing something
2. a new idea, way of doing something, etc. that has been introduced or discovered

advances (n) [B2] – progress or a development in a particular activity or area of understanding

prediction (n) [B1] – a statement that says what you think will happen; the act of making such a statement

IDIOM: for/in the foreseeable future
for/in the period of time when you can predict what is going to happen, based on the present circumstances

technological developments / advancements (n) – the process of growing, changing, or becoming more advanced especially progress relating to, or involving technology

downfall (n) – (something that causes) the usually sudden destruction of a person, organization, or government and their loss of power, money, or health

pitfall (n) – a likely mistake or problem in a situation; a problem, used especially about problems that may happen in the future

IDIOM: “in the future” or “in future”
from now on; moving forward.

ultra- (prefix) – as a prefix means “extremely”. Something that is “ultra-light” is extremely light.

ever-decreasing (adj) – the act of becoming smaller or of making something smaller in size, amount, number, etc.

portion (n) [B2] – an allocated amount; the amount of food served to one person, especially in a restaurant

fashionable (adj) – characteristic of or influenced by a current popular trend or style.

packaging (n) – materials used to wrap or protect goods that are sold in shops

thermos (n) – a vacuum flask or bottle which can keep liquids at a desired temperature.

lighter (adj) – weighing less than something else, in a comparitive sense, often due to being made of better materials, losing weight or volume, or becoming thinner.
Example from listening activity: “…thermos bags and bottles will be lighter…”
Example: He’s a few pounds lighter than he used to be.

pocket-sized (adj) – small enough to fit into a pocket; small-scale, downsized.

sushi (n) – a type of Japanese food consisting of squares or balls of cold boiled rice, with small pieces of other food, especially raw fish, on top or rolled inside

A cute sushi roll cartoon.

consumption () [C1] – the act of using, eating, or drinking something, or the amount that is used, etc.; ALSO: the using of goods and services in an economy, or the amount of goods and services used

seafood (n) – animals from the sea that can be eaten, especially fish or sea creatures with shells

seaweed (n) – any of numerous marine plants and algae, such as a kelp (see kelp below).

A kelp forest in the ocean.

supplements (n) [C2] – something that is added to something else in order to improve it or complete it; something extra; a medicine that contains substances that you need to stay healthy in addition to what you get in your food
Example: The doctor said she should be taking vitamin supplements.

screen (v) – to show or broadcast a film or television programme (as on a screen)

host (n) [C1] – a large number of something
Example: There’s a whole host of reasons why he didn’t get the job.

teenager (n) [A2] – a young person between 13 and 19 years old

interactive (adj) [B2] – an interactive system or computer program is designed to involve the user in the exchange of information

kilt (n) – a skirt with many folds, made from tartan cloth and traditionally worn by Scottish men and boys

sarong (n) – a single piece of fabric that can be folded around the body and worn as a skirt or as a dress. Commonly found in South-Eastern cultures

definite (adj) [B1] – free from any doubt; sure or certain; unlikely to change

possibility (n) [A2] – a thing that may happen or be true; the fact that something might happen or be true, but is not certain

integrate (v) [B2] – to combine two or more things in order to become more effective
1. integrate something into something You need to integrate exercise into your normal life.
2. integrate something with something The idea with young children is to integrate learning with play.

heat-sensitive (adj) – easily influenced, changed, or damaged by heat

beachwear (n) – clothing made to be worn at the beach

sweatshirt (n) – a piece of informal clothing with long sleeves, usually made of thick cotton, worn on the upper part of the body

layer (v) – to arrange something in layers, that is a covering piece of material or a part that lies over or under another

In this classic scene from “Friends” Joey layers all of Chandler’s clothes onto his body.

furnishings (n) – pieces of furniture, curtains, rugs, and decorations for a room or building

elderly (adj) – polite word for old people, or those past middle aged

revolutionized (v) – to radically or significantly change, as in a revolution; to produce a very great or complete change in something

spectator (n) – one who observes an event; an observer.

tunnel (n) [B1] – a long passage under or through the ground, especially one made by people

scenery (n) [B1] – the general appearance of the natural environment, especially when it is beautiful

daydreams (n) – pleasant thoughts about your life or future that you have while you are awake; a series of pleasant thoughts about something you would prefer to be doing or something you would like to achieve in the future

spectacular (adj) [B1] – exciting and interesting because of being large or extreme

differ (v) [B2] – to be different from somebody/ something.

Examples:
A differs from B – French differs from English in this respect.
A and B differ (from each other) – French and English differ in this respect.
differ between A and B – Ideas on childcare may differ considerably between the parents.

IDIOM: I beg to differ.
used to say politely that you do not agree with something that has just been said.

information superhighway (n) – the concept of a worldwide network of computers capable of transferring all types of digital information at high speed; another name for the internet

Scholastic Aptitude Test (n) – (SAT) an examination which is often taken by students who wish to enter a college or university.

thoroughfare (n) [C2] – a public road or street used by traffic, especially a main road in a city or town

merge (v) [C1] – to combine or make two or more things combine to form a single thing
merge with something – His department will merge with mine.
merge into something – The villages expanded and merged into one large town.
merge (A and B) (together) – Fact and fiction merge together in his latest thriller.
merge A with B – His department will be merged with mine.
merge something – The company was formed by merging three smaller firms.
merge something into something – Merge multiple text files into one master file.

industry (n) [A2] – the production of goods from raw materials, especially in factories

distinct (adj) [B2] – easily or clearly heard, seen, felt, etc.

IDIOM: from point A to point B
from one place to another in a direct route, as short as possible

computer terminal (n) – a keyboard and computer monitor connected to a computer, the whole unit together

GIVING EXAMPLES:
among other things for example for instance in particular like such as to name but two/a few

laparoscopic surgery – a medical procedure using an instrument like a tube that is put through the wall of the abdomen, in order to examine the inside of the body or perform surgery

minimally invasive procedure (n) – includes surgical techniques that limit the size of incisions needed, thereby reducing wound healing time, associated pain, and risk of infection. Surgery by definition is invasive and many operations requiring incisions of some size are referred to as open surgery. Incisions made during open surgery can sometimes leave large wounds that may be painful and take a long time to heal. Advancements in medical technologies have enabled the development and regular use of minimally invasive procedures.

recovery (n) [B2] – the process of becoming well again after an illness or injury

endoscopy (n) – a medical operation in which an endoscope is put into a person’s body so that the parts inside can be seen (when it is done through the mouth of the patient, it is called an upper endoscopy, see below)

From The Mayo Clinic, Tests and Procedures – Upper Endoscopy

capsule endoscopy (n) – a procedure that uses a tiny wireless camera to take pictures of the organs in the body that food and liquids travel through. This is called the digestive tract. A capsule endoscopy camera sits inside a vitamin-sized capsule. After it’s swallowed, the capsule travels through the digestive tract. The camera takes thousands of pictures that are sent to a recorder worn on a belt around the waist

colonoscopy – (also called lower endoscopy) an exam used to look for changes — such as swollen, irritated tissues, polyps or cancer — in the large intestine (colon) and rectum, during which a long, flexible tube (colonoscope) is inserted into the rectum. A tiny video camera at the tip of the tube allows the doctor to view the inside of the entire colon.

fall from grace (idiom) – to lose the trust or respect that people have for you, especially by doing something bad or morally wrong

trendy (adj) [C1] – modern and influenced by the most recent fashions or ideas

Popular in the 1990’s, this color-changing bowl turned yellow under heat.

ocean acidification – refers to a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere

kelp forest (n) – large brown algae that live in cool, relatively shallow waters close to the shore, which grow in dense groupings much like a forest on land (see the kelp forest gif above)

kale (n) – a type of cabbage with green or purple tightly curled leaves

SIDS – (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) the sudden death while sleeping of a baby that appears to be healthy

pacemaker (n) – an electronic device that is put inside a person’s body to help their heart beat regularly

dystopian – typical of or featuring an imaginary place or state in which everything is extremely bad or unpleasant
Example: a dystopian fantasy set in the near future

read the room (idiom) – to be or become aware of the opinions and attitudes of a group of people that you are talking to

overly apologetic (adj) – excessive feeling or showing that you are sorry for doing something wrong or for causing a problem

transliteration (n) – the act of writing words or letters using letters of a different alphabet or language

Augmented Reality (AR) – a technology that combines computer-generated images on a screen with the real object or scene that you are looking at

stylus (n) – a special pen used to write text or draw an image on a special computer screen

Samsung Reclaim – my favorite old phone, from 2009

BREAKING: Sprint announces the “eco-friendly” Samsung Reclaim, from TechCrunch+
‘Samsung Reclaim’ Uses Earth-Friendly Corn-Based Plastics, from TrendHunter

optimized (v) – to make something as good or effective as possible
Example: We need to optimize our use of the existing technology.

every other one (idiom) – each alternate one (= the first, third, fifth, etc. one, but not the second, fourth, sixth, etc.)

resistant to change (beloved or major change) – (to something) opposing change and trying to stop it happening
Example: Elderly people are not always resistant to change.

pipe dream (n) – a hope or plan that is impossible to achieve or not practical

food will go off (ph.v) / taste off / taste funny / go bad / spoil – (of food) to become bad so that it can no longer be eaten