Vocabulary

“Tim says that he does not know anything about the surprise party but I’m sure he knows more than he has ______________,” Sarah whispered to me.

• let in

• let up

• let on

• let down

The timid boy looked at the rock wall ______________ before mustering his courage to climb it.

• fervently

• unexpectedly

• apprehensively

• enthusiastically

Caroline was awarded the Best Speaker Award for her ______________ during the national debate competition.

• devotion

• elegance

• discretion

• eloquence

Being a sensitive and respectful person, Emily ______________ jokes that make fun of the religious beliefs of others.

• mourns

• deplores

• endorses

• condones

Upon hearing the fire alarm, the residents in the apartment block ______________ their homes and made their way to safety.

• evicted

• deserted

• evacuated

• abandoned

Eight-year-old Emma Goh and her mother, Tricia Seow, often stop in their tracks to observe ants. "We would talk about their complex social structure and how they are important to our environment," Dr Seow, a senior lecturer at the National Institute of Education, says.

• vital

• suited

• relevant

• pertinent

"We keep stressing that bugs are our friends and our well-being is connected to theirs," shares Dr Seow.

• restating

• featuring

• repeating

• emphasising

These are some everyday opportunities that she seizes to get her daughter interested in nature and to care about the environment.

• benefits

• chances

• prospects

• consequences

"When you live in a city, many people seem to have an irrational fear of insects.

• unwise

• illogical

• unsound

• incoherent

We see humans as distinct from the larger natural ecosystem which they are actually part of. This view needs a reset if we want children to care about the environment," says Dr Seow.

• diverse

• isolated

• different

• separate