VOA Special English 基本词汇 W-Z

W
wages - n. money received for work done
wait - v. to delay acting; to postpone
walk - v. to move by putting one foot in front of the other
wall - n. the side of a room or building formed by wood, stone or other material; a
structure sometimes used to separate areas of land
want - v. to desire; to wish for; to need
war - n. fighting between nations, or groups in a nation, using weapons
warm - ad. almost hot; having or feeling some heat
warn - v. to tell of possible danger; to advise or inform about something bad that
may happen
wash - v. to make clean, usually with water
waste - v. to spend or use without need or care; to make bad use of; n. a spending of
money, time or effort with no value gained or returned; something thrown away as
having no value; the liquid and solid substances that result from body processes and
are passed out of the body
watch - v. to look at; to observe closely; to look and wait for
water - n. the liquid that falls from the sky as rain or is found in lakes, rivers and
oceans
wave - v. to move or cause to move one way and the other, as a flag in the wind; to
signal by moving the hand one way and the other; n. a large mass of water that
forms and moves on the surface of a lake or ocean
way - n. a path on land or sea or in the air; how something is done; method
we - pro. two or more people, including the speaker or writer ("He and I will go
together, and we will return together.")
weak - ad. having little power; easily broken, damaged or destroyed; opposite
strong
wealth - n. a large amount of possessions, money or other things of value
weapon - n. anything used to cause injury or to kill during an attack, fight or war
wear - v. to have on the body, as clothes
weather - n. the condition of the atmosphere resulting from sun, wind, rain, heat or
cold
week - n. a period of time equal to seven days
weigh - v. to measure how heavy someone or something is
welcome - v. to express happiness or pleasure when someone arrives or something
develops
well - ad. in a way that is good or pleasing; in good health; n. a hole in the ground
where water, gas or oil can be found
west - n. the direction in which the sun goes down
wet - ad. covered with water or other liquid; not dry
what - pro. used to ask about something or to ask for information about something
("What is this?"); ad. which or which kind ("He wants to know what you would like
to drink.")
wheat - n. a grain used to make bread; the plant that produces the grain
wheel - n. a round structure that turns around a center
when - ad. at what time; at any time ("When will she come home?"); conj. during or
at the time ("I studied hard when I was in school.")
where - ad., conj. at, to or in what place ("Where is his house?" "The house where
he lives is in the old part of the city.")
which - pro. used to ask about what one or what ones of a group of things or people
("Which program do you like best?" "Which students will take the test?")
while - n. a space of time ("Please come to my house for a while."); conj. at or
during the same time ("It may not be a good idea to eat while you are running.")
white - ad. having the color like that of milk or snow
who - pro. what or which person or persons that ("Who wants to go?"); the person
or persons ("They are the ones who want to go.")
whole - ad. the complete amount; all together; not divided; not cut into pieces
why - ad. for what cause or reason ("Why did she do it?"); conj. the reason for
which ("I do not know why she did it.")
wide - ad. having a great distance from one side to the other; not limited
wife - n. a woman who is married
wild - ad. living and growing in natural conditions and not organized or supervised
by humans; angry; uncontrolled
will - v. a word used with action words to show future action ("They will hold talks
tomorrow.")
willing - ad. being ready or having a desire to ("They are willing to talk about the
problem.")
win - v. to gain a victory; to defeat another or others in a competition, election or
battle
wind - n. a strong movement of air
window - n. an opening in a wall to let in light and air, usually filled with glass
winter - n. the coldest time of year, between autumn and spring
wire - n. a long, thin piece of metal used to hang objects or to carry electricity or
electronic communications from one place to another
wise - ad. having much knowledge and understanding; able to use knowledge and
understanding to make good or correct decisions
wish - v. to want; to express a desire for
with - prep. along or by the side of; together; using ("He fixed it with a tool.");
having ("the house with the red door")
withdraw - v. to take or move out, away or back; to remove
without - prep. with no; not having or using; free from; not doing
woman - n. an adult female human
wonder - v. to ask oneself; to question ("She wonders if it is true."); n. a feeling of
surprise
wonderful - ad. causing wonder; especially good
wood - n. the solid material of which trees are made
word - n. one or more connected sounds that form a single part of a language
work - v. to use physical or mental effort to make or do something; n. the effort
used to make or to do something; that which needs effort; the job one does to earn
money
world - n. the earth; the people who live on the earth
worry - v. to be concerned; to continue thinking that something, possibly bad, can
happen
worse - ad. more bad than
worth - n. value measured in money
wound - v. to injure; to hurt; to cause physical damage to a person or animal; n. an
injury to the body of a human or animal in which the skin is usually cut or broken
wreck - v. to damage greatly; to destroy; n. anything that has been badly damaged
or broken
wreckage - n. what remains of something severely damaged or destroyed
write - v. to use an instrument to make words appear on a surface, such as paper
wrong - ad. not correct; bad; not legal; opposite right
Y
year - n. a period of time equal to twelve months
yellow - ad. having the color like that of gold or the sun
yes - ad. used to express agreement or to permit
yesterday - n. the day before today
yet - ad. at some time before now ("Have they arrived yet?"); now; at this time ("I
cannot tell you about it yet."); conj. however ("The sun was shining, yet it was
cold.")
you - pro. the person or persons being spoken to
young - ad. in the early years of life; not old
Z
zero - n. the number meaning none or nothing
zoo - n. a place where animals are kept for the public to look at and study
COMMON PREFIXES
dis - not (dishonest, disobey)
pro - for, supporting (pro-labor, pro-government)
re - to do again (reorganize, reunite)
self - used to show that the person or group acting is the one affected by the action,
or to show that the action is done only by its own effort or power (self-declared,
self-appointed)
un - not (unusual, unhappy)
COMMON EXPRESSIONS
carry out - to do; to put into effect ("Please carry out the plan.")
pass a bill - approve ("Congress is expected to pass a bill to cut taxes.")
take steps - to start to do something ("The government will take steps to halt
inflation.")
WORDS USED IN  VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH
SCIENCE PROGRAMS
atom - a very small part of all things; the smallest part of an element that can join
with parts of other elements
bacteria - living things that are one cell and can be seen only through a microscope;
some cause disease
cell - a small mass of living material that is part of all plants and animals
chromosome - a line of genes; most human cells contain 46 chromosomes
compound - a substance containing two or more elements
dense - close together; thick
electron - a small part of an atom that has an electrical force
element - one of more than 100 substances known to science that cannot be
separated into other substances
enzyme - a special kind of protein; it produces changes in other substances without
being changed itself
fetus - unborn young
fission - a splitting; in atomic fission, the nucleus of an atom is split to produce
nuclear energy
fusion - a joining together; in atomic fusion, atomic particles are joined together to
produce nuclear energy
genes - parts of cells that control the growth and development of living things;
genes from the mother and father are passed to the child; genes contain nucleic
acid
genetic engineering - the science of changing the genes of a living organism
gravity - the force that pulls things toward the center of the earth
image - a reproduction of the appearance of a person or thing
laser - an instrument that makes a thin, powerful light
magnet - a piece of iron or other material that has a pulling force; this pulling force
is called magnetism
molecule - the smallest amount of a chemical substance that can exist
nerve - a thin piece of tissue that sends information through the body to and from
the brain
nucleus - the center part of an atom or cell
nucleic acid - a molecule that holds the genetic information necessary for life; there
are two kinds of nucleic acid: DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic
acid)
nutrient - a food or substance that makes plants, humans or animals grow
organ - a part of the body that has a special purpose, such as the heart or brain
organism - a living thing, often so small it can be seen only through a microscope
particle - a very small piece of matter
proteins - substances responsible for the growth of tissue and for fixing damaged
tissue
robot - a machine that moves and performs tasks
tissue - living material; a group of cells that are similar in appearance and do the
same thing
virus - a kind of organism that causes disease
x-rays - a kind of radiation that can pass through most solid materials, often used in
medicine
ORGANS OF THE BODY
heart - pumps blood through the body
intestines - tubes through which food passes after it is broken down in the stomach;
part of the intestines also remove solid wastes from the body
kidney - cleans liquid wastes from the body
liver - makes some proteins and enzymes; removes poisons from the blood
lung - takes in and expels air from the body
prostate - a part of the male reproductive system
stomach - breaks down food for the body to use
uterus - a part of the female reproductive system where a fetus develops