You may wonder why you should improve your vocabulary. You may be satisfied with it. You can talk, understand other people when they talk, and read. Why learn fancy words that you won’t use? The main reason for developing a better vocabulary is to receive and send out thoughts better. Not just words, but ideas that words represent. The person with a good vocabulary is impressive, it’s true. But he or she is also better able to get across and understand complex thoughts. The power of words is so strong that it can even influence the way you see the world. Words give you the building blocks with which you think. However, simple words do not mean a simple mind. Many adults have mature, complex thoughts. But those thoughts come out garbled and too simple because of a small vocabulary. They have no choice but to use the same words to express too many different kinds of thoughts. A good vocabulary can be an economic advantage. An institution for testing people’s attitudes, the Human Engineering Laboratory, found that a good vocabulary is the only trait common to successful people. The Lab has found that the highest scores on vocabulary tests have been made by people getting the highest pay. It is through words that people grasp the thoughts of others and do their own thinking. A good vocabulary also means academic success. Many teachers think that the results of an I.Q. test and a vocabulary test will be about the same. And both predict success. The best way to improve your vocabulary is through reading. Words that we learn through their use in context are much more likely to stay with us than words we memorize by themselves, as in a list or in a dictionary. So we can see that vocabulary is so much more than “fancy words you won’t use.” It represents your thoughts. It gives you social, economic, and academic power. The underlined phrase “get across” in paragraph 2 means ________. A. spreadB. make clearC. overcomeD. describe in detail All the following are true EXCEPT that ________. A. your good scores on vocabulary tests will, to a large extent, predict your academic success at collegeB. an impressive vocabulary could improve your social lifeC. an effective way of learning new words is to look them up first in a dictionary and then to learn them by heartD. simple words do not necessarily mean a simple mind A study by the Human Engineering Laboratory found that people who get the highest scores on vocabulary tests usually ________. A. all of the aboveB. get the highest payC. enjoy remarkable academic successD. are possessed of the highest I.Q.

You may wonder why you should improve your vocabulary. You may be satisfied with it. You can talk, understand other people when they talk, and read. Why learn fancy words that you won’t use?

The main reason for developing a better vocabulary is to receive and send out thoughts better. Not just words, but ideas that words represent. The person with a good vocabulary is impressive, it’s true. But he or she is also better able to get across and understand complex thoughts.

The power of words is so strong that it can even influence the way you see the world. Words give you the building blocks with which you think. However, simple words do not mean a simple mind. Many adults have mature, complex thoughts. But those thoughts come out garbled and too simple because of a small vocabulary. They have no choice but to use the same words to express too many different kinds of thoughts.

A good vocabulary can be an economic advantage. An institution for testing people’s attitudes, the Human Engineering Laboratory, found that a good vocabulary is the only trait common to successful people. The Lab has found that the highest scores on vocabulary tests have been made by people getting the highest pay. It is through words that people grasp the thoughts of others and do their own thinking.

A good vocabulary also means academic success. Many teachers think that the results of an I.Q. test and a vocabulary test will be about the same. And both predict success.

The best way to improve your vocabulary is through reading. Words that we learn through their use in context are much more likely to stay with us than words we memorize by themselves, as in a list or in a dictionary. So we can see that vocabulary is so much more than “fancy words you won’t use.” It represents your thoughts. It gives you social, economic, and academic power.

The underlined phrase “get across” in paragraph 2 means ________.

• A. spread
• B. make clear
• C. overcome
• D. describe in detail

All the following are true EXCEPT that ________.

• A. your good scores on vocabulary tests will, to a large extent, predict your academic success at college
• B. an impressive vocabulary could improve your social life
• C. an effective way of learning new words is to look them up first in a dictionary and then to learn them by heart
• D. simple words do not necessarily mean a simple mind

A study by the Human Engineering Laboratory found that people who get the highest scores on vocabulary tests usually ________.

• A. all of the above
• B. get the highest pay
• C. enjoy remarkable academic success
• D. are possessed of the highest I.Q.