www.yasi-kouyu.com.cn          

Updated Nov. 19, 2008

VOCABULARY LISTS (2)

Index

18. Animals

19. Parks

20. Describing People

21. The Sections of a Newspaper

22. Types of Magazines

23. Law

24. Water

25. Games

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18. Animals

Major Biological Classifications of Animals

• mammals

• reptiles

• amphibians

• birds

• fish

• insects

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Domesticated Animals

a) Pets

Dogs

• Pekinese

• Chihuahua

• Poodle

• Cocker Spaniel

• Dachshund ('sausage dog')

• Chow

• Pug

• Beagle

• Collie

• Boxer

• Bull-dog

• Bull-terrier

• the 'Asian dog' (This dog can be found as a pet in remote villages in Asia as well as in towns and cities. Similar to the Australian Dingo)

• Dalmatian

• German Shepherd

• Labrador

• Golden Retriever

  young dog = a puppy

Cats

•  long-haired cats

•  short-haired cats

•  Siamese cats

•  Burmese cats

•  tabby cats

•  alley cats (feral cats, street cats)

•  a tom cat

 young cat = a kitten

Birds

•  the Asian mynah bird

•  the canary

•  the budgie ( = the parakeet = the budgerigar)

•  the parrot

•  the finch

•  the pigeon

 bird food: birdseed /fruit /nuts

Fish

•  goldfish

•  tropical fish

Other Pets

• rabbits

• guinea pigs

• hamsters

• gerbils

• rats

• ferrets

• tortoises

b) Farmed animals

• chickens

• ducks

• geese

• pigs (= hogs)

• sheep

• beef cattle

• dairy cows

• goats

c) Work Animals

• water buffalo

• horses

• donkeys

• mules

• camels

• elephants

• yaks

• goats

• dogs

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Wild Animals

a)  Endangered Animals of China

• the panda

• the tiger

• the black bear

• the wolf

• the Mongolian wild horse

• the elephant

b)  Other Wild Animals in China

• rats and mice

• snakes

• yaks

• foxes

• deer 

• wild horses

• monkeys

c)  Wild Animals in the Cities of China

The following wild animals are seen in some parts of some cities.

• squirrels

• ferrets

• rats and mice

• possums

• bats

• birds (sparrows, magpies, seagulls, swallows, crows/ravens, ...)

• feral cats

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19. Parks

• the entrance

• an entrance fee

• a statue

• sculptures

• a fountain

• a pool

• a lake 

• a pond

• a river

• a bridge

• a rockery

• a bamboo grove

• a fish pond

• lawns

• gardens

• flowers

• plants

• trees

• vines

• bamboo

• a park bench = a park seat

• in the shade

• in the sun

• a pathway = a path

• to stroll

• to walk 

• to jog 

• to do exercises

• to do stretching exercises

• to do aerobics

• to do tai ji = to practice tai ji (太极拳)

• to chat

• to dance

• to play a musical instrument

• to perform

• to sing

• to entertain

• to relax (not 'relax + 自己')

• to play chess

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20. Describing People

The adjectives below could be used in the following sentence: "She's very _________. " Or, "She's a very _______ person." Or, "She's a very _______ type of person."

Of course, instead of, 'very' you can also use other words such as:  'quite', 'rather', 'somewhat' and, 'extremely'.

• friendly
• easy-going
• relaxed
• mellow
• open
• natural
• warm-hearted
• generous
• helpful
• co-operative
• humourous
• funny
• interesting
• unique
• special
• impressive
• kind
• empathetic
• nice
• good
• honest
• considerate
• selfless (the opposite is, 'selfish')
• down-to-earth
• extroverted
• outgoing
• gregarious
• sociable
• spontaneous
• introverted (This means, 'usually focused on one's own thoughts', such as a research scientist or an author.)
• shy (This means, 'a little fearful' of other people)
• private
• quiet
• studious
• traditional
• conservative
• old-fashioned
• fashionable
• 'cool'
• 'hip'
• modern
• fashion-conscious
• stylish
• well-groomed
• well-dressed
• attractive
• good-looking
• handsome
• beautiful
• pretty
• elegant
• graceful
• gentle
• statuesque (usually for tall women)
• well-mannered
• cultured
• sophisticated
• open-minded
• confident
• competitive
• fearless
• independent
• individualistic
• adventurous
• persistent
• industrious = hard-working
• motivated
• single-minded
• goal-oriented
• determined
• ambitious
• strong-willed
• passionate
• enthusiastic
• well-balanced
• positive
• healthy
• fit (= healthy)
• health-conscious
• athletic
• physical
• artistic
• talented
• musical
• theatrical
• dramatic
• expressive
• intelligent
• bright
• analytical
• erudite = well-read (usually for older people)
• well-educated
• skilled
• professional
• thorough
• careful
• neat
• precise
• meticulous
• reliable
• punctual
• knowledgeable
• curious
• far-sighted
• insightful
• wise
• mature
• responsible
• intuitive
• imaginative
• creative
• playful (usually children)
• rambunctious (e.g., a 2-yr-old child)
• energetic
• adorable
• cute
• loveable
• lovely
• loving

Some nouns

• a joy (e.g., 'a joy to be around')
• an inspiration
• an example
• a model student
• a model son
• a devoted mother, a devoted teacher, a devoted doctor
• a genius
• a leader

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21. The Sections of a Newspaper

The following are the main sections that typical newspapers have.

• The Local News Section
• The International News Section
• The Editorial Section 
• Letters to the Editor
• The Business Section
• The Entertainment Section
• The Sports Section
• The Classified Advertisements Section
• The Comics (Comic Strips)

Other sections that most often appear in weekend editions of newspapers are:

• The Travel Section
• The 'Magazine Section' that features stories and information about modern living, fashion, home decoration etc.

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22. Types of Magazines

There are magazines for almost every topic of interest, whether a sport, hobby, general interest or a career interest.

• Sports magazines (e.g. Basketball, Football, Golf magazines)
• Tabloid magazines (Sensationalized & often exaggerated or untrue articles & gossip about celebrities. This magazine genre also includes magazines with unusual or sensationalized human-interest stories.)
• Movie magazines (Stories and reviews about the latest films)
• Music & Entertainment magazines (Articles about pop music & movies & entertainment celebrities)
• News & Current Events magazines (News, news analysis & opinion pieces)
• Women's magazines (Topics of general interest to women, including parenting, family,  home, health, beauty & fashion, career & relationship advice, & short stories.)
• Beauty & Fashion magazines (e.g., Vogue. Articles & many photographs on fashion & beauty for women)
• Teen magazines (Usually for teenage girls - general interest magazines for teenagers with topics such as romantic short stories, romance advice, fashion & beauty advice, entertainment etc.)
• Men's magazines (Short stories & articles of interest to (usually) young men, including pictures of pretty girls)
• Handyman magazines (=D.Y.I. magazines = Do-It-Yourself magazines) (Articles on how to do certain practical things such as repairing or making certain things)
• Home and Gardening magazines (Articles about buying a home, home decoration, home maintenance, gardening etc.)
• Car magazines 
• Military magazines (Articles & stories about military history, military equipment & weaponry)
• Hobbyist magazines (E.g., stamp collecting, antiques, photography, different arts and crafts, pets, different games ...)
• Computer magazines (Articles about new developments and products in the world of computers)
• Computer Game magazines
• Business & Money magazines (Articles about personal money management, investing, the stock market etc.)
• Puzzle magazines (With puzzles to solve)
• Humor magazines (Jokes, funny cartoons, & humorous short stories)
• Travel magazines (Articles about interesting places to visit)
• Science and Nature magazines (E.g., National Geographic)
• Health and Fitness magazines
• Popular Psychology magazines (Self-help articles and articles on 'pop psychology' topics)
• Literary magazines (Short stories, poetry, reviews of new books, etc.)
• Short Story magazines (Various short stories to read. Different genres exist e.g., mystery stories, romance stories, crime stories, science fiction stories ...)
• Political magazines (Usually political analysis & opinion rather than objective political news)
• Scholarly magazines (Specialized magazines for academics in different subjects)

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23. Law

• to commit a crime = to break the law
• to disregard the law, to violate the law
• to obey the law = to abide by the law
• a law-abiding citizen
• a crime = an infraction of the law = an offence
• violent crime
• economic crime
• a crime of passion
• criminal negligence
• a "white collar crime"
• a "victimless crime"
• a criminal = a law breaker
• a juvenile delinquent
• be required by the law
• against the law = illegal
• within the law = legal, lawful
• to "be above the law"
• to "turn to crime", to "be driven to crime"
• organized crime
• a criminal gang
• to prohibit
• to ban
• treason
• a felony
• a misdemeanor
• murder
• manslaughter
• assault
• theft (a thief)
• robbery (a robber)
• burglary (a burglar)
• rape (a rapist)
• kidnapping
• fraud
• blackmail
• bribery
• graft
• corruption
• extortion
• slander
• to defame
• smuggling
• piracy
• forgery
• fake, counterfeit
• drug trafficking
• arson
• insurance fraud
• bigamy
• vandalism
• gambling
• a petty crime
• a 'con man', a confidence trickster
• a victim
• compensation
• insider trading
• prison = gaol (Br.) = jail (U.S. but also used in Britain & Australia)
• punishment = a penalty
• capital punishment = the death penalty
• a sentence, to sentence, to pass sentence
• a fine
• a criminal record
• a regulation, to regulate
• a harsh law, a harsh sentence
• a lenient sentence, a light sentence
• to arrest someone
• innocent, guilty
• the police, the police force
• a policeman, a policewoman, a police officer (U.S.)
• a police station, a police car, a police dog
• traffic police
• a detective
• forensic science
• law enforcement, to enforce the law = to uphold the law
• crime prevention 
• a deterrence
• a crackdown on crime
• to combat crime, to fight crime
• to prosecute, to defend
• to be convicted of a crime
• evidence, proof
• a witness
• a law court = a court of law
• a trial
• a judge
• a magistrate
• a lawyer = an attorney (U.S.), a barrister (Br.), a solicitor (Br.)
• to practice law 
• a law firm
• a law suit, to sue somebody
• a license, a business license, a driver's license
• to enact a law, to institute a law, to adopt a law
• a annul a law, to repeal a law

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24. Water

Water Usage

• consume/consumption
• in agriculture
• in industry
• trickle irrigation
• domestic uses (= household uses)
• watering public lawns and gardens
• taking/having a bath
• taking/having a shower
• cleaning/brushing your (my) teeth
• flushing the toilet
• washing the dishes
• washing the car
• turn off/turn on
• a tap (U.S. = a faucet)
• a running tap

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25. Games 

Adult games

chess

mahjong

weiqi (I suggest you use the Chinese name, not the Japanese name, 'Go')

card games (e.g., poker)

pool (= "8 ball"), billiards, snooker

computer games

drinking games

Children's Games

(See also here for some traditional Chinese children's games)

marbles

'Hide and seek'

Hopscotch

'Scissors, rock and paper'

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