Reading Passage 1: "William Kamkwamba"

Day 13 (Reading Passage 1: Meet the hedgehog)
Word list:
1 
Spiny (adj) – covered with spines (long sharp points like needles)
Example: A spiny cactus 
2 
Forage (v) – to go from place to place searching, especially for food 
Example: The children had been living on the streets, foraging for scraps and 
sleeping rough
3 
Primitive (adj) – relating to human society at a very early stage of development, 
with people living in a simple way without machines or a writing system (C1)
Example: Primitive races colonized these islands 2000 years ago 
4 
Uncover (v) – to discover something secret or hidden or remove something 
covering something else (C1)
Example: The investigation uncovered evidence of a large-scale illegal trade in 
wild birds
5 
Hibernate (v) – (of some animals) to spend the winter sleeping 
Example: The turtle hibernates in a shallow burrow for six months of the year 
6 
Scarp (v) – to get rid of something that is no longer useful or wanted, often using 
its parts in new ways (C2)
Example: Hundreds of nuclear weapons have been scrapped 
7 
Retract (v) – to take back an offer or statement or admit that a statement was 
false 
Example: When questioned on TV, the minister retracted his allegations
IEL
TS ZONE
Word list

---

262
8 
Perceive (v) – to see something or someone, or to notice something that is 
obvious (C2)
Example: Bill perceived a tiny figure in the distance 
9 
Appealing (adj) – attractive or interesting 
Example: The idea of not having to get up early every morning is rather appealing