CAM 11 Test 2: Raising The Mary Rose

How a sixteenth-century warship was recovered from the seabed

On 19 July 1545, English and French fleets hạm đội were engaged in tham gia vào a sea battle off the coast of
southern England in the area of water called the Solent, between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. Among
the English vessels chiến hạm was a warship by the name of Mary Rose. Built in Portsmouth some 35 years
earlier, she had had a long and successful fighting career, and was a favourite of King Henry
VIII. Accounts lời giải thích, lời tường thuật of what happened to the ship vary khác nhau : while witnesses agree that
she was not hit by the French, some maintain that she was outdated lỗi thời, cổ , overladen and sailing too low
in the water, others that she was mishandled xử lý kém/thao tác sai by undisciplined Không vào khuôn phép, vô kỷ
luật crew. What is undisputed Không thể nghi ngờ, không cãi được , however, is that the Mary Rose sank into the
Solent that day, taking at least 500 men with her. After the battle, attempts were made to recover the ship,
but these failed.

The Mary Rose came to rest on the seabed, lying on her starboard (right) side at an angle of approximately
60 degrees. The hull (the body of the ship) acted as a trap for the sand and mud carried by Solent
currents. As a result, the starboard side filled rapidly, leaving the exposed port (left) side to be eroded xói mòn,
ăn mòn by marine thuộc về đại dương organisms sinh vật and mechanical thuộc máy móc degradation sự xuống
cấp . Because of the way the ship sank, nearly all of the starboard half survived intact còn nguyên vẹn . During the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the entire site became covered with a layer of hard grey clay,
which minimised giảm thiểu further erosion.

Then, on 16 June 1836, some fishermen in the Solent found that their equipment was caught on an
underwater obstruction vật cản trở , which turned out hóa ra lại là to be the Mary Rose. Diver John Deane
happened to be exploring another sunken chìm, đắm ship nearby, and the fishermen approached him, asking
him to free their gear. Deane dived down, and found the equipment caught on a timber protruding nhô ra, lồi
ra slightly from the seabed. Exploring further, he uncovered several other timbers and a bronze gun. Deane
continued diving on the site intermittently không liên tiếp, ngắt quãng until 1840, recovering several more guns, two
bows, various timbers, part of a pump and various other small finds.

The Mary Rose then faded into obscurity rơi vào quên lãng for another hundred years. But in 1965, military
historian and amateur diver Alexander McKee, in conjunction with hợp tác với the British Sub-Aqua
Club, initiated bắt đầu, đề xướng a project called ‘Solent Ships’. While on paper this was a plan to examine a
number of known wrecks xác tàu chìm; tàu chìm in the Solent, what McKee really hoped for was to find the Mary
Rose. Ordinary search techniques proved unsatisfactory, so McKee entered into collaboration with Harold
E. Edgerton, professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1967,
Edgerton’s side-scan sonar systems revealed a large, unusually shaped object, which McKee believed was
the Mary Rose.

Further excavations cuộc khai quật revealed stray pieces of timber and an iron gun. But the climax to the
operation came when, on 5 May 1971, part of the ship’s frame was uncovered. McKee and his team now
knew for certain that they had found the wreck, but were as yet unaware that it also housed chứa đựng, cất giữ a
treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts cổ vật, đồ tạo tác . Interest in the project grew, and in 1979, The
Mary Rose Trust was formed, with Prince Charles as its President and Dr Margaret Rule its Archaeological
Director. The decision whether or not to salvage trục vớt the wreck was not an easy one, although an
excavation in 1978 had shown that it might be possible to raise the hull. While the original aim was to raise
the hull if at all feasible khả thi , the operation was not given the go-ahead until January 1982, when all the
necessary information was available.

An important factor in trying to salvage the Mary Rose was that the remaining hull was an open shell. This
led to an important decision being taken: namely ấy là to carry out tiến hành, thực hiện the lifting operation in three
very distinct riêng biệt; khác biệt stages. The hull was attached gắn với to a lifting frame via a network of bolts and
lifting wires. The problem of the hull being sucked back downwards into the mud was overcome khắc phục by
using 12 hydraulic jacks. These raised it a few centimetres over a period of several days, as the lifting frame
rose slowly up its four legs. It was only when the hull was hanging freely from the lifting frame, clear of the
seabed and the suction effect of the surrounding mud, that the salvage operation progressed to the second
stage. In this stage, the lifting frame was fixed to a hook attached to a crane, and the hull was lifted
completely clear of the seabed and transferred underwater into the lifting cradle. This required precise chính
xác positioning to locate the legs into the stabbing guides’ of the lifting cradle. The lifting cradle was
designed to fit the hull using archaeological thuộc/liên quan đến khảo cổ học survey drawings, and was fitted with air
bags to provide additional cushioning for the hull’s delicate mỏng manh, dễ bị hỏng timber framework khung,
sườn . The third and final stage was to lift the entire toàn bộ, tất cả structure cấu trúc, kết cấu into the air, by which
time the hull was also supported from below. Finally, on 11 October 1982, millions of people around the
world held their breath as the timber skeleton of the Mary Rose was lifted clear of the water, ready to be
returned home to Portsmouth.

account (n) /ə'kaʊnt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

lời giải thích, lời tường thuật =a written or spoken description of something that has happened

Ví dụ:

 The diaries contained a detailed [account] of the writer's experiences in China.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Accounts of what happened to the ship vary: while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the

French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she

was mishandled by undisciplined crew.

archaeological (adj) /ˌɑːkɪə'lɒdʒɪkl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thuộc/liên quan đến khảo cổ học =connected with the study of cultures of the past and of periods of history

by examining the parts of buildings and objects found in the ground

Ví dụ:

 [Archaeological] interpretation plays its role in redefining global debates regarding past and

present.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The lifting cradle was designed to fit the hull using archaeological survey drawings, and was

fitted with air bags to provide additional cushioning for the hull’s delicate timber framework.

artefact (n) /'ɑːtɪfækt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

cổ vật, đồ tạo tác =an object that is made by a person, especially something of historical or cultural interest

Ví dụ:
  The museum has a superb collection of ancient [artefacts] from Nubia.

Ghi chú:

In passage: McKee and his team now knew for certain that they had found the wreck, but were as yet

unaware that it also housed a treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts.

attach (v) /ə'tætʃ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

gắn với =to fasten or join one thing to another

Ví dụ:

 They have [attached] a number of conditions to the agreement

Ghi chú:

In passage: The hull was attached to a lifting frame via a network of bolts and lifting wires.

carry out (phr v) /'kærɪ aʊt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

tiến hành, thực hiện =to do and complete a task

Ví dụ:

 The police [carried out] a thorough search of the premises, but failed to find any drugs.

Ghi chú:

In passage: This led to an important decision being taken: namely to carry out the lifting operation in three

very distinct stages.

degradation (n) /ˌdegrə'deɪʃn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sự xuống cấp =the process of something being damaged or made worse

Ví dụ:
  One of the effects of environmental [degradation] is the absence of fish in that river.

Ghi chú:

In passage: As a result, the starboard side filled rapidly, leaving the exposed port (left) side to be eroded by

marine organisms and mechanical degradation.

delicate (adj) /'delɪkət/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

mỏng manh, dễ bị hỏng =easily damaged or broken

Ví dụ:

 Put these [delicat]e ornaments on a high shelf when young children come to visit.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The lifting cradle was designed to fit the hull using archaeological survey drawings, and was

fitted with air bags to provide additional cushioning for the hull’s delicate timber framework.

distinct (adj) /dɪ'stɪŋkt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

riêng biệt; khác biệt =clearly different or of a different kind

Ví dụ:

 Manufacturers hope their new products will be sufficiently [distinct] to command higher prices.

Ghi chú:

In passage: This led to an important decision being taken: namely to carry out the lifting operation in three

very distinct stages.

engaged in (adj) /ɪn'geɪdʒd ɪn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

tham gia vào =involved in something

Ví dụ:

 They've been [engaged in] a legal battle with the council for several months.

Ghi chú:

In passage: On 19 July 1545, English and French fleets were engaged in a sea battle off the coast of

southern England in the area of water called the Solent, between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

entire (adj) /ɪn'taɪər/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

toàn bộ, tất cả =including everything, everyone or every part

Ví dụ:

 The disease threatens to wipe out the [entire] population.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The third and final stage was to lift the entire structure into the air, by which time the hull was

also supported from below.

erode (v) /ɪ'rəʊd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

xói mòn, ăn mòn =to gradually destroy the surface of something through the action of wind, rain, etc.; to be

gradually destroyed in this way

Ví dụ:

 The cliff face has been steadily [eroded] by the sea.

Ghi chú:

In passage: As a result, the starboard side filled rapidly, leaving the exposed port (left) side to be eroded by

marine organisms and mechanical degradation.

excavation (n) /ˌekskə'veɪʃn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

cuộc khai quật =the activity of digging in the ground to look for old buildings or objects that have been

buried for a long time

Ví dụ:

 Further archaeological [excavations] are now being carried out.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Further excavations revealed stray pieces of timber and an iron gun.

fade into obscurity (phrase) /feɪd 'ɪntə

əb'skjʊərɪtɪ/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

rơi vào quên lãng =to gradually be forgotten after being well-known

Ví dụ:

 The band [faded into obscurity] as the 1980s progressed.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The Mary Rose then faded into obscurity for another hundred years.

feasible (adj) /'fiːzəbl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

khả thi =that is possible and likely to be achieved

Ví dụ:

 It's perfectly [feasible] to produce electricity without creating pollution.

Ghi chú:

In passage: While the original aim was to raise the hull if at all feasible, the operation was not given the go-

ahead until January 1982, when all the necessary information was available.
fleet (n) /fliːt/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

hạm đội =a group of military ships commanded by the same person

Ví dụ:

 The British [fleet] came under attack by enemy aircraft.

Ghi chú:

In passage: On 19 July 1545, English and French fleets were engaged in a sea battle off the coast of

southern England in the area of water called the Solent, between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

framework (n) /'freɪmw3ːk/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

khung, sườn =the parts of a building or an object that support its weight and give it shape

Ví dụ:

 The ship's elaborate metal [framework] was exposed.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The lifting cradle was designed to fit the hull using archaeological survey drawings, and was

fitted with air bags to provide additional cushioning for the hull’s delicate timber framework.

house (v) /haʊz/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

chứa đựng, cất giữ =to be the place where something is kept or where something operates from

Ví dụ:

 The books were [housed] in glass-fronted cases.

Ghi chú:

In passage: McKee and his team now knew for certain that they had found the wreck, but were as yet

unaware that it also housed a treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts.

in conjunction with (idiom) /ɪn kən'dʒʌŋkʃn
wɪð/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

hợp tác với =together with somebody/something

Ví dụ:

 The software can be used [in conjunction with] any other application.

Ghi chú:

In passage: But in 1965, military historian and amateur diver Alexander McKee, in conjunction with the

British Sub-Aqua Club, initiated a project called ‘Solent Ships’.

initiate (v) /ɪ'nɪʃɪeɪt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

bắt đầu, đề xướng =to make something begin

Ví dụ:

 The government has [initiated] a programme of economic reform.

Ghi chú:

In passage: But in 1965, military historian and amateur diver Alexander McKee, in conjunction with the

British Sub-Aqua Club, initiated a project called ‘Solent Ships’.

intact (adj) /ɪn'tækt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

còn nguyên vẹn =complete and not damaged

Ví dụ:

 Most of the house remains [intact] even after two hundred years.

Ghi chú:
In passage: Because of the way the ship sank, nearly all of the starboard half survived intact.

intermittently (adv) /ˌɪntə'mɪtntlɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

không liên tiếp, ngắt quãng =in a way that stops and starts often over a period of time; not regularly

Ví dụ:

 Protests continued [intermittently] throughout November.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Deane continued diving on the site intermittently until 1840, recovering several more guns, two

bows, various timbers, part of a pump and various other small finds.

marine (adj) /mə'riːn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thuộc về đại dương =connected with the sea and the creatures and plants that live there

Ví dụ:

 The oil slick seriously threatens [marine] life around the islands.

Ghi chú:

In passage: As a result, the starboard side filled rapidly, leaving the exposed port (left) side to be eroded by

marine organisms and mechanical degradation.

mechanical (adj) /mɪ'kænɪkl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thuộc máy móc =relating to machines and engines

Ví dụ:

 The breakdown was due to a [mechanical] failure.

Ghi chú:

In passage: As a result, the starboard side filled rapidly, leaving the exposed port (left) side to be eroded by

marine organisms and mechanical degradation.

minimize (v) /'mɪnɪmaɪz/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

giảm thiểu =to reduce something, especially something bad, to the lowest possible level

Ví dụ:

 The proposals are designed to [minimize] waste and encourage recycling.

Ghi chú:

In passage: During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the entire site became covered with a layer of

hard grey clay, which minimised further erosion.

mishandle (v) /ˌmɪs'hændl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

xử lý kém/thao tác sai =to deal badly with a problem or situation

Ví dụ:

 The entire campaign had been badly [mishandled].

Ghi chú:

In passage: Accounts of what happened to the ship vary: while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the

French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she

was mishandled by undisciplined crew.

namely (adv) /'neɪmlɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

ấy là =used to introduce more exact and detailed information about something that you have just mentioned
Ví dụ:

 We need to concentrate on our target audience, [namely] women aged between 20 and 30.

Ghi chú:

In passage: This led to an important decision being taken: namely to carry out the lifting operation in three

very distinct stages.

obstruction (n) /əb'strʌkʃn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

vật cản trở =something that blocks a road, an entrance, etc.

Ví dụ:

 The train driver receives a warning if there's an [obstruction] on the line ahead.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Then, on 16 June 1836, some fishermen in the Solent found that their equipment was caught

on an underwater obstruction, which turned out to be the Mary Rose.

organism (n) /'ɔːgənɪzəm/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sinh vật =a living thing, especially one that is extremely small

Ví dụ:

 They have to ensure that the chemical must be economically feasible and must not be hazardous

to the environment and other [organisms].

Ghi chú:

In passage: As a result, the starboard side filled rapidly, leaving the exposed port (left) side to be eroded by

marine organisms and mechanical degradation.

outdated (adj) /aʊt'deɪtɪd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

lỗi thời, cổ =no longer useful because of being old-fashioned

Ví dụ:

 It is an [outdatedư and inefficient system.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Accounts of what happened to the ship vary: while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the

French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she

was mishandled by undisciplined crew.

overcome (v) /ˌəʊvə'kʌm/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

khắc phục =to succeed in dealing with or controlling a problem that has been preventing you from achieving

something

Ví dụ:

 This problem is largely [overcome] by printing out a new set of data.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The problem of the hull being sucked back downwards into the mud was overcome by using 12

hydraulic jacks.

precise (adj) /prɪ'saɪs/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

chính xác =clear and accurate

Ví dụ:

 We've tried to make the process as [precise] as possible.

Ghi chú:

In passage: This required precise positioning to locate the legs into the stabbing guides’ of the lifting cradle.
protrude (v) /prə'truːd/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

nhô ra, lồi ra =to stick out from a place or a surface

Ví dụ:

 The tip of the envelope was just [protruding] from her bag.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Deane dived down, and found the equipment caught on a timber protruding slightly from the

seabed.

salvage (v) /'sælvɪdʒ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

trục vớt =to save a badly damaged ship, etc. from being lost completely; to save parts or property from a

damaged ship or from a fire, etc.

Ví dụ:

 The wreck was [salvaged] by a team from the RAF.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The decision whether or not to salvage the wreck was not an easy one, although an excavation

in 1978 had shown that it might be possible to raise the hull.

structure (n) /'strʌktʃər/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

cấu trúc, kết cấu =a thing that is made of several parts, especially a building

Ví dụ:

 The statue is enclosed within an outer [structure] of metal and glass.

Ghi chú:
In passage: The third and final stage was to lift the entire structure into the air, by which time the hull was

also supported from below.

sunken (adj) /'sʌŋkən/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

chìm, đắm =that has fallen to the bottom of the sea or the ocean, or of a lake or river

Ví dụ:

 They're diving for [sunken] treasure.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Diver John Deane happened to be exploring another sunken ship nearby, and the fishermen

approached him, asking him to free their gear.

turn out (phr v) /t3ːn aʊt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

hóa ra lại là =to happen in a particular way or to have a particular result, especially an unexpected one

Ví dụ:

 The house they had offered us [turned out] to be a tiny apartment.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Then, on 16 June 1836, some fishermen in the Solent found that their equipment was caught

on an underwater obstruction, which turned out to be the Mary Rose.

undisciplined (adj) /ʌn'dɪsɪplɪnd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Không vào khuôn phép, vô kỷ luật =not having enough control or organization; behaving badly

Ví dụ:

 This was an [undisciplined] performance from his team.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Accounts of what happened to the ship vary: while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the

French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she

was mishandled by undisciplined crew.

undisputed (adj) /ˌʌndɪ'spjuːtɪd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Không thể nghi ngờ, không cãi được =that everyone accepts or recognizes

Ví dụ:

 The date of the painting is now [undisputed].

Ghi chú:

In passage: What is undisputed, however, is that the Mary Rose sank into the Solent that day, taking at

least 500 men with her.

vary (v) /'veərɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

khác nhau =to be different from each other

Ví dụ:

 Gender roles [vary] across cultures.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Accounts of what happened to the ship vary: while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the

French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she

was mishandled by undisciplined crew.

vessel (n) /'vesəl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

chiến hạm =a ship or large boat

Ví dụ:

 A rescue boat managed to come alongside the crippled [vessel].

Ghi chú:

In passage: Among the English vessels was a warship by the name of Mary Rose.

wreck (n) /rek/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

xác tàu chìm; tàu chìm =a ship that has sunk or that has been very badly damaged

Ví dụ:

 They're going to try and raise the [wreck] from the seabed.

Ghi chú:

In passage: While on paper this was a plan to examine a number of known wrecks in the Solent, what

McKee really hoped for was to find the Mary Rose.

CAM 11 Test 2: What destroyed the civilisation of

Easter Island?
A

Easter Island, or Rapu Nui as it is known locally, is home to several hundred ancient human statues – the
moai. After this remote xa xôi; hẻo lánh Pacific island was settled sinh sống, định cư by the Polynesians,
it remained vẫn/giữ nguyên isolated tách biệt, cô lập for centuries. All the energy and resources that went into đổ
vào/dành cho the moai – some of which are ten metres tall and weigh over 7,000 kilos – came from the island
itself. Yet when Dutch explorers landed in 1722, they met a Stone Age culture. The moai were carved tạc,
chạm, đục with stone tools, then transported for many kilometres, without the use of animals or wheels,
to massive to lớn, đồ sộ stone platforms. The identity danh tính of the moai builders was in doubt là ẩn số, bí ẩn until
well into the twentieth century. Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer, thought the
statues had been created by pre-Inca peoples from Peru. Bestselling Swiss author Erich von Daniken
believed they were built by stranded extraterrestrials. Modern science – linguistic thuộc/liên quan đến ngôn ngữ ,
archaeological and genetic liên quan đến di truyền evidence – has definitively rõ ràng, dứt khoát, khẳng định proved the
moai builders were Polynesians, but not how they moved their creations. Local folklore maintains kiên định, quả
quyết that the statues walked, while researchers have tended to assume cho rằng the ancestors dragged Kéo, kéo
lê the statues somehow, using ropes and logs.

When the Europeans arrived, Rapa Nui was grassland, with only a few scrawny trees. In the 1970s and
1980s, though, researchers found pollen preserved in lake sediments, which proved the island had been
covered in lush palm forests for thousands of years. Only after the Polynesians arrived did those forests
disappear. US scientist Jared Diamond believes that the Rapanui people – descendants of Polynesian
settlers – wrecked phá hủy, hủy hoại their own environment. They had unfortunately một cách đáng tiếc, không
may settled on an extremely fragile dễ tổn thương island – dry, cool, and too remote to be properly một cách thích
hợp, một cách đúng đắn fertilised by windblown volcanic ash. When the islanders cleared the forests for firewood
and farming, the forests didn’t grow back. As trees became scarce hiếm, rất ít and they could no longer
construct wooden canoes for fishing, they ate birds. Soil erosion decreased their crop yields. Before
Europeans arrived, the Rapanui had descended into rơi vào civil war and cannibalism, he
maintains. The collapse sự sụp đổ, sự suy tàn of their isolated civilisation nền văn minh , Diamond writes, is a ’worst-
case scenario viễn cảnh for what may lie ahead of us in our own future’.

The moai, he thinks, accelerated thúc đẩy, đẩy nhanh the self-destruction. Diamond interprets them as
power displays phô bày, phô trương by rival đối thủ, cạnh tranh chieftains who, trapped on a remote little island, lacked
other ways of asserting khẳng định their dominance sự thống trị . They competed by building ever bigger figures.
Diamond thinks they laid the moai on wooden sledges, hauled kéo over log rails, but that required both a lot
of wood and a lot of people. To feed the people, even more land had to be cleared. When the wood was
gone and civil war began, the islanders began toppling the moai. By the nineteenth century none were
standing.

Archaeologists Terry Hunt of the University of Hawaii and Carl Lipo of California State University agree that
Easter Island lost its lush forests and that it was an ‘ecological catastrophe thảm hoạ, tai hoạ lớn ’ – but they
believe the islanders themselves weren’t to blame. And the moai certainly weren’t. Archaeological
excavations indicate that the Rapanui went to heroic efforts to protect the resources of their wind-lashed,
infertile fields. They built thousands of circular stone windbreaks and gardened inside them, and used
broken volcanic rocks to keep the soil moist ẩm ướt . In short, Hunt and Lipo argue, the prehistoric Rapanui
were pioneers người tiên phong of sustainable bền vững farming.

Hunt and Lipo contend Dám chắc rằng, cho rằng that moai-building was an activity that helped keep the peace
between islanders. They also believe that moving the moai required few people and no wood, because they
were walked upright. On that issue, Hunt and Lipo say, archaeological evidence backs up Rapanui folklore.
Recent experiments indicate that as few as 18 people could, with three strong ropes and a bit of practice,
easily manoeuvre a 1,000 kg moai replica a few hundred metres. The figures’ fat bellies tilted them forward,
and a D-shaped base allowed handlers to roll and rock them side to side.

Moreover, Hunt and Lipo are convinced that the settlers were not wholly responsible Là nguyên nhân; gây ra for
the loss of the island’s trees. Archaeological finds of nuts from the extinct tuyệt chủng Easter Island palm show
tiny grooves, made by the teeth of Polynesian rats. The rats arrived along with the settlers, and in just a few
years, Hunt and Lipo calculate, they would have overrun lan tràn, tràn ngập the island. They would have
prevented the reseeding of the slow-growing palm trees and thereby do đó doomed tận diệt, phá hủy Rapa Nui’s
forest, even without the settlers’ campaign of deforestation sự phá rừng . No doubt the rats ate birds’ eggs too.
Hunt and Lipo also see no evidence that Rapanui civilisation collapsed when the palm forest did. They think
its population grew rapidly and then remained more or less stable Vững chắc; ổn định until the arrival of the
Europeans, who introduced đem đến deadly diseases to which islanders had no immunity sự miễn dịch . Then in
the nineteenth century slave traders decimated làm sụt giảm the population, which shrivelled giảm xuống to 111
people by 1877.

Hunt and Lipo’s vision, therefore, is one of an island populated ở, cư trú by peaceful and ingenious Khéo
léo moai builders and careful stewards of the land, rather than by reckless thiếu thận trọng, hấp tấp, liều
lĩnh destroyers ruining tàn phá their own environment and society. ‘Rather than a case of abject failure, Rapu
Nui is an unlikely story of success’, they claim. Whichever is the case, there are surely some valuable
lessons which the world at large can learn from the story of Rapa Nui.

accelerate (v) /ək'seləreɪt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thúc đẩy, đẩy nhanh =to happen faster or earlier; to make something happen faster or earlier

Ví dụ:

 Environmental factors can [accelerate] the development of certain cancers.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The moai, he thinks, accelerated the self-destruction.

assert (v) /ə's3ːt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

khẳng định =to make other people recognize your right or authority to do something, by behaving in a

determined and confident way

Ví dụ:

 They successfully [asserted] their right to protect their homes.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Diamond interprets them as power displays by rival chieftains who, trapped on a remote little

island, lacked other ways of asserting their dominance.

assume (v) /ə'sjuːm/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

cho rằng =to think or accept that something is true but without having proof of it

Ví dụ:

 I hope to go to college next year, always [assuming] that I pass my exams.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Local folklore maintains that the statues walked, while researchers have tended to assume the

ancestors dragged the statues somehow, using ropes and logs.

carve (v) /kɑːv/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

tạc, chạm, đục =to make objects, patterns, etc. by cutting away material from a piece of wood or stone, or

another hard material

Ví dụ:

 The statue was [carved] out of a single piece of stone.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The moai were carved with stone tools, then transported for many kilometres, without the use

of animals or wheels, to massive stone platforms.

catastrophe (n) /kə'tæstrəfɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thảm hoạ, tai hoạ lớn =a sudden event that causes many people to suffer

Ví dụ:

 These policies could lead the country to environmental [catastrophe].

Ghi chú:

In passage: Archaeologists Terry Hunt of the University of Hawaii and Carl Lipo of California State

University agree that Easter Island lost its lush forests and that it was an ‘ecological catastrophe’ – but they

believe the islanders themselves weren’t to blame. And the moai certainly weren’t.

civilization (n) /ˌsɪvɪlaɪ'zeɪʃn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

nền văn minh =a society, its culture and its way of life during a particular period of time or in a particular part

of the world

Ví dụ:

 Historians still argue about what causes such a mighty [civilization] to collapse.
Ghi chú:

In passage: The collapse of their isolated civilisation, Diamond writes, is a ’worst-case scenario for what

may lie ahead of us in our own future’.

collapse (n) /kə'læps/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sự sụp đổ, sự suy tàn =a sudden failure of something, such as an institution, a business or a course of

action

Ví dụ:

 The war has led to the [collapse] of agriculture in the area.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The collapse of their isolated civilisation, Diamond writes, is a ’worst-case scenario for what

may lie ahead of us in our own future’.

contend (v) /kən'tend/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Dám chắc rằng, cho rằng =to say that something is true, especially in an argument

Ví dụ:

 I would [contend] that the minister's thinking is flawed on this point.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Hunt and Lipo contend that moai-building was an activity that helped keep the peace between

islanders.

decimate (v) /'desɪmeɪt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

làm sụt giảm =kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage or part of

Ví dụ:

 The rabbit population was [decimated] by the disease.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Then in the nineteenth century slave traders decimated the population, which shrivelled to 111

people by 1877.

definitively (adv) /dɪˈfɪnɪtɪvli/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

rõ ràng, dứt khoát, khẳng định =in a way that is not able to be changed or improved

Ví dụ:

 The President has spoken [definitively] about the situation in the region.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Modern science – linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence – has definitively proved the

moai builders were Polynesians, but not how they moved their creations.

deforestation (n) /dɪˌfɔrɪˈsteɪʃən/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sự phá rừng =enlarge imagethe act of cutting down or burning the trees in an area

Ví dụ:

 [Deforestation] is destroying large areas of tropical rain forest.

Ghi chú:

In passage: They would have prevented the reseeding of the slow-growing palm trees and thereby doomed

Rapa Nui’s forest, even without the settlers’ campaign of deforestation.

descend into (phr v) /dɪ'send 'ɪntə/ UK US

Định nghĩa:
rơi vào =to gradually get into a bad state

Ví dụ:

 The demonstrations in the capital rapidly [descended into] anarchy.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Before Europeans arrived, the Rapanui had descended into civil war and cannibalism, he

maintains

display (v) /dɪ'spleɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

phô bày, phô trương =to show a quality, feeling, skill or type of behaviour; to show signs of something

Ví dụ:

 He [displays] amazing skill with a golf club.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Diamond interprets them as power displays by rival chieftains who, trapped on a remote little

island, lacked other ways of asserting their dominance.

dominance (n) /'dɒmɪnəns/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sự thống trị =he fact of being more important, powerful or easy to notice than somebody/something else

Ví dụ:

 The commercial radio station annced its intentions to challenge the [dominance] of BBC radio,

which had a 55% market share.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Diamond interprets them as power displays by rival chieftains who, trapped on a remote little

island, lacked other ways of asserting their dominance.

doom (v) /duːm/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

tận diệt, phá hủy =to make somebody/something certain to fail, suffer, die, etc.

Ví dụ:

 Mounting debts [doomed] the factory to closure.

Ghi chú:

In passage: They would have prevented the reseeding of the slow-growing palm trees and thereby doomed

Rapa Nui’s forest, even without the settlers’ campaign of deforestation.

drag (v) /dræg/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Kéo, kéo lê =to pull somebody/something along with effort and difficulty

Ví dụ:

 Police [dragged] protesters away from the embassy entrance.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Local folklore maintains that the statues walked, while researchers have tended to assume the

ancestors dragged the statues somehow, using ropes and logs.

extinct (adj) /ɪk'stɪŋt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

tuyệt chủng =no longer in existence

Ví dụ:

 The numbers of these animals have been falling steadily and they are now almost [extinct].

Ghi chú:

In passage: Archaeological finds of nuts from the extinct Easter Island palm show tiny grooves, made by the

teeth of Polynesian rats.

fragile (adj) /'frædʒaɪl/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

dễ tổn thương =weak and uncertain; easy to destroy or harm

Ví dụ:

 The economy remains extremely [fragile].

Ghi chú:

In passage: They had unfortunately settled on an extremely fragile island – dry, cool, and too remote to be

properly fertilised by windblown volcanic ash.

genetic (adj) /dʒɪ'netɪk/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

liên quan đến di truyền =connected with genes

Ví dụ:

 There are about 4 000 inherited human [genetic] diseases.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Modern science – linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence – has definitively proved the

moai builders were Polynesians, but not how they moved their creations.

go into (phr v) /gəʊ 'ɪntə/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

đổ vào/dành cho =(of money, time, effort, etc.) to be spent on something or used to do something

Ví dụ:

 Years of work [went into] researching the book

Ghi chú:
In passage: All the energy and resources that went into the moai – some of which are ten metres tall and

weigh over 7,000 kilos – came from the island itself.

haul (v) /hɔːl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

kéo =to pull something/somebody with a lot of effort

Ví dụ:

 The trucks were [hauled] by steam locomotives.

Ghi chú:

In passage: They competed by building ever bigger figures. Diamond thinks they laid the moai on wooden

sledges, hauled over log rails, but that required both a lot of wood and a lot of people.

identity (n) /aɪ'dentɪtɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

danh tính =who or what somebody/something is

Ví dụ:

 Their names have been changed for the purposes of this article to protect their [identities].

Ghi chú:

In passage: The identity of the moai builders was in doubt until well into the twentieth century.

immunity (n) /ɪ'mjuːnɪtɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sự miễn dịch =the body’s ability to avoid or not be affected by infection and disease

Ví dụ:

 The vaccine provides longer [immunity] against flu.

Ghi chú:

In passage: They think its population grew rapidly and then remained more or less stable until the arrival of

the Europeans, who introduced deadly diseases to which islanders had no immunity.

in doubt (phrase) /ɪn daʊt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

là ẩn số, bí ẩn =to be uncertain

Ví dụ:

 The arrangements for the event still seemed to be [in doubt].

Ghi chú:

In passage: The identity of the moai builders was in doubt until well into the twentieth century.

ingenious (adj) /ɪn'dʒiːnɪəs/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Khéo léo =(of a person) very intelligent and skilful, or (of a thing) skilfully made or planned and involving

new ideas and methods

Ví dụ:

 Johnny is so [ingenious] - he can make the most remarkable sculptures from the most ordinary

materials.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Hunt and Lipo’s vision, therefore, is one of an island populated by peaceful and ingenious moai

builders and careful stewards of the land, rather than by reckless destroyers ruining their own environment

and society.

introduce (v) /ˌɪntrə'djuːs/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

đem đến =to bring a plant, an animal or a disease to a place for the first time
Ví dụ:

 Diseases were inadvertently [introduced] into the environment by settlers.

Ghi chú:

In passage: They think its population grew rapidly and then remained more or less stable until the arrival of

the Europeans, who introduced deadly diseases to which islanders had no immunity.

isolated (adj) /'aɪsəleɪtɪd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

tách biệt, cô lập =without much contact with other people or other countries

Ví dụ:

 Unless a compromise could be reached the country would be diplomatically [isolated] on this issue.

Ghi chú:

In passage: After this remote Pacific island was settled by the Polynesians, it remained isolated for

centuries.

linguistic (adj) /lɪŋ'gwɪstɪk/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thuộc/liên quan đến ngôn ngữ =connected with language or the scientific study of language

Ví dụ:

 I'm particularly interested in the [linguistic] development of young children.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Modern science – linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence – has definitively proved the

moai builders were Polynesians, but not how they moved their creations.

maintain (v) /meɪn'teɪn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:
kiên định, quả quyết =to keep stating that something is true, even though other people do not agree or do

not believe it

Ví dụ:

 The men [maintained] (that) they were out of the country when the crime was committed.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Local folklore maintains that the statues walked, while researchers have tended to assume the

ancestors dragged the statues somehow, using ropes and logs.

massive (adj) /'mæsɪv/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

to lớn, đồ sộ =very large, heavy and solid

Ví dụ:

 The explosion made a [massive] hole in the ground.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The moai were carved with stone tools, then transported for many kilometres, without the use

of animals or wheels, to massive stone platforms.

moist (adj) /moɪst/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

ẩm ướt =slightly wet

Ví dụ:

 Water the plants regularly to keep the soil [moist].

Ghi chú:

In passage: They built thousands of circular stone windbreaks and gardened inside them, and used broken

volcanic rocks to keep the soil moist.

overrun (v) /ˌəʊvə'rʌn/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

lan tràn, tràn ngập =to fill or spread over an area quickly, especially in large numbers

Ví dụ:

 The house was completely [overrun] with mice.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The rats arrived along with the settlers, and in just a few years, Hunt and Lipo calculate, they

would have overrun the island.

pioneer (n) /ˌpaɪə'nɪər/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

người tiên phong =a person who is one of the first people to do something

Ví dụ:

 The [pioneers] went west across North America, cutting down forests and planting new crops.

Ghi chú:

In passage: In short, Hunt and Lipo argue, the prehistoric Rapanui were pioneers of sustainable farming.

populate (v) /'pɒpjʊleɪt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

ở, cư trú =to live in an area and form its population

Ví dụ:

 The island is [populated] largely by sheep.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Hunt and Lipo’s vision, therefore, is one of an island populated by peaceful and ingenious moai

builders and careful stewards of the land, rather than by reckless destroyers ruining their own environment

and society.
properly (adv) /'prɒpəlɪ/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

một cách thích hợp, một cách đúng đắn =in a way that is correct and/or appropriate

Ví dụ:

 Businesses should ensure that staff are [properly] trained in how to use new systems.

Ghi chú:

In passage: They had unfortunately settled on an extremely fragile island – dry, cool, and too remote to be

properly fertilised by windblown volcanic ash.

reckless (adj) /'rekləs/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thiếu thận trọng, hấp tấp, liều lĩnh =showing a lack of care about danger and the possible results of your

actions

Ví dụ:

 The Prime Minister made a [reckless] remark about the environment.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Hunt and Lipo’s vision, therefore, is one of an island populated by peaceful and ingenious moai

builders and careful stewards of the land, rather than by reckless destroyers ruining their own environment

and society.

remain (v) /rɪ'meɪn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

vẫn/giữ nguyên =to continue to be something; to be still in the same state or condition

Ví dụ:

 The museum will [remain] open to the public throughout the building work.
Ghi chú:

In passage: After this remote Pacific island was settled by the Polynesians, it remained isolated for

centuries.

remote (adj) /rɪ'məʊt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

xa xôi; hẻo lánh =far away from places where other people live

Ví dụ:

 The site is [remote] from major population centres.

Ghi chú:

In passage: After this remote Pacific island was settled by the Polynesians, it remained isolated for

centuries.

responsible (adj) /rɪ'spɒnsəbl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Là nguyên nhân; gây ra =being able to be blamed for something

Ví dụ:

 The commander was personally [responsible] for ordering the attack on the village.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Moreover, Hunt and Lipo are convinced that the settlers were not wholly responsible for the

loss of the island’s trees.

rival (adj) /'raɪvəl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

đối thủ, cạnh tranh =(of a person, company, thing, etc.) competing with another person, company, thing,

etc.
Ví dụ:

 While they are more expensive than [rival] products, she said the quality makes the price worth it.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Diamond interprets them as power displays by rival chieftains who, trapped on a remote little

island, lacked other ways of asserting their dominance.

ruin (v) /'ruːɪn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

tàn phá =to damage something so badly that it loses all its value, pleasure, etc.

Ví dụ:

 The crops were [ruined] by the late frost.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Hunt and Lipo’s vision, therefore, is one of an island populated by peaceful and ingenious moai

builders and careful stewards of the land, rather than by reckless destroyers ruining their own environment

and society.

scarce (adj) /skeəs/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

hiếm, rất ít =if something is scarce, there is not enough of it and it is only available in small quantities

Ví dụ:

 Skilled workers were becoming increasingly [scarce].

Ghi chú:

In passage: As trees became scarce and they could no longer construct wooden canoes for fishing, they

ate birds.

scenario (n) /sɪ'nɑːrɪəʊ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

viễn cảnh =a description of how things might happen in the future

Ví dụ:

 The most likely [scenario] is that house prices rise again, forcing interest rates up.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The collapse of their isolated civilisation, Diamond writes, is a ’worst-case scenario for what

may lie ahead of us in our own future’.

settle (v) /'setl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sinh sống, định cư =(of a group of people) to make your permanent home in a country or an area as

colonists

Ví dụ:

 Very few Maori were living in the area when the first Europeans [settled] there.

Ghi chú:

In passage: After this remote Pacific island was settled by the Polynesians, it remained isolated for

centuries.

shrivel (v) /'ʃrɪvl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

giảm xuống =much smaller than is needed or wanted

Ví dụ:

 Profits are [shrivelling] as the recession gets worse.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Then in the nineteenth century slave traders decimated the population, which shrivelled to 111

people by 1877.
stable (adj) /'steɪbl/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

Vững chắc; ổn định =fixed or steady; not likely to move, change or fail

Ví dụ:

 The situation in the country has remained relatively [stable] for a few months now.

Ghi chú:

In passage: They think its population grew rapidly and then remained more or less stable until the arrival of

the Europeans, who introduced deadly diseases to which islanders had no immunity.

sustainable (adj) /səˈsteɪnəbəl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

bền vững =causing, or made in a way that causes, little or no damage to the environment and therefore

able to continue for a long time

Ví dụ:

 Marketing plays a key role in a company's plan for [sustainable] business development.

Ghi chú:

In passage: In short, Hunt and Lipo argue, the prehistoric Rapanui were pioneers of sustainable farming.

thereby (adv) /ðeə'baɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

do đó =used to introduce the result of the action or situation mentioned

Ví dụ:

 Regular exercise strengthens the heart, [thereby] reducing the risk of heart attack.

Ghi chú:
In passage: They would have prevented the reseeding of the slow-growing palm trees and thereby doomed

Rapa Nui’s forest, even without the settlers’ campaign of deforestation.

unfortunately (adv) /ʌn'fɔːtʃʊnətlɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

một cách đáng tiếc, không may =used to say that a particular situation or fact makes you sad or

disappointed, or gets you into a difficult position

Ví dụ:

 We wanted to have only films from Spain at this year's festival. [Unfortunately], however, there

weren't enough good ones.

Ghi chú:

In passage: They had unfortunately settled on an extremely fragile island – dry, cool, and too remote to be

properly fertilised by windblown volcanic ash.

wreck (v) /rek/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

phá hủy, hủy hoại =to damage or destroy something

Ví dụ:

 The building had been [wrecked] by the explosion.

Ghi chú:

In passage: US scientist Jared Diamond believes that the Rapanui people – descendants of Polynesian

settlers – wrecked their own environment.

CAM 11 Test 2: Neuroaesthetics

An emerging mới nổi, mới xuất hiện discipline môn học, lĩnh vực called neuroaesthetics is seeking to bring
scientific objectivity tính khách quan to the study of art, and has already given us a better understanding of
many masterpieces kiệt tác . The blurred imagery of Impressionist paintings seems to stimulate the brain’s
amygdala, for instance. Since the amygdala plays a crucial role in our feelings, that finding might explain
why many people find these pieces so moving cảm động .
Could the same approach also shed light on làm sáng tỏ abstract trừu tượng twentieth-century pieces, from
Mondrian’s geometrical blocks of colour, to Pollock’s seemingly haphazard lung tung arrangements of
splashed paint on canvas? Sceptics believe that people claim to like such works simply because they are
famous. We certainly do have an inclination khuynh hướng to follow the crowd. When asked to make simple
perceptual decisions such as matching a shape to its rotated image, for example, people often choose a
definitively wrong answer if they see others doing the same. It is easy to imagine that this mentality would
have even more impact on a fuzzy không rõ ràng concept khái niệm like art appreciation sự đánh giá, sự cảm thụ , where
there is no right or wrong answer.

Angelina Hawley-Dolan, of Boston College, Massachusetts, responded to this debate cuộc tranh luận by asking
volunteers to view pairs of paintings – either the creations of famous abstract artists or the doodles of
infants, chimps and elephants. They then had to judge which they preferred. A third of the paintings were
given no captions, while many were labelled incorrectly -volunteers might think they were viewing a
chimp’s messy lộn xộn brushstrokes when they were actually seeing an acclaimed được ca ngơi, được tôn
vinh masterpiece. In each set of trials, volunteers generally preferred the work of renowned nổi tiếng, lừng
danh artists, even when they believed it was by an animal or a child. It seems that the viewer can sense cảm
nhận được the artist’s vision sức tưởng tượng in paintings, even if they can’t explain why.

Robert Pepperell, an artist based at Cardiff University, creates ambiguous khó hiểu, mơ hồ works that are
neither entirely abstract nor clearly representational chân thực, rõ ràng . In one study, Pepperell and his
collaborators asked volunteers to decide how ’powerful’ they considered an artwork to be, and whether they
saw anything familiar in the piece. The longer they took to answer these questions, the more highly they
rated the piece under scrutiny Sự xem xét kỹ lưỡng, sự nghiên cứu cẩn thận , and the greater their neural activity. It
would seem that the brain sees these images as puzzles, and the harder it is to decipher giải mã the meaning,
the more rewarding xứng đáng/thỏa mãn is the moment of recognition.

And what about artists such as Mondrian, whose paintings consist exclusively chỉ, chỉ có of horizontal and
vertical lines encasing blocks of colour? Mondrian’s works are deceptively simple, but eye-tracking studies
confirm that they are meticulously một cách tỉ mỉ, cẩn thận composed sáng tác, vẽ ra , and that simply rotating a
piece radically hoàn toàn changes the way we view it. With the originals, volunteers’ eyes tended to stay
longer on certain places in the image, but with the altered versions they would flit across a piece more
rapidly. As a result, the volunteers considered the altered versions less pleasurable thu hút, thú vị when they
later rated the work.

In a similar study, Oshin Vartanian of Toronto University asked volunteers to compare original paintings with
ones which he had altered by moving objects around within the frame. He found that almost everyone
preferred the original, whether it was a Van Gogh still life or an abstract by Miro. Vartanian also found that
changing the composition of the paintings reduced activation sự kích hoạt in those brain areas linked with
meaning and interpretation cách hiểu, cách diễn giải .

In another experiment, Alex Forsythe of the University of Liverpool analysed the visual intricacy tính phức tạp of
different pieces of art, and her results suggest that many artists use a key level of detail to please the
brain. Too little and the work is boring, but too much results in a kind of ‘perceptual overload’, according to
Forsythe. What’s more, appealing Lôi cuốn, quyến rũ pieces both abstract and representational, show signs of
‘fractals’ – repeated motifs recurring lặp lại in different scales, fractals are common throughout nature, for
example in the shapes of mountain peaks or the branches of trees. It is possible that our visual system,
which evolved in the great outdoors, finds it easier to process such patterns.

It is also intriguing thú vị, gây tò mò that the brain appears to process movement when we see a handwritten
letter, as if we are replaying the writer’s moment of creation. This has led some to wonder whether Pollock’s
works feel so dynamic because the brain reconstructs the energetic actions the artist used as he
painted. This may be down to do our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, which are known to mimic bắt chước others’
actions. The hypothesis giả thuyết will need to be thoroughly kĩ càng, cẩn thận, triệt để tested, however. It might even
be the case that we could use neuroaesthetic studies to understand the longevity sự trường tồn, độ bền lâu of
some pieces of artwork. While the fashions of the time might shape what is currently popular, works that are
best adapted phù hợp to our visual system may be the most likely to linger còn mãi, tồn tại mãi once the trends of
previous generations have been forgotten.

It’s still early days for the field of neuroaesthetics – and these studies are probably only a taste of what is to
come. It would, however, be foolish to reduce art appreciation to a set of scientific laws. We
shouldn’t underestimate đánh giá thấp the importance of the style of a particular artist, their place in history and
the artistic environment of their time. Abstract art offers both a challenge and the freedom to play with
different interpretations. In some ways, it’s not so different to science, where we are constantly Không
ngừng looking for systems and decoding giải mã meaning so that we can view and appreciate the world in a
new way.

abstract (adj) /əb'strækt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

trừu tượng =(of art) not representing people or things in a realistic way, but expressing the artist’s ideas

about them

Ví dụ:

 Truth and beauty are [abstract] concepts.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Could the same approach also shed light on abstract twentieth-century pieces, from Mondrian’s

geometrical blocks of colour, to Pollock’s seemingly haphazard arrangements of splashed paint on canvas?

acclaimed (adj) /ə'kleɪmd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

được ca ngơi, được tôn vinh =attracting public approval and praise

Ví dụ:

 Billy Elliot is the [acclaimed] drama about a working-class boy who dreams of becoming a ballet

dancer.

Ghi chú:

In passage: A third of the paintings were given no captions, while many were labelled incorrectly -volunteers

might think they were viewing a chimp’s messy brushstrokes when they were actually seeing an acclaimed

masterpiece.

activation (n) /ˌæktɪ'veɪʃn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sự kích hoạt =the act of making something such as a device or chemical process start working
Ví dụ:

 The activation of several target [genes] results in two major effects.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Vartanian also found that changing the composition of the paintings reduced activation in those

brain areas linked with meaning and interpretation.

adapted (adj) /ə'dæptɪd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

phù hợp =changed slightly for a particular purpose or use

Ví dụ:

 He drives a specially [adapted] car.

Ghi chú:

In passage: While the fashions of the time might shape what is currently popular, works that are best

adapted to our visual system may be the most likely to linger once the trends of previous generations have

been forgotten.

ambiguous (adj) /æm'bɪgjʊəs/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

khó hiểu, mơ hồ =that can be understood in more than one way; having different meanings

Ví dụ:

 The paragraph is rendered [ambiguous] by the writer's careless use of prons.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Robert Pepperell, an artist based at Cardiff University, creates ambiguous works that are

neither entirely abstract nor clearly representational.

appealing (adj) /ə'piːlɪŋ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Lôi cuốn, quyến rũ =attractive or interesting

Ví dụ:

 Brightly coloured packaging made the pens especially [appealing] to children.

Ghi chú:

In passage: What’s more, appealing pieces both abstract and representational, show signs of ‘fractals’ –

repeated motifs recurring in different scales, fractals are common throughout nature, for example in the

shapes of mountain peaks or the branches of trees.

appreciation (n) /əˌpriːʃɪ'eɪʃn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sự đánh giá, sự cảm thụ =clear perception or recognition, especially of aesthetic quality

Ví dụ:

 a course in art [appreciation]

Ghi chú:

In passage: It is easy to imagine that this mentality would have even more impact on a fuzzy concept like

art appreciation, where there is no right or wrong answer.

be down to (idiom) /biː daʊn tuː/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

do =to be caused by a particular person or thing

Ví dụ:

 She claimed her problems [were down to] the media.

Ghi chú:

In passage: This may be down to our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, which are known to mimic others’ actions.
compose (v) /kəm'pəʊz/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

sáng tác, vẽ ra =to form or make up something

Ví dụ:

 The opera was [composed] in 1931 but wasn’t performed until 1940.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Mondrian’s works are deceptively simple, but eye-tracking studies confirm that they are

meticulously composed, and that simply rotating a piece radically changes the way we view it.

concept (n) /'kɒnsept/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

khái niệm =an idea or a principle that is connected with something abstract

Ví dụ:

 The [concept] of infinity is almost impossible for us to comprehend.

Ghi chú:

In passage: It is easy to imagine that this mentality would have even more impact on a fuzzy concept like

art appreciation, where there is no right or wrong answer.

constantly (adv) /'kɒnstəntlɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Không ngừng =all the time; repeatedly

Ví dụ:

 Sales reps need to be outgoing, because they are [constantly] meeting customers.

Ghi chú:

In passage: In some ways, it’s not so different to science, where we are constantly looking for systems and

decoding meaning so that we can view and appreciate the world in a new way.
debate (n) /dɪ'beɪt/ UK US
Định nghĩa:

cuộc tranh luận =an argument or a discussion expressing different opinions

Ví dụ:

 Efforts to reduce the budget have led to a lot of internal [debate] at the studio.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Angelina Hawley-Dolan, of Boston College, Massachusetts, responded to this debate by asking

volunteers to view pairs of paintings – either the creations of famous abstract artists or the doodles of

infants, chimps and elephants.

decipher (v) /dɪ'saɪfər/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

giải mã =to succeed in finding the meaning of something that is difficult to read or understand

Ví dụ:

 She watched the girl’s expression closely, trying to [decipher] her meaning.

Ghi chú:

In passage: It would seem that the brain sees these images as puzzles, and the harder it is to decipher the

meaning, the more rewarding is the moment of recognition.

decode (v) /ˌdiː'kəʊd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

giải mã =to find the meaning of something that is difficult to understand

Ví dụ:

 Grammatical information helps learners to [decode] sentences.

Ghi chú:
In passage: In some ways, it’s not so different to science, where we are constantly looking for systems and

decoding meaning so that we can view and appreciate the world in a new way.

discipline (n) /'dɪsɪplɪn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

môn học, lĩnh vực =an area of knowledge; a subject that people study or are taught, especially in a

university

Ví dụ:

 Applications are welcome from candidates with a degree in a mathematics or other relevant

[discipline].

Ghi chú:

In passage: An emerging discipline called neuroaesthetics is seeking to bring scientific objectivity to the

study of art, and has already given us a better understanding of many masterpieces.

emerging (adj) /ɪ'm3ːdʒɪŋ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

mới nổi, mới xuất hiện =starting to exist, grow or become known

Ví dụ:

 The relationship between music and digital technologies is a rapidly [emerging] field of academic

study.

Ghi chú:

In passage: An emerging discipline called neuroaesthetics is seeking to bring scientific objectivity to the

study of art, and has already given us a better understanding of many masterpieces.

exclusively (adv) /ɪk'skluːsɪvlɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

chỉ, chỉ có =only

Ví dụ:

 This offer is available [exclusively] to our established customers.

Ghi chú:

In passage: And what about artists such as Mondrian, whose paintings consist exclusively of horizontal and

vertical lines encasing blocks of colour?

fuzzy (adj) /'fʌzɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

không rõ ràng =confused and not expressed clearly

Ví dụ:

 A somewhat [fuzzy] definition of "in the national interest".

Ghi chú:

In passage: It is easy to imagine that this mentality would have even more impact on a fuzzy concept like

art appreciation, where there is no right or wrong answer.

haphazard (adj) /hæp'hæzəd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

lung tung =with no particular order or plan; not organized well

Ví dụ:

 The books had been piled on the shelves in a [haphazard] fashion.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Could the same approach also shed light on abstract twentieth-century pieces, from Mondrian’s

geometrical blocks of colour, to Pollock’s seemingly haphazard arrangements of splashed paint on canvas?

hypothesis (n) /haɪ'pɒθəsɪs/ UK US

Định nghĩa:
giả thuyết =an idea or explanation of something that is based on a few known facts but that has not yet

been proved to be true or correct

Ví dụ:

 Her study is based on the [hypothesis] that language simplification is possible.

Ghi chú:

In passage: The hypothesis will need to be thoroughly tested, however.

inclination (n) /ˌɪnklɪ'neɪʃn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

khuynh hướng =a feeling that makes you want to do something

Ví dụ:

 Hopes of advancement in the company may curb any [inclination] to deviate from the requirements

of superiors.

Ghi chú:

In passage: We certainly do have an inclination to follow the crowd.

interpretation (n) /ɪnˌt3ːprɪ'teɪʃn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

cách hiểu, cách diễn giải =the particular way in which something is understood or explained

Ví dụ:

 Scientists made an [interpretation] based on the data available.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Vartanian also found that changing the composition of the paintings reduced activation in those

brain areas linked with meaning and interpretation.

intricacy (n) /'ɪntrɪkəsɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

tính phức tạp =the fact of having complicated parts, details or patterns

Ví dụ:

 We can guide investors through the [intricacies] of the cable industry.

Ghi chú:

In passage: In another experiment, Alex Forsythe of the University of Liverpool analysed the visual intricacy

of different pieces of art, and her results suggest that many artists use a key level of detail to please the

brain.

intriguing (adj) /ɪn'triːgɪŋ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thú vị, gây tò mò =very interesting because of being unusual or not having an obvious answer

Ví dụ:

 These discoveries raise [intriguing] questions.

Ghi chú:

In passage: It is also intriguing that the brain appears to process movement when we see a handwritten

letter, as if we are replaying the writer’s moment of creation.

linger (v) /'lɪŋgər/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

còn mãi, tồn tại mãi =to continue to exist for longer than expected

Ví dụ:

 The faint smell of her perfume [lingered] in the room.

Ghi chú:
In passage: While the fashions of the time might shape what is currently popular, works that are best

adapted to our visual system may be the most likely to linger once the trends of previous generations have

been forgotten.

longevity (n) /lɒn'dʒevɪtɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sự trường tồn, độ bền lâu =remaining popular or useful for a long time

Ví dụ:

 For [longevity] in car design, you really need to keep it simple.

Ghi chú:

In passage: It might even be the case that we could use neuroaesthetic studies to understand the longevity

of some pieces of artwork.

masterpiece (n) /'mɑːstəpiːs/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

kiệt tác =a work of art such as a painting, film, book, etc. that is an excellent, or the best, example of the

artist’s work

Ví dụ:

 The work has been described as a literary [masterpiece].

Ghi chú:

In passage: An emerging discipline called neuroaesthetics is seeking to bring scientific objectivity to the

study of art, and has already given us a better understanding of many masterpieces.

messy (adj) /'mesɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

lộn xộn =unpleasant or lacking order

Ví dụ:
  On his desk was a [messy] pile of notes and drawings.

Ghi chú:

In passage: A third of the paintings were given no captions, while many were labelled incorrectly -volunteers

might think they were viewing a chimp’s messy brushstrokes when they were actually seeing an acclaimed

masterpiece.

meticulously (adv) /mɪ'tɪkjʊləslɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

một cách tỉ mỉ, cẩn thận =in a way that pays careful attention to every detail

Ví dụ:

 She checked the painting [meticulously] for any damage.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Mondrian’s works are deceptively simple, but eye-tracking studies confirm that they are

meticulously composed, and that simply rotating a piece radically changes the way we view it.

mimic (v) /'mɪmɪk/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

bắt chước =to look or behave like something else

Ví dụ:

 The robot was programmed to [mimic] a series of human movements.

Ghi chú:

In passage: This may be down to our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, which are known to mimic others’ actions.

moving (adj) /'muːvɪŋ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

cảm động =causing strong, often sad, feelings about somebody/something

Ví dụ:

 It is a [moving] story of love and friendship.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Since the amygdala plays a crucial role in our feelings, that finding might explain why many

people find these pieces so moving.

objectivity (n) /ˌɒbdʒek'tɪvɪtɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

tính khách quan =the state or quality of being objective and fair

Ví dụ:

 The newspaper has a reputation for [objectivity] and fairness.

Ghi chú:

In passage: An emerging discipline called neuroaesthetics is seeking to bring scientific objectivity to the

study of art, and has already given us a better understanding of many masterpieces.

pleasurable (adj) /'pleʒərəbl/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

thu hút, thú vị =giving pleasure

Ví dụ:

 Collecting the life stories in interviews was found to be [pleasurable] for the participants, relatives

and researchers.

Ghi chú:

In passage: As a result, the volunteers considered the altered versions less pleasurable when they later

rated the work.

radically (adv) /'rædɪklɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

hoàn toàn =completely or extremely

Ví dụ:

 hey propose a [radically] different way of measuring economic progress.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Mondrian’s works are deceptively simple, but eye-tracking studies confirm that they are

meticulously composed, and that simply rotating a piece radically changes the way we view it.

recur (v) /rɪ'k3ːr/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

lặp lại =to happen again or a number of times

Ví dụ:

 This theme [recurs] several times throughout the book.

Ghi chú:

In passage: What’s more, appealing pieces both abstract and representational, show signs of ‘fractals’ –

repeated motifs recurring in different scales, fractals are common throughout nature, for example in the

shapes of mountain peaks or the branches of trees.

renowned (adj) /rɪ'naʊnd/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

nổi tiếng, lừng danh =famous and respected

Ví dụ:

 Marco Polo is [renowned] as an explorer.

Ghi chú:

In passage: In each set of trials, volunteers generally preferred the work of renowned artists, even when

they believed it was by an animal or a child.

representational (adj) /ˌrɛprəzənˈteɪʃənəl/ UK
US
Định nghĩa:

chân thực, rõ ràng =trying to show things as they really are

Ví dụ:

 It is on pottery that [representational] art first appeared in ancient Greece.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Robert Pepperell, an artist based at Cardiff University, creates ambiguous works that are

neither entirely abstract nor clearly representational.

rewarding (adj) /rɪ'wɔːdɪŋ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

xứng đáng/thỏa mãn =worth doing; that makes you happy because you think it is useful or important

Ví dụ:

 I found it immensely [rewarding] working with the less able children.

Ghi chú:

In passage: It would seem that the brain sees these images as puzzles, and the harder it is to decipher the

meaning, the more rewarding is the moment of recognition.

scrutiny (n) /'skruːtɪnɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

Sự xem xét kỹ lưỡng, sự nghiên cứu cẩn thận =careful and complete examination

Ví dụ:

 The documents should be available for public [scrutiny].

Ghi chú:
In passage: The longer they took to answer these questions, the more highly they rated the piece under

scrutiny, and the greater their neural activity.

sense (v) /sens/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

cảm nhận được =to become aware of something even though you cannot see it, hear it, etc.

Ví dụ:

 She apparently [sensed] defeat was inevitable.

Ghi chú:

In passage: It seems that the viewer can sense the artist’s vision in paintings, even if they can’t explain why.

shed light on (idiom) /ʃed laɪt ɒn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

làm sáng tỏ =to make a problem, etc. easier to understand

Ví dụ:

 Recent research has [shed new light on] the causes of the disease.

Ghi chú:

In passage: Could the same approach also shed light on abstract twentieth-century pieces, from Mondrian’s

geometrical blocks of colour, to Pollock’s seemingly haphazard arrangements of splashed paint on canvas?

thoroughly (adv) /'θʌrəlɪ/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

kĩ càng, cẩn thận, triệt để =completely and with great attention to detail

Ví dụ:

 We went through the report [thoroughly] but couldn't find the information anywhere.
Ghi chú:

In passage: The hypothesis will need to be thoroughly tested, however.

underestimate (v) /ˌʌndə'restɪmeɪt/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

đánh giá thấp =to fail to guess or understand the real cost, size, difficulty, etc. of something

Ví dụ:

 Don't [underestimate] the difficulties of getting both parties to the conference table.

Ghi chú:

In passage: We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of the style of a particular artist, their place in

history and the artistic environment of their time.

vision (n) /'vɪʒn/ UK US

Định nghĩa:

sức tưởng tượng =the act or power of imagination

Ví dụ:

 the [vision] of a poet

Ghi chú:

In passage: It seems that the viewer can sense the artist’s vision in paintings, even if they can’t explain why.