SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY
Section 1: vocabs with explanations and examples

1) become widely available= can be easily obtained or used

The Internet had become widely available to households in the UK by 2000

2) be shrouded in secrecy = not able to be known

The business of national security has been shrouded in secrecy.

3) break new ground = to do something completely different from what has been done
before

This biologist and his team members have been breaking new ground in genetic research.

4) Scientific breakthroughs= a scientific discovery or achievement

With more scientific breakthroughs t the study of natural sciences has become more sought­after in recent
years

5) the advent of sth. = the introduction of new technology, a new product or a new system
The advent of the jet engine resulted in a large number of very fast planes.

6) supersede / supplant sth. = replace something, often as a result of being more powerful
Eventually these were superseded by “ small clock” , or French, hours, which split the day into two 12­
hour periods.

7) welcome sth. with open arms = be very pleased with sth. new
TV viewers welcomed the arrival of HDTV with open arms.

8) popularise sth. = make sth. popular or present sth. to the general public
The government has been trying to popularise these eco­friendly cars.

9) dependency on sth. = a situation in which you need something in order to live or succeed
So integral have these time­based technologies become to day­to­day existence that our dependency on
them is recognised only when they fail to work

10) genetic engineering= scientific alteration of the structure of the genes in a living organism

IELTS speaking and writing Corner Page 1

Genetic engineering can be used to create more productive and disease­resistant farm animals.

11) genetically-modified food= crop plants created for human consumption using the latest
molecular biology technology

Gene transfer from genetically­modified food to cells of the human body has caused public concern.

12) minimise the risk of sth. = to reduce sth. harmful or unpleasant to the smallest amount or
degree

By minimising human involvement, the idea was to minimise the risk of flawed results.

13) Cloud computing= a term for any computing system that delivers hosted services over the
Internet

Cloud computing will permit access to multiple data centers anywhere on Earth

14) telecommuting= the use of telecommunication to work outside the traditional office

The benefits of telecommuting include energy conservation improved workplace safety and enhanced
family values.

15) Meteorological satellites= spacecraft that can be used to observe changes in weather
patterns

Meteorological satellites have been used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth.

16) communications equipment= equipment for verbal communication

Soldiers will benefit from the communications equipment during natural disasters.

17) teleconferencing = group communication through an electronic medium

Teleconferencing allows large companies to work more efficiently.

18) a manned mission = a spaceflight carrying or performed by human beings

These scientists are discussing the possibility of a manned mission to Mars

19) zero gravity / weightlessness = the state of having no weight, especially because of
being outside the Earth’s atmosphere

There are unique benefits in carrying out scientific research in space because of zero gravity.

20) experiment with sth. = try new methods or new ideas in order to find out what result they
will have

Pilkington had been experimenting with improving the melting process.

IELTS speaking and writing Corner Page 2

 21) satisfy human curiosity = tell us or show us what we want to hear or to see
a good reason to support space exploration is to satisfy human curiosity.

22) hard-won discovery = a discovery made after a great deal of effort

That their minds are not different from our own is demonstrated by the fact that the hard­won discovery
of scientists like Kepler or Einstein become the commonplace knowledge of schoolchildren.

23) space race = the competition tor supremacy in outer space

Some people argue that the space race is just a pointless waste of taxpayers’money

24) social networking websites = websites that people can use to chat, play games and
connect with friends and family members

social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter are a good way to make connections with people
with similar interests and goals.

25) interact with = communicate and react to one another

The way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology

26) identity theft = pretending to be someone else by assuming that person’s identity
Since the Internet does not require enough identification to confirm the user being the same with the
owner, identity theft prevention is a very important issue

27) e-mail fraud = the use of e­mails to defraud another person of money
Three local men were convicted of e­mail fraud.

28) e-mail spamming = the practice of sending junk e­mails to a large number of people
E­mail spamming can be very confusing and annoying.

29) artificial intelligence = the use of computer technology to make computers and other
machines think and do things in the way people can

As information management becomes increasingly complex, artificial intelligence will allow us to share
information within and across organisations.

30) a high-tech gizmo = a small piece of high­tech equipment

This high­tech gizmo is a fat removal device.

IELTS speaking and writing Corner Page 3

 31) superconductor = a substance that allows an electric current to move freely through it at a
very low temperature

The use of maglev with super­conductors has been on the rise.

32) supersonic = faster than the speed of sound

Supersonic travel can considerably reduce flight time.

33) be mechanised = be done by machine but be previously done by people or animals

Mechanised farming has reduced the cost of production of various crops.

34) mass production = the process of producing large quantities of goods by using machines

Some people argue that mass production of standardised goods on assembly lines is uncreative.

35) Silicon Valley = a region south of San Francisco, which is known for its huge number of IT
companies
36) information highway = the global information and communications network
There is a huge amount of information on the information highway, ranging from government services to
technical support.

37) speed up the pace of sth. = quicken the pace of sth.

The agency’s services have helped laboratories to speed up the pace of scientific discovery.

38) set priorities = identify sth. important that must be done first
The agency will set priorities for their scientific research.

39) virtual reality = an environment that is created with software and is presented to users in
such a way that users believe it is real

In the future children may find human relationships inconvenient and confusing, and prefer to stay inside
a virtual reality

40) high-definition = having resolution much higher than traditional devices

High­definition TV can give the audience clear, crisp pictures with vivid colours

41) bring liberation from sth. = free a person from sth.

Automation systems have brought liberation from exhausting labour and have set us free to enjoy more
interesting work and leisure

IELTS speaking and writing Corner Page 4

 42) automation = the use of machines to do work instead of people

Some people argue that automation will result in the loss of jobs.

43) boost crop yield = increase the amount of crops that are produced
The farmers avidly took to pesticides as a sure measure to b«wst crop yield.

44) It is conceivable that... = possible to imagine

It is conceivable that robots will steadily replace humans in repetitive jobs

45) realise the untapped potential of... = use the ability that is not being used at present
These experts believe cloud computing will help many companies to realise their untapped potential.

46) Some scientific evidence has emerged to the contrary. = There are research
results that run counter to this.

There has never been any unbiased evidence that this disease is genetic; in fact, some .scientific evidence
has emerged to the contrary.

47) There is considerable evidence suggesting that... = There is ample evidence

that...

Section 2: SPECIFIC TOPIC RELATED VOCABULARIES:

CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT
scientific and technological advance (or progress)

technological innovations

technological inventions

advance v. & n.

transform v.

...have transformed (or fundamentally changed/completely changed)...

breakthrough n.

cutting-edge technology

hi-tech adj.

IELTS speaking and writing Corner Page 5

 hi-tech features

digital adj.

electronic adj.

an increasing popularity (or prevalence) of.../...be increasingly prevalent (or

popular). ……

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
the information age (or era)

information explosion (or overload)

the proliferation of the Internet/the extensive use of the Internet/the widespread

use of the Internet

surf on the Internet/log on (or onto) the Internet

social networking n

social networking websites

promote (or facilitate) communication

have (or gain) more access to information

obtain information in various ways

with the click of a mouse

with the click on the keyboard

geographical barrier

hacker n.

hack (into) v.

hack n.

OTHER FIELDS, IN PRODUCTION

at a staggering (or astonishing) rate

productive adj.

IELTS speaking and writing Corner Page 6

 productivity n.

enhance (or boost/augment) efficiency or productivity

machinery n.

labor-saving machinery

labor-replacing machinery

automation n.

automated adj.

telecommunications n.

traditional way of (or conventional method of)

online retailer

cost-effective

biotechnology n.

clone n. & v.

cloning n.

gene n.

genetic adj. genetically modified adj.

one’s genetic makeup (or DNA programming)

space exploration

NEGATIVE INFLUENCE
The problem of...is becoming increasingly sever (or disturbing/grave/worrying/

serious/worrisome/troublesome) ……

increasing work pressure and less quality family time

cyber crime

security issues

violate ( or intrude on/infringe on) sb.’s privacy

IELTS speaking and writing Corner Page 7

 identity theft

pirate v.

pirated adj.

piracy n.

questionable contents such as pornography and violence

damage one’s health

weakened eyesight

radiation n.

less outdoor exercise

indulge in (or be lost in) a virtual world

be isolated from the real world

weaken the relationships with family and friends

become solitary

IELTS speaking and writing Corner Page 8