What We Learn Before We're Born (TED Talk) (Education) (Science)

Annie Murphy Paul investigates how life in the womb shapes who we become.

https://www.ted.com/talks/annie_murphy_paul_what_we_learn_before_we_re_born?referrer=playlist-sugata_mitra_s_5_favorite_educ

#C2 #IELTS #Listening #TED
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Ted Talk တွေရဲ့ Transcript (စာ)တွေကိုလည်း ဖတ်လို့ရပါတယ်။ Video တွေရဲ့ အောက်မှာ Transcript ကို တွေ့နိုင်ပါတယ်။ တခြား ဘာသာစကားတွေနဲ့ ဖတ်လို့ ရအောင်လည်း စီစဉ်ပေးထားတာ သဘောကျစရာ ကောင်းပါတယ်။ ဒါပေမဲ့ Listening အတွက် လေ့ကျင့်နေတယ်ဆိုရင်တော့ Transcript တွေကို မဖတ်သင့်ပါဘူး။ နားအလုပ်ကို မျက်စိက သွားလုပ်ရင် နားစွမ်းရည် တိုးတက်မှု နှေးကွေးသွားမှာ စိုးရိမ်လို့ပါ။ ဒါပေမဲ့ အကြိမ်ကြိမ်အခါခါ နားထောင်ပေမဲ့ နားမလည်သေးဘူးဆိုရင်တော့ Transcript ကို ဖတ်ချင် ဖတ်ပါ။


1. Spirit (n) a state of mind or mood; an attitude

We approach the situation in the wrong spirit.
'OK, I'll try'. That's the spirit (= the right attitude).
The party went well because everyone entered into the spirit of things.

syn: attitude, character, temperament

2. Spring sth on sb (v) to tell someone sth or ask them to do sth when they do not expect it and are not ready for it

It's not fair to spring this on her without any warning.
I'm sorry to spring it on you, but I've been offered another job.
They just sprang it on me at the office meeting.

3. Pop quiz (n) a short test that is given to students without any warning

4. Assert (v) to state clearly and firmly that sth is true

She continued to assert that she was innocent.
She continued to assert her innocence.
The German Chancellor was anxious to assert his government's commitment to further European unity.
'That is wrong,' he asserted.
It is commonly asserted that older people prefer to receive care from family members.
French cooking, she asserted, is the best in the world.

syn: state, maintain, declare, pronounce

5. Implausible (adj) not seeming reasonable or likely to be true

an implausible claim/idea/theory/excuse/explanation
It was all highly implausible.
Her explanation is not implausible.
The whole plot of the film is ridiculously implausible.
Margaret found his excuse somewhat implausible.

syn: improbable, unlikely, unbelieavable, unreasonable
ant: plausible

6. fetal/foetal (adj) (only before noun) connected with a fetus; typical of a fetus

The scan can detect some fetal abnormalitites.
She lay curled up in a fetal position.

fetus/foetus (n) a young human or animal before it is born, especially a human more than eight weeks after fertilization

7. Abdominal /æbˈdɒmɪnl/ (adj) (only before noun) relating to or connected with the abdomen

abdominal pains/muscles

8. amniotic /ˌæmnɪˈɒtɪk/ (adj) of or relating to the amnion

He swallowed amniotic water and he breathed it into his lungs, and he sensed that he had no boundaries.

amnion /ˈæm.ni.ən/ (n) a bag made of thin skin that contains amniotic fluid and surrounds the embryo of a mammal, bird, or reptile inside its mother
[the innermost of two membranes enclosing an embryonic reptile, bird, or mammal]

9. Gestation (n) the time that the young of a person or an animal develops inside its mother's body until it is born; the process of developing inside the mother's body

a baby born at 38 week's gestation
The gestation period of a horse is about eleven months.
Human infants have a gestation period of nine months.

[Gestate sth (v) to carry a young human or animal inside the womb until it is born]

10. Muffled (adj) (of sounds) not heard clarly because sth is in the way that stops the sound from travelling easily

muffled voices from the next room
I could hear muffled voices next door but couldn't make out any words.
The muffled roar of traffice could be heard in the distance.
There was the muffled sound of organ practice coming from the chapel.

{muffle sth (v) to make a sound quieter or less clear}

syn: indistinct, subdued

11. Reverberate /rɪˈvɜːbəreɪt/ (v) (of sound) to be repeated several times as it is reflected off different surfaces

Her voice reverberated around the hall.
The crash reverberated through the house.
A loud knocking on the door suddenly reverberated around the apartment.
The narrow street reverberated with/to the sound of the workmen's drills.

syn: echo, ring, resound, vibrate

12. Rig sth <-> up (v) to make a piece of equipment, furniture etc quickly from objects that you find around you

We rigged up a simple shower at the back of the cabin.
We managed to rig up a shelter for the night.
They rigged up a shelter using a sheet and some branches.

13. Melodic contour (ဒါကတော့ ဂီတဆိုင်ရာ ဝေါဟာရမို့ ရှုပ်ထွေးလွန်းတယ်။ ကိုယ်တော့ သိပ် နားမလည်။ အင်တာနက်မှာ အသေးစိတ် ရှာကြည့်ပါ။)

14. Endear sb to sb (v) to make sb/yourself popular; to make sb/yourself like by sb else

Their policies on taxation didn't endar them to voters.
She was a talented teacher who endeared herself to all who worked with her.
She had an unfriendly manner which did not exactly endear her to her colleagues.

15. in utero /ˌɪn ˈjuːtərəʊ/ (adj, adv) (specialist) inside a woman's uterus before a baby is born; within the womb

The test can be performed in utero.

16. Olfactory /ɒlˈfæktəri/ (adj) (only before noun) connected with the sense of smell

olfactory cells/nerves/organs
Her sweet perfume assaulted his olfactory organs as she clattered by.

17. Receptor (n) (biology) a sense organ or nerve ending in the body that reacts to changes such as heat or cold and makes the body react in a particular way

a touch receptor (= one that tells the brain that you are touching sth)

18. licorice/liquorice /ˈlɪkərɪʃ/ (n) a firm black substance with a strong flavour, obtained from the root of a plant, used in medicine and to make sweets/candy; a sweet/candy made from this substance

Maybe the black liquorice pipes would be the best value of it.
'I can help her,' Mrs Bolton said, her mouth full of liquorice allsorts.

19. Anise /ˈænɪs/ (n) a plant with seeds taht have a strong sweet smell and taste; a plant similar to parsley, whose seeds are used in cooking and herbal medicine

20. Yuck/Yuk /jʌk/ (exclamation) (informal) used to show that you think sth is disgusting or unpleasant

It's filthy! Yuck!
Oh, yuck! It's slimy!
Oh yuck! I hate mayonnaise.
Yuck, what a revolting smell!

21. Conjure sth <-> up (v) to make sth appear as a picture in your mind

That smell always conjures up memories of holidays in France.
He strained to conjure up her face and voice, but they had vanished.
They managed to conjure up a win to get into the playoffs.
When he closed his eyes, he could conjure up almost every event of his life.

syn: evoke, bring to mind, recall, recollect

22. Visceral /ˈvɪsərəl/ (adj) (specialist/medical) relating to the viscera; relating to the large organs inside the body, including the heart, stomach, lungs, and intestines

23. Idiosyncratic /ˌɪdiəsɪŋˈkrætɪk/ (adj) unusual and particular to a person or thing; idiosyncratic tendencies are unusual or strange, and not shared by other people

His teaching method are idiosyncratic but successful.
he has some rather idiosyncratic views about what constitutes good television.
her own idiosyncratic style of painting

24. Scarcity /ˈskeəsəti/ (n) if there is a scarcity of sth, there is not enough of it and it is difficult to obtain it

a time of scarcity
a scarcity of resources/fuel
the scarcity of skilled workers
the scarcity of employment opportunities

syn: shortage, lack, deficiency, insufficiency

25. tweak sth (v) to make slightly changes to a machine, system, etc. to improve it

I think you'll have to tweak these figures a little before you show them to the boss.
The software is pretty much there - it just needs a little tweaking.
You just need to tweak the last paragraph and then it's done.
Maybe you should tweak a few sentences before you send in the report.

syn: adjust, improve, alter, adapt, modify, refine

26. Thrive (v) to become, and continue to be, successful, strong, healthy, etc.

New businesses thrive in this area.
These animals rarely thrive in captivity.
Children thrive when given plenty of love and attention.
This type of plant thrives in cool conditions.
plants that thrive in tropical rain forests
a business which managed to thrive during a recession

syn: flourish, prosper, grow, develop

27. Tundra (n) the large flat Arctic regions of northern Europe, Asia and North America where no trees grow and where the soil below the surface of the ground is always frozen

Reindeer roam the tundra in large herds.
Few plants grow in tundra regions.

28. Shipment (n) 1. the process of sending goods from one place to another

The goods are ready for shipment.
the illegal shipment of arms
shipment costs

2. a load of goods that are sent from one place to another

arms shipments
a shipment of arms

29. Siege /siːdʒ/ (n) 1. a military operation in which an army tries to capture a town by surrounding it and stopping the supply of food, etc. to the people inside

the siege of Troy
The siege was finally lifted (=ended) after six months.
The police placed the city centre under a virtual state of siege (=it was hard to get in or out).

2. a situation in which the police surround a building where people are living or hiding, in order to make them come out

The siege was finally brought to an end when the terrorists surrendered.

syn: blockade, encirclement, besiegement

30. Canal /kəˈnæl/ (n) a long straight passage dug in the ground and filled with water for boats and ships to travel along; a smaller passage used for carrying water to fields, crops, etc.

the Panama/Suez Canal
an irrigation canal
Canals were dug to connect England's industrial cities with the ocean.
We walked along by the side of the canal.
The goods were transported by canal to London.

31. Deprivation /ˌdeprɪˈveɪʃn/ (n) the fact of not having sth that you need, like enough food, money or a home; the process that causes this

neglected children suffering from social deprivation
They used sleep deprivation as a form of torture.
the deprivations and hardships resulting from the blockade
There is awful deprivation in the shanty towns.
There were food shortages and other deprivations during the Civil War.
Sleep deprivation can result in mental disorders.
social/economic/emotional, etc. deprivation

syn: lack, denial, deficiency

32. Resort to (doing) sth (v) to do sth bad, extreme, or difficult because you cannot think of any other way to deal with a problem

Officials fear that extremists may resort to violence.
I think we can solve this problem without resorting to legal action.
They achieved their demands without having to resort to force.
We had to resort to another load from the bank.
We may have to resort to using untrained staff.

syn: recourse

33. Reserve /rɪˈzɜːv/ (n) a supply of sth that is available to be used in the future or when it is needed

large oil and gas reserves
He discovered unexpected reserves of strength.
The company has substantial reserves of capital.
reserve funds
Germany's coal reserves were concentrated in a few large fields.

Somehow Debbie maintained an inner reserve of strength.

syn: store, fun, savings, supply, reservoir

34. Exhausted (adj) completely used or finished

You cannot grow crops on exhausted land.
Fuel supplies are nearly exhausted.
an exhausted coal mine

syn: spent, finished, gone, used up, consumed

35. Spectre/Specter (n) the possibility of sth unpleasant that might happen in the future; sth unpleasant that people are afraid might happen in the future

If they refused his request, they faced the specter of a lawsuit.
The country is haunted by the spetre of civil war.
These weeks of drought have once again raised the spectre of widespread famine.
The recession is again raising the spectre of unemployment.

36. Starvation /stɑːˈveɪʃn/ (n) the state of suffering and death caused by having no food

to die of/from starvation
Millions will face starvation next year as a result of the drought.
a starvation diet (= one in which you do not have much to eat)
The pilot had lost consciousness because of oxygen starvation.
They were on starvation wages (=extremely low wages).
The workers lived in poor conditions and were paid starvation wages.
Millions are threatened by starvation and disease each year.

syn: lack of food, famine, malnourishment, food deprivation

37. Loom (v) to appear important or threatening and likely to happen soon

There was crisis looming.
The administration is denying that a crisis is looming.
negotiation to prevent a looming trade war
Her exams are looming.
Here, too, the threat of unemployment has been looming on the horizon.
The threat of closure looms over the workforce.

38. Ally /ˈælaɪ/ (n) a country that has agreed to help and support another country, especially in case of a war

Our European/NATO allies
a loyal ally of the United States
The US is one of the Britain's staunchest allies.
During the First World War, Turkey and Germany were allies/Turkey was an ally of Germany.

syn: partner, friend, colleague, comrade, helper

39. Stillbirth (n) a birth in which the baby is born dead

The long, arduous journey to Bethlehem could have resulted in a miscarriage or stillbirth.
It causes many complications, including small placenta size, stillbirth and low birthweight.

40. Birth defect (n) a physical problem with a body part or process that is present at birth

Thousands of babies are born with some kind of birth defect.
He came over to me privately and said in this serious voice, ' Anastasia, I thought that your brother had a birth defect.
a congenital birth defect

41. Myriad /ˈmɪriəd/ (adj) (literary) extremely large in number

the myriad problems of modern life
the country's myriad problems
They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.
the myriad causes of homelessness
We were plagued by a myriad tiny flies.

syn: innumerable, countless, incalculable, immeasurable, untold

42. Precursor (of/to sth) /priːˈkɜːsə(r)/ (n) a person or thing that comes before sb/sth similar and that leads to or influences its development

a stringed instrument that was the precursor of the guitar
events that were precursors to revolution
Were these small tremors the precursors to a major earthquake?

syn: forerunner, pioneer, predecessor, forebear, antecedent, originator

43. Divert (v) to make sb/sth change direction

Northbound traffic will have to be diverted onto minor roads.
The course of the stream has now been diverted.
Police are trying to divert traffic away from the trobule spot.
The company should divert more resources into research.
Officials diverted revenue from arms sales to the rebels.

44. susceptible (to sb/sth) /səˈseptəbl/ (adj) (not usually before noun) very likely to be influenced, harmed or affected by sb/sth

He's higly susceptible to flattery.
Some of these plants are more susceptible to frost damage than others.
Salt intake may lead to raised blood pressure in susceptible adults.
There are few known diseases which are not susceptible to medical treatment.
Police officers here are very susceptible to corruption.
Older people are more susceptible to infections.
Soil on the mountain slopes is very susceptible to erosion.

syn: liable, inclined, prone, subject, vulnerable, disposed, predisposed

45. Intrauterine /ˌɪntrəˈjuːtəraɪn/ (adj) (medical) within the uterus; inside the womb

46. Grim (adj) unpleasant and depressing;

We received the grim news in silence.
We face the grim prospect of still higher unemployment.
Despite the grim forecast, the number of deaths was slightly down on last year.
The outlook is pretty grim.
This latest attack is a grim reminder of how vulnerable our airports are to terrorist attack.
Booth paints a grim picture of life in the next century.
a grim struggle for survival
Things are looking grim for workers in the building industry.

syn: terrible, shocking, severe, harsh

47. Impart sth (to sb) (v) to pass information, knowledge, etc. to other people

to impart the bad news
I was rather quiet as I didn't feel I had much wisdom to impart on the subject.
She had information that she couldn't wait to impart.

syn: convey, communicate, tell, reveal

48. in a sense/in one sense/in some senses, etc. (=in one way, in some ways, etc.)

What he says is right, in a sense.
The hotel was in no sense (=not at all) comfortable.
George was a big man in every sense of the word (=in every way).
This is true in a general sense.
Communication, in any real sense (=of any real kind), was extremely limited.
In a sense (=in one way) it doesn't matter any more.
My family's from this area, so in a sense it's like coming home.

49. Hang onto sth (v) to keep sth

She still hung onto her wedding ring, even after the divorce.
The President has been trying hard to hang onto power.

syn: retain, keep, maintain, preserve

50. Superfluous (adj) more than you need or want

She gave him a look that made words superfluous.
They were superfluous to requirements (=not required).
The report was marred by a mass of superfluous detail.
a modern building with no superfluous decoration

syn: unnecessary, excess, surplus, redundant, extra, excessive

51. Broker (n) {1. a person who buys and sells things for other people}
2. stockbroker = a person or an organization that buys and sells shares for other people

52. Inflict (v) to make sb/sth suffer sth unpleasant

~ sth on/upon sb/sth = They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team.
Heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy.
The strikes inflicted serious damage on the economy.
Do you have to inflict that music on us? (humorous)
The rodent's sharp teeth can inflict a nasty bite.
When someone deliberately inflict damage, it is a matter for the police.
Such a policy would inflict severe hardship and suffering.
the environmental damage we are inflicting on the Earth

53. Debris /ˈdebriː/ (n) pieces of wood, metal, brick, etc. that are left after sth has been destroyed

Emergency teams are still clearing the debris from the plane crash.
Several people were injured by flying debris in the explosion.
Debris from the aircraft was scattered over a large area.

syn: remains, wreck

54. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n) (medical) a medical condition in which a person suffers mental and emotional problems resulting from an experience that shocked them very much

55. Ordeal (of sth/of doing sth) (n) a difficult or unpleasant experience

They are to be spared the ordeal of giving evidence in court.
The hostages spoke openly about the terrible ordeal they had been through.
The interview was less of an ordeal than she'd expected.
They have suffered a terrible ordeal.

syn: hardship, nightmare, anguish, torment

56. (n) 1. (medical) the scientific study of disease; the study of causes and effects of illnesses
2. an aspect of sb's behaviour that is extreme and unreasonable and that they cannot control

57. Poignant /ˈpɔɪnjənt/ (adj) having a strong effect on your feelings, especially in a way that makes you feel sad

a poignant image/moment/memory/movie, etc.
Her face was a poignant reminder of the passing of time.
The roadside crosses are a poignant reminder of the fatal accidents.


syn: moving, touching, affecting, painful, distressing, pathetic