It is an excerpt of my book-to-be about improving students' TOEFL vocabulary mastery. Currently, I am developing a language program that helps my students get engaged in TOEFL vocabulary questions, especially about guessing meanings in context.

1. STUDY SKILL
Sometimes you can guess the meaning of a word from the words around it, that is, the context.
Identifying the part of speech also helps. Look at the example, rotate:
Hurricanes rotate anti-clockwise around an ‘eye’.
The word hurricanes helps you identify the part of speech.
1. What part of speech is rotate:
a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb?
The words anti-clockwise, around, help you guess the meaning.
2. What does rotate mean:
get bigger, move in a circle, rain a lot?
#Day2
Read this passage carefully.
Zoosare hugelypopularattractionsforadultsandchildrenalike.But are they actually a good thing?
One of the most important modern functions of zoos is supporting international breeding
programmes, particularly for endangered species. In the wild, some of the rarest species have
difficultyinfindingmatesandbreeding,andtheymightalsobe threatened by poachers,lossof their
habitat and predators. A good zoo will enable these species to live and breed in a secure
environment. In addition, as numbers of some wild species drop, there is an increased danger of
populationsbecomingtoogeneticallysimilar. Breeding programmes provide a safeguard: zoo-bred
animals can be released into the wild to increase genetic diversity.
Read the passage again carefully. Guess the meaning of the underlined words. First identify the
parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb). Then choose meanings from the box to complete
the table.
unusual hunter in danger
increase reproducing decrease
No Vocabulary Part of Speech Meaning Sentence
1 breeding One of the most important modern
functions of zoos is supporting
international breeding programmes,
particularly for endangered species.
2 endangered One of the most important modern
functions of zoos is supporting
international breeding programmes,
particularly for endangered species.
3 rarest In the wild, some of the rarest species
have difficulty in finding mates and
breeding,
4 poacher In the wild, some of the rarest species
have difficulty in finding mates and
breeding, and they might also be
threatened by poachers, loss of their
habitat and predators.
5 drop In addition, as numbers of some wild
species drop,there isan increaseddanger
of populations becoming too genetically
similar.