Vocabulary list for Reading Passage #4

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

1.ruled

2.bankruptcy

3.immoderate

4.wasting

5.lavish

6.enraged

7.misery

8.embellished

9.extravagant

10.            profusely

11.            glutted

12.            feasts

13.            outrageously

14.            court

15.            spendthrifts

16.            artistocrats

17.            guillotine

18.            reined

King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette ruled France from 1774 to 1789, a time when the country was fighting bankruptcy. The royal couple did not let France's insecure financial situation limit their immoderate spending, however. Even though the minister of finance repeatedly warned the king and queen against wasting money, they continued to spend great fortunes on their personal pleasure. This lavish spending greatly enraged the people of France. They felt that the royal couple bought its luxurious lifestyle at the poor people's expense.

Marie Antoinette, the beautiful but exceedingly impractical queen, seemed uncaring about her subjects; misery. While French citizens begged for lower taxes, the queen embellished her palace with extravagant works of art. She also surrounded herself with artists, writers, and musicians, who encouraged the queen to spend money even more profusely.

While the queen's favorites glutted themselves on huge feasts at the royal table, many people in France were starving. The French government taxed the citizens outrageously. These high taxes paid for the entertainments the queen and her court so enjoyed. When the minister of finance tried to stop these royal spendthrifts, the queen replaced him. The intense hatred that the people felt for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette kept building until it led to the French Revolution. During this time of struggle and violence (1789-1799), thousands of aristocrats, as well as the king and queen themselves, lost their lives at the guillotine. Perhaps if Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had reined in their extravagant spending, the events that rocked France would not have occurred.

1. The people surrounding the queen encouraged her to spend money ____.

A. wisely 
B. abundantly 
C. carefully 
D. foolishly 
E. joyfully

2. The minister of finance tried to curb these royal ___.

A. aristocrats 
B. money wasters 
C. enemies 
D. individuals 
E. spenders

Vocabulary for Mt. Vesuvius Reading Passage #3

1.  eruptions

2.  unearthed

3.  celestial

4.  preceding

5.  molten

6.  coagulated

7.  conflagration

8.  sulphuric

9.  saturated

10. buoyant

11.suffocated

12.excavations

13.dissects a specimen

14.meteorologists

15.distilled

16.volcanologists

Mount Vesuvius, a volcano located between the ancient Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, has received much attention because of its frequent and destructive eruptions. The most famous of these eruptions occurred in A. D. 79.

The volcano had been inactive for centuries. There was little warning of the coming eruption, although one account unearthed by archaeologists says that a hard rain and a strong wind had disturbed the celestial calm during the preceding night. Early the next morning, the volcano poured a huge river of molten rock down upon Herculaneum, completely burying the city and filling in the harbor with coagulated lava. 
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, cinders, stone and ash rained down on Pompeii. Sparks from the burning ash ignited the combustible rooftops quickly. Large portions of the city were destroyed in the conflagration. Fire, however, was not the only cause of destruction. Poisonous sulphuric gases saturated the air. These heavy gases were not buoyant in the atmosphere and therefore sank toward the earth and suffocated people.

Over the years, excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum have revealed a great deal about the behavior of the volcano. By analyzing data, much as a zoologist dissects a specimen animal, scientist have concluded that the eruption changed large portions of the area's geography. For instance, it turned the Sarno River from its course and raised the level of the beach along the Bay of Naples. Meteorologists studying these events have also concluded that Vesuvius caused a huge tidal wave that affected the world's climate. 
In addition to making these investigations, archaeologists have been able to study the skeletons of victims by using distilled water to wash away the volcanic ash. By strengthening the brittle bones with acrylic paint, scientists have been able to examine the skeletons and draw conclusions about the diet and habits of the residents. Finally, the excavations at both Pompeii and Herculaneum have yielded many examples of classical art, such as jewelry made of bronze, which is an alloy of copper and tin.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius and its tragic consequences have provided us with a wealth of data about the effects that volcanoes can have on the surrounding area. Today volcanologists can locate and predict eruptions, saving lives and preventing the destruction of cities and cultures.

1. Herculaneum and its harbor were buried under ___lava.

A. liquid 
B. solid 
C. flowing 
D. gas 
E. answer not available

2. The poisonous gases were not ___ in the air.

A. able to float 
B. visible 
C. able to evaporate 
D. invisible 
E. able to condense

3. Scientists analyzed data about Vesuvius in the same way that a zoologist ___ a specimen.

A. describes in detail 
B. studies by cutting apart 
C. photographs 
D. chart 
E. answer not available

4. ____have concluded that the volcanic eruption caused a tidal wave.

A. Scientist who study oceans 
B. Scientist who study atmospheric conditions 
C. Scientist who study ash 
D. Scientist who study animal behavior 
E. Answer not available in article

5. Scientist have used ___water to wash away volcanic ash from the skeletons of victims.

A. bottled 
B. volcanic 
C. purified 
D. sea 
E. fountain

It is helpful if you look over the vocabulary list first before reading the passage. Look to see how many words you already know. For the words you don't understand use an online dictionary and make a list with the words and the definitions.  If you want to make sure you understand the words try to use them in a sentence and write it down. This will help you to learn the words quicker.

Then read the passage and you can look back at the vocabulary list when you don't understand a word.  Enjoy.<img title="Cool" src="http://www.italki.com/Scripts/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-cool.gif" alt="Cool" border="0" />