Joy English
Joy English

B2 Vocabulary

B2Science15 min

Science and research

Learn the language of scientific research, from hypothesis and sample to findings and peer review.

News stories, documentaries and university courses often describe how scientists work: they ask a question, test an idea, collect information and decide what it means. Knowing this vocabulary helps you follow science reports and talk about research projects of your own.

hypothesisnoun
an idea that can be tested to see if it is trueHer hypothesis was that plants grow faster when they hear music.
experimentnoun
a scientific test to find out what happens in certain conditionsThe students did an experiment to measure how fast ice melts in salt water.
datanoun
facts and numbers collected so that they can be studiedThe team collected data from 300 volunteers.
samplenoun
a small amount or group taken to represent a larger wholeThey tested a sample of water from each lake.
analyseverb
examine something in detail to understand itIt took the team months to analyse the results.
findingsnoun
the information discovered as a result of researchThe findings were published in a science journal.
concludeverb
decide that something is true after considering the factsThe researchers concluded that sleep improves memory.
variablenoun
a factor that can change in an experimentTemperature was the only variable they changed.
peer reviewnoun
the checking of research by other experts before it is publishedThe article went through peer review before publication.
breakthroughnoun
an important discovery or developmentFinding a cheap way to clean river water was a major breakthrough.
reliableadjective
able to be trusted because it gives the same good result each timeWe need more reliable measurements before we can draw conclusions.
laboratorynoun
a room or building used for scientific workThe samples are stored in a cold room in the laboratory.

Exercise 1 of 2

Choose the science word

Choose the best answer.

  1. Before the experiment, Dr Okafor wrote down her _____: bees prefer blue flowers.

  2. What is a sample?

  3. Other experts checked the study carefully before it was published. It went through _____.

  4. If you change more than one _____ at a time, you can't tell what caused the result.

  5. Choose the correct sentence.

  6. The scientists spent weeks _____ the results to look for patterns.

  7. A breakthrough is _____.

  8. The thermometer gave a different reading every time, so the results weren't _____.

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Complete the research report

Type one word in each gap. Use each word once and change the form if needed. Use: analyse, conclude, data, experiment, findings, laboratory, sample.

  1. The team took a small of soil from each field to test.

  2. All the chemicals are kept in a locked cupboard in the .

  3. From the results, the team that the new material was stronger than steel.

  4. We collected on how many hours each student slept.

  5. The of the study surprised everyone: people who walked every day slept better.

  6. We designed an to test whether extra light helps plants grow.

  7. Modern computers can millions of numbers in seconds.

0 of 7 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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