| Aral Sea |
In the past, the Aral Sea was a very large, single lake in Central Asia. It used to be one of the world's largest lakes, but, in the 1960s, it began to lose water and become dry. Part of the Aral Sea still exists, but a large part of it became completely dry and is called a desert now. |
| became |
"Became" is the past tense of "become." If we say that the sky became cloudy, we mean that the day turned cloudy sometime before now. |
| Burma |
a country in southeastern Asia. Burma became known as Myanmar in 1989. Rangoon (or Yangon) is the capital of Burma. |
| colonial |
of or related to the thirteen British colonies that became the United States, or to the period before they became independent. [1/2 definitions] |
| depression |
When people talk about "the Depression," they are usually talking about "the Great Depression." This was a time in history--the time between 1929 and 1939--when business was especially bad in the United States and around the world. Many people lost jobs, and many, many people became poor and homeless. [1/4 definitions] |
| dinosaur |
one of a group of extinct animals. Some kinds of dinosaurs were the largest animals that ever lived on land. Other dinosaurs were as small as chickens. The first kinds of dinosaurs developed over two hundred million years ago. The last kinds became extinct about sixty-five million years ago. |
| dodo |
The dodo is a bird that does not exist on the earth anymore. It used to live on certain islands in the Indian Ocean. It had very short wings and couldn't fly. It became famous as the first animal that people realized had become extinct because of things that humans did. |
| fossil fuel |
Fossil fuels are fuels that started out as dead plants and animals that existed millions of years ago in prehistoric times. The bodies of the dead plants and animals broke down into different substances over all those millions of years. They became things like coal, petroleum, and natural gas. These fuels and others made in this way are called fossil fuels because they came from these extremely old things. |
| Fourth of July |
The Fourth of July is a holiday in the United States. It celebrates the time that America became an independent country. Before July 4, 1776, America had belonged to Great Britain, the combined kingdoms of England and Scotland. Nowadays, on the Fourth of July in America, there are often parades, and picnics, and fireworks to watch. |
| ideal |
An ideal is something that is not real but would be perfect if it became real. [1/4 definitions] |
| Korea |
Korea is a region of Asia that used to be one country but became divided into two countries in the 1950s. The two countries are North Korea and South Korea. North Korea shares a border with China. The people in these countries still speak the same language, Korean. |
| mastodon |
a very large extinct mammal. Several kinds of mastodons lived in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America tens of thousands of years ago. The last kind of mastodon became extinct at the end of the last Ice Age. Mammoths and modern elephants may have developed from earlier mastodons. |
| MIA |
abbreviation of "missing in action," used to describe members of the armed forces who became missing during a war. |
| newly |
If we say that a wall is newly painted, we mean that it has been painted recently. It has been painted only a short time ago. If a country is newly independent, it means that it became independent recently. It has not been independent for very long. |
| pterodactyl |
a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs. Pterodactyls had wings covered with skin. Some were huge and glided over the oceans and caught fish. They became extinct over sixty-five million years ago. |
| Revolutionary War |
The Revolutionary War was a war that happened in America between 1775 and 1783. In this war, the United States became independent from another country called Great Britain. |
| rock-'n'-roll |
Rock-'n'-roll is a type of music with a strong beat that is usually played loudly. You usually hear electric guitars and drums in rock-'n'-roll, and there is usually singing. Rock-'n'-roll first became popular in the 1950s. Nowadays, people usually use the short term "rock music" or "rock" instead of "rock-'n'-roll." |
| saber-toothed tiger |
a large wild cat with very long teeth curving from its upper jaw. Saber-toothed tigers were carnivores that hunted the young of mammoths and other large animals. The last kinds of saber-toothed tigers became extinct over ten thousand years ago. Modern tigers are not related to saber-toothed tigers. |
| Soviet Union |
The Soviet Union was a very large country that existed from 1922 until 1991. It was made up of the country of Russia and many other lands of eastern Europe and Asia. The city of Moscow in Russia was the capital of the Soviet Union, and Russia held the most power in the whole country. The Russian language was the official language everywhere. After 1991, many lands that had been part of the Soviet Union broke away from Russia and became independent. Some of these are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. |
| ukulele |
a musical instrument that looks like a small guitar with four strings. The ukulele was brought from Portugal to Hawaii, where it became very popular. |
| Uranus |
the ruler of the heavens in Greek mythology. Uranus was overthrown by his son, who was then overthrown by his own son, Zeus, who became ruler of the Greek gods. [1/2 definitions] |