TOEFL

contest (Dave Roper, who narrowly lost the mayor’s race, contested the results, demanding a recount of the votes.)

election (Because of problems with vote-counting four years ago, international observers monitored this year’s election to make sure it was fair)

inaugurate (An effort to bring electric service to farms and small towns was inaugurated with the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.) (The U.S. president is elected in November but is not inaugurated until the following January)

policy (The policy said that government money could not be given to any private hospital.)

poll (The newspaper polled 500 registered voters and found that only 27 percent were in favor of expanding the city zoo.)

accuse (Jordan was accused of using a stolen credit card to buy about $300 worth of electronic equipment.)

allegedly (The chief financial officer of the company allegedly took company money for his personal use)

civil (In a civil suit against his neighbor, Barney claimed that the neighbor’s dog had bitten him.)

convict (Dean was convicted of assault after the jury saw a video of him striking another man.)

guilty (The jury found that the director was guilty of embezzlement.)

offense (Convicted twice of reckless driving,Victor will lose his license if he commits another serious traffic offense.)

peer (In requiring judgment by “a jury of one’s peers,” U.S. law meant to protect lower-class defendants from the possibly biased judgment of upper-class juries)

suspect (The police were investigating the activities of five suspects in the liquor-store robbery)

verdict (It took the jury only 30 minutes to reach a verdict of “guilty.”)

witness (After witnessing the car theft, Rodney called the police.)

assess (The Barnes building was assessed at $1.3 million, but it can probably sell for much more than that)

asset (Vermögenswert)

hazardous (Parents have to be careful not to buy children’s clothes and toys made of hazardous materials)

jointly (In most states, a husband and wife are assumed to own all their possessions jointly)

lease (Some drivers prefer to lease a car rather than buy one)

liability (Before you go river rafting, you sign a document releasing the trip leaders from liability in case of injury.) (Henderson is just a liability to our work team, because he never finishes anything on time.)

proprietor (The proprietor of Hekman’s Windows is Nels Hekman, grandson of the people who established the factory.)

safeguard (A burglar-alarm system safeguards our house when we go away on vacation.)

sole (Many people have wanted to invest in Harry’s publishing business, but he remains the sole owner.)

compensate (My pay doesn’t properly compensate me for my efforts, but my other benefits, like health insurance, fill in the gap.)

dynamic (This job requires a dynamic person, someone who will look for opportunities instead of just waiting around for them.)

enterprising (Immigrants are often among the most enterprising members of society, partly because anyone brave enough to make an overseas move is likely to be a risk-taker.)

exploit (The company tried to exploit the low interest rates to expand operations.) (The foreign mining company exploited our copper resources and then simply left.)

incentive (This city’s willingness to support its public schools gave us an incentive to move here with our two young children.)