Pages 106–107 asthma

regulatory 
/
ˈreɡjʊlət(ə)ri/ Adjective
a 
regulatory organisation controls an activity using rules
Collocates: a regulatory body/authority/agency | 
regulatory approval | a regulatory system
the regulatory environment is not very rigorous | the 
regulatory authority | a government regulatory agency | 
the regulatory controls to which unions are required to 
conform
Verb: 
regulate
the government body that regulates the banking 
industry | the use of these drugs is strictly regulated
remove 
/
rɪˈmuːv/ Verb
when surgeons 
remove a part of someone’s body, they 
do an operation to take it out because it has become 
damaged or diseased and will cause someone to be 
seriously ill or die if it stays in their body
a six-hour operation to remove the tumour | an 
appendectomy is an operation to remove someone’s 
appendix | a surgical procedure to remove the lump
Noun: 
removal
removal of the cancerous growth and the surrounding 
tissue | removal of the tumour was a difficult procedure 
rib 
/
rɪb/ Noun
your 
ribs are the 12 pairs of bones in the middle of your 
body that form a cage around your heart and chest
Collocates: broken/fractured/sore/bruised ribs
he left the field with a rib injury | he suffered injuries to 
his rib cage | a warning pain in his ribs made him stay 
still | he was so thin you could see all his ribs | my friend 
was badly injured with bruised ribs, black eyes and a fat 
lip
rigorous 
/
ˈrɪɡərəs/ Adjective
if something is 
rigorous, it is careful and thorough
Collocates: rigorous standards | rigorous training | a 
rigorous analysis/approach
the regulatory environment is not very rigorous | rigorous 
safety checks | all products have to meet our rigorous 
quality standards | a rigorous analysis of potential needs
Noun: 
rigour | Adverb: rigorously
Collocates: rigorously enforce/apply/control | 
intellectual/academic/scientific rigour
it’s all rigorously checked | spending is rigorously 
controlled | these rules must be rigorously applied | 
the academic rigour of the historian’s method | greater 
economic rigour will be needed over the coming years
scam 
/
skæm/ Noun
a 
scam is a dishonest and illegal way of getting money 
from people by cheating them
Collocates: an insurance/investment scam
be careful to avoid scams | a money-making scam | a 
credit-card scam | luckily, we realised it was a scam 
before we handed over any money | a major insurance 
scam 
Outcomes Upper Intermediate Vocabulary Builder Unit 12 
© 2016 National Geographic Learning
6

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Verb: 
scam
a gang scamming households across the city | anyone 
who’s been scammed dreams of getting revenge
skull 
/
skʌl/ Noun
your 
skull is the bone that makes up your head and that 
contains your brain
Collocates: a fractured skull | a human/animal skull
a strong blow to the skull can cause brain damage | 
close to death with a fractured skull | archaeologists 
unearthed the fossilised skull of a human child, at least 
1,500 years old | these dinosaurs had very bony skulls
spine 
/
spaɪn/ Noun
your 
spine is the row of bones that goes down your back 
from your neck and that helps you stay upright 
an exercise that is good for the spine without putting 
unnecessary strain on the rest of the body | curvature 
of the spine (a medical condition in which someone’s 
spine is not straight but curves slightly) | the body’s main 
nerves branch out from either side of the spine
Adjective: 
spinal
spinal injuries | the spinal cord (the nerve that runs up 
the middle of the spine and which carries messages to 
the brain) | your spinal column (your spine) | she had to 
undergo spinal surgery