"In the first months of the pandemic, there was fear that Covid might eviscerate Africa, tearing through countries with health systems as weak as Sierra Leone’s, where there are just three doctors for every 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. The high prevalence of malaria, H.I.V., tuberculosis and malnutrition was seen as kindling for disaster."

eviscerate
/ɪˈvɪsəreɪt/

verb

[T] to remove the inner organs of a body

tear (+adv./prep)
/ter/

verb

[I] 1. to damage something by pulling it apart or into pieces or by cutting it on something sharp
2. to move somewhere very quickly or in an excited way

prevalence
/'prevələns/

noun

[U] the fact of existing or being very common at a particular time or in a particular place

malnutrition
/ˌmælnu'trɪʃən/

noun

[U] when someone becomes ill or weak because they haven't eaten enough good food

kindling
/'kɪndlɪŋ/

noun

[U] small dry pieces of wood, etc. used to start a fire

Two Different Kinds of Meanings:

Literal meaning: the original meaning, the most obvious and basic meaning without metaphor, exaggeration, irony, or sarcasm

Figurative meaning: the non-basic meaning, more imaginative, metaphorical and poetic

Now, let's look at an example:
"Covid might eviscerate Africa."

"Eviscerate" literally means to remove the inner organs of a body, but in the sentence above it carries a figurative meaning: to damage/harm badly. Africa is not a person and does not have inner organs! The meaning of eviscerate is therefore not literal.

Another example:
"Malnutrition was seen as kindling for disaster."

"Kindling" literally means pieces of wood and sticks used to start a fire, but here it has another meaning: the cause/reason for something. The basic meaning of the word does not make sense here.

"By the end of this century, pollen emissions could begin 40 days earlier in the spring than we saw between 1995 and 2014. Allergy sufferers could see that season last an additional 19 days before high pollen counts may subside. In addition, thanks to rising temperatures and increasing CO2 levels, the annual amount of pollen emitted each year could increase up to 200%."

pollen
/ˈpɑːlən/

noun

[U] fine powder, usually yellow, that is formed in flowers and carried to other flowers of the same kind by the wind or by insects, to make those flowers produce seeds

emission
/ɪˈmɪʃn/

noun

[C] gas, etc. that is sent out into the air - verb: emit

subside
/səb'saɪd/

verb

[I] to gradually return to a normal state

thanks to (sb/sth)
/'θæŋks tə/

idiom

because of sb/sth

emit
/ɪˈmɪt/

verb

[T] to send out something such as light, heat, sound, gas, etc. - noun: emission

"As the planet warms, we will unfortunately face more natural disasters. We need to anticipate and plan for future disasters to minimise their impact and prevent them from compounding disadvantage."

compound
/kəmˈpaʊnd/

verb

[T] to make something bad become even worse by causing further damage or problems

"Africa is home to some of the fast-growing economies in the world and is abundant in natural resources. But the challenges faced by much of the continent—poverty, inflation, and deep-lying inequalities—are outpacing the abilities of many governments to service their populations, leading to instability."

abundant
/ə'bʌndənt/

adjective

existing in large quantities; more than enough - plentiful

lie (progressive form: lying)
/laɪ/

verb

[I] (of ideas, qualities, problems, etc.) to exist or be found

outpace
/ˌaʊt'peɪs/

verb

[T] to go, rise, improve, etc. faster than somebody/something - outstrip

service
/ˈsɜːrvɪs/

verb

[T] to provide people with something they need, such as shops, or a transport system - serve

"You might think that you only buy what you need, when you need it. But whether you are shopping for food, clothes or gadgets, the retailers are using the power of psychological persuasion to influence your decisions – and help you part with your cash."

gadget
/ˈgædʒɪt/

noun

[C] a small tool or device that does something useful

retailer
/ˈriːteɪlər/

noun

[C] a person or business that sells goods to the public

part with something

phrasal verb

to give something to somebody else, especially something that you would prefer to keep

"In a world of information overload, we can fall victim to all sorts of cognitive biases. Since they can lead us to generate false conclusions, it’s particularly important to understand what these biases are and how they work, as the consequences can become quite drastic."

overload
/'əʊvərləʊd/

noun

[C, U] too much of something

fall victim to something

idiom

to be injured, cheated, damaged or killed by somebody/something

cognitive
/'kɑːɡnətɪv/

adjective

connected with mental processes of understanding

bias
/'baɪəs/

noun

[C, U, Singular] a strong feeling in favour of or against one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgement

drastic
/'dræstɪk/

adjective

extreme and sudden

drastic change/measure/action

"Supply chains, already disrupted by Covid-19, have been further complicated by the war in Ukraine, which is causing shortages in some ingredients like sunflower oil and raising the price of substitute ingredients."

supply chain
/sə'plaɪ tʃeɪn/

noun

[C] the system of people and things that are involved in getting a product from the place where it is made to the person who buys it

disrupt
/dɪsˈrʌpt/

verb

[T] to make it difficult for something to continue in the normal way

substitute
/'sʌbstɪtuːt/

noun

[C] a person or thing that you use or have instead of the one you normally use or have

"Ever since Yuri Gagarin became the first human being in space, astronauts have come home to describe what they call the Overview Effect: the change that occurs when they see the world from above, as a place where borders are invisible, where racial, religious and economic strife are nowhere to be seen. The blue and green Earth appears alive, and yet denuded of people. The atmosphere reveals itself to be what it is: an impossibly thin onion skin that protects us from the killing void of space and yet appears penetrable, destructible."

strife
/straɪf/

noun

[U] anger or violence between two people or groups of people who disagree - conflict

denude
/dɪˈnuːd/

verb

[T] to take something away from someone or something

denude sb/sth of sth

void
/vɔɪd/

noun

[Singular] a large empty space

destructible
/dɪˈstrʌktəbl/

adjective

that can be destroyed

"Online scams have major emotional and financial consequences for their victims. Some of them have seen their entire life savings vanish, leaving them to deal with insurmountable debts in addition to symptoms arising from post-traumatic stress, as well as victim-blaming and shame."

scam
/skæm/

noun

[C] a clever and dishonest plan for making money

insurmountable
/ɪnsərˈmaʊntəbl/

adjective

(of difficulties, problems, etc.) that cannot be dealt with successfully

post-traumatic stress (disorder)
/ˌpəʊst trəˌmætɪk ˈstres/

noun

[U] a medical condition in which a person suffers mental and emotional problems resulting from an experience that shocked them very much

"While regionally variable, the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme events related to climate change – including wildfires, droughts, floods, landslides and heatwaves – have international consequences for human health, property loss and food security. In turn, these may lead to mass migration, government instability and military conflict."

regionally
/ˈriːdʒənəli/

adverb

in a way that is connected with a region

wildfire
/'waɪldfaɪər/

noun

[C, U] a very big fire that spreads quickly and burns natural areas like woods, forests and grassland

drought
/draʊt/

noun

[C, U] a long period of time when there is little or no rain

landslide
/'lændslaɪd/

noun

[C] a mass of earth, rock, etc. that falls down the slope of a mountain or a cliff

heatwave
/'hiːtweɪv/

noun

a period of unusually hot weather

in turn

idiom

as a result of something in a series of events

"The “run philosophy” and the “last generation” are the rallying cries for many young Chinese in their 20s and 30s who despair about their country and their future. They are entering the labor force, getting married and deciding whether to have children in one of the country’s bleakest moments in decades. Censored and politically suppressed, some are considering voting with their feet while others want to protest by not having children."

rally
/ræli/

verb

[I, T] to come together or bring people together in order to help or support somebody/something

despair
/dɪ'sper/

verb

[I] to stop having any hope that a situation will change or improve

bleak
/bliːk/

adjective

(of a situation) not giving any reason to have hope or expect anything good

suppress
/səˈpres/

verb

[T] (of a government, ruler, etc.) to put an end, often by force, to a group or an activity that is believed to threaten authority

vote with one's feet

idiom

to show that you do not support a decision or action by leaving a place or organization

"The spate of recent shootings has pushed guns to the forefront of a national conversation as leaders reckon with how to curb the alarming rate of violence."

spate (of sth)
/speɪt/

noun

[usually singular] a large number of things, which are usually unpleasant, that happen suddenly within a short period of time

at/in/to the forefront (of sth)
/ˈfɔːrfrʌnt/

idiom

in or into an important or leading position in a particular group or activity

reckon (with sth/sb)
/'rekən/

verb

[T] to consider or treat somebody/something as a serious opponent, problem, etc.

curb
/kɜːrb/

verb

[T] to control or limit something, especially something bad

"When elite athletes openly discuss mental ill-health, this is often publicly celebrated. This aligns with changing cultural attitudes, moving away from rigid stoicism and towards recognising mental ill-health as a reality rather than a rarity."

elite
/ɪˈliːt/ /eɪˈliːt/

adjective

having or showing the greatest ability at the highest level of competition

align
/əˈlaɪn/

verb

[I, T] to arrange something in the correct position, or to be in the correct position, in relation to something else

align (sth) (with sth)

stoicism
/ˈstəʊɪsɪzəm/

noun

[U] the fact of not complaining or showing what you are feeling when you are suffering

rarity
/ˈrerəti/

noun

[U] the quality of being rare

"While China's status as the world's largest manufacturing hub seems to be a given these days, that hasn't always been the case. In fact, as recently as 2009, the US trumped China in manufacturing output as measured by total value added in the sector."

given
/ˈgɪvn/

noun

[C] a basic fact that you accept as being true

trump
/trʌmp/

verb

[T] to beat something that somebody says or does by saying or doing something even better

"Doggy dementia, or canine cognitive dysfunction, is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans, a progressive brain disease that comes with behavioural, cognitive and other changes. It is generally seen in dogs over eight years old, but can occur in ones as young as six. Pet owners may dismiss many behaviour changes as just a normal part of ageing. So it’s likely there are more dogs with it than we realise."

dementia
/dɪˈmenʃə/

noun

[U] a serious mental disorder caused by brain disease or injury, that affects the ability to think, remember and behave normally

canine
/ˈkeɪnaɪn/

adjective

connected with dogs

progressive
/prəˈɡresɪv/

adjective

happening or developing steadily

"Journalist Katherine Mangu-Ward makes the case that "weirdos" left alone to innovate and explore far-out ideas in a free market system are our best hope for the future. She asks us to reconsider our qualms about capitalism, failure and corporate death, analyzing the recent history of General Motors and Facebook to illustrate why we're better off with a lot less government intervention."

case
/keɪs/

noun

[C] set of facts or arguments that support one side in a trial, a discussion, etc.

far-out
/ˌfɑːr ˈaʊt/

adjective

very strange or unusual

qualm
/kwɑːm/

noun

[C, usually plural] a feeling of doubt or worry about whether what you are doing is right - misgiving

corporate
/'kɔːrpərət/

adjective

connected with a large business company

be better off (doing sth)

idiom

used to say that somebody is/would be happier or more satisfied because they are/if they were in a particular position or doing a particular thing

"Meaning isn't happiness and it isn't self-esteem and it isn't momentary pleasure. It isn't any of that. it's the bearing of a sacrificial burden and that actually works to enrich and ennoble your life in ways that make the tragic element of it tolerable and to keep you from bitterness."

momentary
/'məʊmənteri/

adjective

lasting for a very short time - brief

sacrificial
/ˌsækrɪ'fɪʃl/

adjective

offered as a sacrifice

ennoble
/ɪ'nəʊbl/

verb

[T] to give somebody/something a better moral character

bitterness
/'bɪtərnes/

noun

[U] angry and unhappy feelings caused by the belief that you have been treated unfairly

"While human numbers have quadrupled worldwide since the 1950s, in virtually every category human wellbeing has radically improved."

quadruple
/qwɑː'druːpl/

verb

[I, T] to become four times bigger; to make something four times bigger

virtually
/ˈvɜːrtʃuəli/

adverb

almost or very nearly, so that any slight difference is not important

‘Four years ago, Freedom House, a non-profit research and advocacy group for global democracy, focused on “the rise of digital authoritarianism” when it published its annual report on the state of freedom and the internet in 2018. As the report explains, “Digital authoritarianism is being promoted as a way for governments to control their citizens through technology, inverting the concept of the internet as an engine of human liberation.”’

non-profit
/ˌnɑːn ˈprɑːfɪt/

noun, adjective

an organization that does not aim to make a profit (also not-for-profit)

advocacy
/ˈædvəkəsɪ/

noun

[U] public support that somebody gives to an idea, a course of action or a belief

authoritarianism
/əˌθɔːrəˈteriənɪzəm/

noun

[U] the belief that people must obey completely and not be allowed freedom to act as they wish

invert
/ɪnˈvɜːrt/

verb

[T] to put something in the opposite position to the one it was in before