Objective Proficiency p 66. Vocabulary

Ex 1

• Amenity: /əˈmiːnəti/ (plural amenities) a feature that makes a place pleasant, comfortable or easy to live in. Servicio. E.g. The campsite is close to all local amenities. Many of the houses lacked even basic amenities (= baths, showers, hot water, etc.)

hustle and bustle: 



busy noisy activity of a lot of people in one place. E.g.  We escaped from the hustle and bustle of the city for the weekend.

the rat race: 



 the way of life of people living and working in a large city where people compete in an aggressive way with each other in order to be more successful, earn more money, etc. E.g. It’s very easy to get caught up in the rat race. The novel is about a couple who get out of the rat race and buy a farm in France.

concrete jungle:  



/ˌkɒŋkriːt ˈdʒʌŋɡl/ a way of describing a city or an area that is unpleasant because it has many large modern buildings and no trees or parks.


overcrowded:
(of a place) with too many people or things in it overcrowded cities/prisons. E.g. Too many poor people are living in overcrowded conditions. 

overpopulated: (of a country or city) with too many people living in it.


sprawling:



 
spreading in an untidy way. E.g. a modern sprawling town sprawling handwriting .


shanty town:



 
an area in or on the edge of a city, in which poor people live in small, very cheaply built houses 

Ex 4
quick-thinking (politician)



long-running (TV series/ play) (that has been continuing for a long time)



short-sighted (policy)
short-sighted not thinking carefully about the possible effects of something or what might happen in the future. E.g. an attitude which is likely to prove short-sighted.



well thought-through (argument) /well thought-out (argument): carefully planned.



far-sighted (plan) (having or showing an understanding of the effects in the future of actions that you take now, and being able to plan for them. E.g. the most far-sighted of politicians. A far-sighted decision.



far-thinking (planner): far-sighted, forward-thinking.



poorly-constructed (building/ office block)



poorly-fitting (cupboards)
Fitting: fitted around or to something or someone in a specified way: loose-fitting trousers.



poorly thought-through (plan)/ poorly thought-out (plan)



smashed-up (car) (crashed and severely damaged. E.g. a smashed-up Land Rover)



blown-down (trees)



blown-out (windows) (if a window blows out, or if something blows it out, it breaks into pieces that fall outside the building. E.g. The bomb blew out all the windows on the bus).



blown-up (buildings) 
blow up: to explode; to be destroyed by an explosion. E.g. The bomb blew up. A police officer was killed when his car blew up.


Ex 2 (2002 edition)
Cool Brazil

• Astute: /əˈstjuːt/ very clever and quick at seeing what to do in a particular situation, especially how to get an advantage. Shrewd. E.g. an astute businessman/politician/observer. It was an astute move to sell the shares then. She was astute enough to realize that what Jack wanted was her money.
• Couple: to join together two parts of something, for example two vehicles or pieces of equipment.  couple A and B together E.g. The two train cars had been coupled together. 
• Staggering: so great, shocking or surprising that it is difficult to believe. Astounding. Asombroso, sorprendente. E.g. They paid a staggering £5 million for the house.  
• Turnstile: /ˈtɜːnstaɪl/ a gate at the entrance to a public building, stadium, etc. that turns in a circle when pushed, allowing one person to go through at a time.

• Token: a round piece of metal or plastic used instead of money to operate some machines or as a form of payment. E.g. a parking token.

• In a trice: / traɪs/ very quickly or suddenly. E.g. He was gone in a trice.

English Journey

• Wanting: not having enough of something; not good enough. Sp. Deficiente. E.g. This explanation is wanting in many respects.
• Pack: a group of animals that hunt together or are kept for hunting. E.g. packs of savage dogs. Wolves hunting in packs. A pack of hounds. 
• By/from all accounts: according to what other people say. I've never been there, but it's a lovely place, by all accounts.
• Farcical: /ˈfɑːsɪkl/ ridiculous and not worth taking seriously. Sp. Ridículo, absurdo. E.g. It was a farcical trial. A situation verging on the farcical.
• Board something up: to cover a window, door, etc. with wooden boards. E.g. Most buildings along the street had been boarded up.