Vocabulary
PART ONE. MULTIPLE CHOICE.
Questions
mishap
/ˈmɪshæp/ a small accident or mistake that does not
have very serious results. E.g. I had a
slight mishap with one of the glasses. a
series of mishaps. without mishap Only
one horse finished the course without mishap. Sp.
without mishap sin contratiempos
to have a mishap tener un accidente
we had a slight mishap tuvimos un pequeño contratiempo
contend with something
phrasal verb. to have to deal with something difficult or unpleasant SYN cope with. E.g. The rescue team also had bad weather conditions to contend with.
be rooted in something
to have developed from something and be strongly influenced by it. The country’s economic troubles are rooted in a string of global crises. This feeling of rejection is often deeply rooted in childhood.
on-the-job while working, or at work
E.g. on-the-job training
condone: /kənˈdəʊn/ verb [transitive] to accept or forgive behaviour that most people think is morally wrong. Sp. justificar, aprobar. E.g. I cannot condone the use of violence under any circumstances.
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pernicious: harmful. E.g. pernicious effects.
infamous: well known for being bad or evil synonym notorious
- a general who was infamous for his brutality
- the most infamous concentration camp
bizarre: strange
a peek into: a quick look. Sp. vistazo, ojeada.
guilty pleasure
1. something, such as a film, television programme, or piece of music, that one enjoys despite feeling that it is not generally held in high regard.
"everybody has a guilty pleasure—for me, it has to be mid 70s disco"
armoured:
protected by metal covers. Sp. blindado
- The cruiser was heavily armoured.
- an armoured car
- a fully armoured model with bulletproof windows
- a horse capable of carrying a fully armoured knight
garish /ˈɡeərɪʃ/ very brightly coloured in an unpleasant way. Sp chillón, llamativo. synonym gaudy
- garish clothes/colours
- It’s a little too garish for my taste.
splash across
phrasal verb
splash something across/over something
1. to put a photograph, news story, etc. in a place where it will be easily noticed
o The story was splashed across the front pages of the Sunday papers.
o The name of their sponsors is splashed across the team’s football shirts.
o The next day his exploits were splashed across the front page.
elusive:
difficult to find, define or achieve. Sp impreciso, vago, escurridizo
- Eric, as elusive as ever, was nowhere to be found.
- the elusive concept of ‘literature’
- A solution to the problem of toxic waste is proving elusive.
dishevelled: untidy. Sp. Despeinado. Desaliñado.
wretched adj (conditions: miserable, poor) (condiciones) precario/a adj malo/a adj penoso/a adj The family were living in wretched conditions, with no electricity or running water.
perturbed: (troubled, upset) perturbado/a adj trastornado/a
temper (moderate, mitigate) atemperar⇒ vtr templar⇒ vtr temperar⇒ vtr moderar. E.g. Karen's attraction to Brian was tempered by her knowledge of his criminal past.
output: the amount of something that a person, a machine or an organization produces
- Manufacturing output has increased by 8 per cent.
subpar: /ˌsʌbˈpɑː(r)/ below a level of quality that is usual or expected
- a subpar performance
happenstance
(chance circumstance) casualidad nf by happenstance
por accidente loc adv por casualidad
We didn't plan to meet at the cafe, we just saw each other there by happenstance
forge
to develop something new, especially a strong relationship with other people, groups, or countries SYN form
forge a relationship/alliance/link etc (with somebody) In 1776 the United States forged an alliance with France. The two women had forged a close bond. Back in the 1980s, they were attempting to forge a new kind of rock music.
Sp forjar
subterfuge
a secret trick or slightly dishonest way of doing something, or the use of thisby subterfuge Sereni was lured to Moscow by subterfuge.
crack vi figurative, informal (person: give in to pressure) quebrarse⇒ v prnl They tried to force him to tell the secret, but he didn't crack.
come to terms with [sth] v expr figurative (accept) (algo difícil) aceptar⇒, asumir⇒ vtr asimilar
PART TWO. SENTENCE COMPLETION TASK.
SCRIPT
catch on
catch on phrasal verb1 to become popular and fashionable The idea of glasses being a fashion item has been slow to catch on.
the powers that be
the unknown people who have important positions of authority and power, and whose decisions affect your life The powers that be don’t want the media to get hold of the story
sway:
influence influir⇒ vtr influenciar⇒ vtr persuadir⇒ vtr Jessica was sure she was right, but in the end, Dawn's arguments swayed her and she changed her mind.
be over the hump
to have finished the most difficult part of something
PART THREE. SENTENCE SELECTION.
Questions
a rough idea una idea aproximada• Can you give me a rough idea when the job will be finished? ¿Tiene una idea aproximada de cuándo estará listo el trabajo? get a rough idea of something hacerse una idea (aproximada) de algo.
dazzling
impressing somebody very much synonym brilliant
- a dazzling display of oriental dance
cajole
/kəˈdʒəʊl/ to make somebody do something by talking to them and being very nice to them
cajole somebody (into something/into doing something) He cajoled me into agreeing to do the work.
cajole something out of somebody I managed to cajole his address out of them.
pervasively
in a way that is present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place Sp. de forma generalizada: No democracy should rely so pervasively on the commercial media. Smart cards are not yet pervasively used in the North American market.
bothersome: (annoying, inconvenient)Sp. molesto/a adj irritante adj mf fastidioso/a adj E.g. Having to make three bus changes to get to work is bothersome.
drive [sth] up vtr phrasal sep figurative (price: cause to rise) to make something such as prices rise quickly Sp. hacer subir
- High fuel prices are driving up production costs
- Demand for housing is driving house prices up
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rack
a frame or shelf that has bars or hooks on which you can put things. a wine rack a magazine rack. A clothes rack Sp. perchero.
well-worn
worn or used a lot or for a long time. Sp. gastado
- a well-worn jacket
- Most British visitors beat a well-worn path to the same tourist areas of the US.
kaput /kəˈpʊt/
not working correctly; broken
- The truck's kaput.
be big on something
spoken
to like something very much: I’m not big on kids
take the reins
take/hand over the reins
to take or give someone control over an organization or country Owens will officially take over the reins in a few weeks
be/go/keep on at somebody
informal to keep complaining to someone or asking someone to do something, especially when this annoys them. E.g. I’ve been on at him to fix that cupboard for weeks now. I wish you wouldn’t go on at me the whole time!
be a (good) sport
1. (informal) to be generous, cheerful and pleasant, especially in a difficult situation or when you have lost a game
o She's a good sport.
o Go on, be a sport (= used when asking somebody to help you).
go along
(consent, comply) (coloquial) seguir la corriente loc verb aceptar⇒ vtr
to agree or be willing to accept something: Alex has already agreed, but it’s going to be harder persuading Mike to go along. The president would not feel obligated to go along with a deal he didn't like.
get to somebody/something phrasal verb informal
to make someone feel annoyed or upset I’m under a lot of pressure at work, and sometimes it gets to me a bit. Don’t let things get to you.
when it comes to [sth] expr (with regard to) Sp. cuando se trata de I love to read, but I have trouble when it comes to studying science.
make a beeline for somebody/something
informal to go quickly and directly towards someone or something Rob always makes a beeline for beautiful women.
As soon as she arrived at the party, she made a be
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