Objective Proficiency 2002 p 20. Vocabulary

Ex 1

• Coin something: to invent a new word or phrase that other people then begin to use. E.g. The term ‘cardboard city’ was coined to describe communities of homeless people living in cardboard boxes.
• Allure: /əˈlʊə(r)/ the quality of being attractive and exciting. Encanto. E.g. The allure of the big city. Alluring: /əˈlʊərɪŋ/ Adj. attractive and exciting in a mysterious way. E.g. An alluring smile.
• From scratch: 1 without any previous preparation or knowledge. Empezar desde cero. E.g. I learned German from scratch in six months. He built the orchestra up from scratch. 2 From the very beginning, not using any of the work done earlier. E.g. They decided to dismantle the machine and start again from scratch.
• Plague: /pleɪɡ/ 1. to cause pain or trouble to somebody/something over a period of time. Trouble. Asolar. E.g. Financial problems are plaguing the company. The team has been plagued by injury this season. 2. to annoy somebody or create problems, especially by asking for something, demanding attention, etc. Harass. Acosar. E.g. Rock stars have to get used to being plagued by autograph hunters. 

Ex 2

• Utopia: /juːˈtəʊpiə/ an imaginary place or state in which everything is perfect. E.g. For the moment this is just a utopia. Utopian /juːˈtəʊpiən/ Adj. having a strong belief that everything can be perfect, often in a way that does not seem to be realistic or practical. E.g. Utopian ideals
• Surface: /ˈsɜːfɪs/ to suddenly appear or become obvious after having been hidden for a while. Emerge. Aparecer. E.g. Doubts began to surface. No further information has surfaced yet.
• Plato: /ˈpleɪt əʊ/
• Withstand sth, withstood withstood: To be strong enough not to be hurt or damaged by extreme conditions, the use of force, etc. Soportar, aguantar, resistir. E.g. The materials used have to be able to withstand high temperatures.  They had withstood siege, hunger and deprivation.

Ex 3

• Haven: /ˈheɪvn/ a place that is safe and peaceful where people or animals are protected. Refugio. E.g. The hotel is a haven of peace and tranquility. The river banks are a haven for wildlife. Tax haven: a place where taxes are low. Paraíso fiscal.
• Cosmopolitan: /ˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən/ containing people of different types or from different countries, and influenced by their culture. E.g. A cosmopolitan city/resort. The club has a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
• Bill somebody/something as something: to advertise or describe somebody/something in a particular way. E.g. He was billed as the new Tom Cruise. 
• Average sth: /ˈævərɪdʒ/ to be equal to a particular amount as an average. Hacer un promedio. E.g. Economic growth is expected to average 2% next year. Drivers in London can expect to average about 12 miles per hour (= to have that as their average speed).
• Luxurious: /lʌɡˈʒʊəriəs/ 
• Venture: /ˈventʃə(r)/ a business project or activity, especially one that involves taking risks. Operación. E.g. A disastrous business venture lost him thousands of dollars. 
• Revenue: /ˈrevənjuː/ the money that a government receives from taxes or that an organization, etc. receives from its business. Ingresos. E.g. Advertising revenue finances the commercial television channels. The company's annual revenues rose by 30%.
• Vessel: a large ship or boat. E.g. Ocean-going vessels 
• Enforce: /ɪnˈfɔːs/ to make sure that people obey a particular law or rule. E.g. It's the job of the police to enforce the law. 
• Attempt: an act of trying to do something. E.g. Two factories were closed in an attempt to cut costs. 
• Toe the line: to say or do what somebody in authority tells you to say or do, even if you do not share the same opinions, etc. Acatar la disciplina. E.g. One or two of them refused to toe the line. To toe the party line.
• Outbreak: the sudden start of something unpleasant, especially violence or a disease. Comienzo, estallido. E.g. The outbreak of war.
• Cohesion: /kəʊˈhiːʒn/
• Turn out to be:  to be discovered to be; to prove to be. Resultar. E.g. The job turned out to be harder than we thought.
• Dystopia: /dɪsˈtəʊpiə/ an imaginary place or state in which everything is extremely bad or unpleasant. E.g. It could well turn out to be more of a dystopia, than a utopia.  
• Sanguine: /ˈsæŋɡwɪn/ cheerful and confident about the future. Optimistic. Cofiado, optimista. E.g. They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. He tends to take a sanguine view of the problems involved. 
• Prospects: the chances of being successful. Perspectivas. E.g. Good job/employment/career prospects. At 25 he was an unemployed musician with no prospects. 

Ex 4

• Spacefaring: To be Spacefaring is to be capable of and active in the art of spacetravel. E.g. The importance of America being a spacefaring nation with the ability to explore and exploit space. 
• Barren: /ˈbærən/ not good enough for plants to grow on it. Estéril. E.g. A barren desert. A barren landscape (= one that is empty, with few plants).
• Viable: /ˈvaɪəbl / that can be done; that will be successful. Feasible. E.g. There is no viable alternative.
• Arena: /əˈriːnə/ an area of activity that concerns the public, especially one where there is a lot of opposition between different groups or countries. Ruedo. E.g. The political/international arena.
• Set off:  to start a process or series of events. E.g. Panic on the stock market set off a wave of selling.
• Thaw: /θɔː/ Melt. E.g. The country was slowly thawing out after the long cold winter. 
• Snowcap: Snow covering a mountain peak, especially such snow existing year-round. E.g. High in the Andes, water from the melting snowcaps runs into ice cold lakes.
• Open frontier: undeveloped region that is open to settlement. Open border. E.g. Outer space is an open frontier.