Mock Exam. Reading. Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Part 1

Hammond organ: a type of electronic organ.

Gem: a person, place or thing that is especially good. E.g. This picture is the gem (= the best) of the collection. A gem of a place. She's a real gem!

Sight unseen: if you buy something sight unseen, you do not have an opportunity to see it before you buy it. E.g. I bought it sight unseen.

Crate: crate something (up) to pack something in a crate. Sp. Poner en un cajón. E.g. Any extra parts will have to be crated and shipped separately.

Swirl: to move around quickly in a circle; to make something do this. E.g. The water swirled down the drain. A long skirt swirled around her ankles. Swirling mists.

Suite: /swiːt/ a set of matching pieces of furniture. E.g. a bathroom/ bedroom suite (British English) a three-piece suite with two armchairs and a sofa. Dining room suite (set of table and chairs)

Tatty: in a bad condition because it has been used a lot or has not been cared for well. Shabby. E.g. a tatty carpet.

Plonk: plonk something + adv./prep. to put something down on something, especially noisily or carelessly. E.g. He plonked the books down on the table. Just plonk your bag anywhere.

Turntable: the round surface on a record player that you place the record on to be played.

Crank something up: to make music, etc. louder. Turn something up. E.g. Crank up the volume!

Rotor: /ˈrəʊtə(r)/ a part of a machine that turns around a central point. E.g. rotor blades on a helicopter.

head somebodyˈoff: to get in front of somebody in order to make them turn back or change direction. Intercept. E.g. We'll head them off at the bridge!

Peer: to look closely or carefully at something, especially when you cannot see it clearly. E.g. We peered into the shadows. He went to the window and peered out. She kept peering over her shoulder. He peered closely at the photograph.

Blow: blow somebody/something (British English, informal) used to show that you are annoyed, surprised or do not care about something. E.g. Blow it! We've missed the bus. Well, blow me down! I never thought I'd see you again. I'm blowed if I'm going to (= I certainly will not) let him treat you like that. Let's take a taxi and blow (= never mind) the expense. Well, I’m blowed (surprised)

The Leslie speaker is a combined amplifier and two-way loudspeaker that projects the signal from an electric or electronic instrument, while modifying the sound by rotating the loudspeakers.

Hire purchase: a method of buying an article by making regular payments for it over several months or years. The article only belongs to the person who is buying it when all the payments have been made. Sp. A plazos. E.g. a hire purchase agreement. We're buying a new cooker on hire purchase. We offer very generous hire purchase terms.

Thumbing: thumb through something: to turn the pages of a book quickly in order to get a general idea of what is in it. E.g. I was thumbing through my address book to see who we could invite.

Catch: a hidden difficulty or disadvantage. E.g. All that money for two hours' work—what's the catch?

Unbolt: Open (a door or window) by drawing back a bolt. Sp. Correr el cerrojo. E.g. he ran down the stairs and unbolted the heavy wooden door.

Waft: /wɒft/ to move, or make something move, gently through the air. E.g. The sound of their voices wafted across the lake. Delicious smells wafted up from the kitchen.

Part 2

Plainly: in a way that is easy to see, hear, understand or believe. Clearly. Sp. Claramente. E.g. The sea was plainly visible in the distance. The lease plainly states that all damage must be paid for. She had no right to interfere in what was plainly a family matter. Plainly (= obviously) something was wrong.

Churlish: /ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ/ rude or bad-tempered. Sp. Grosero. E.g. It would be churlish to refuse such a generous offer.

Muster: muster something (up) to find as much support, courage, etc. as you can. E.g. We mustered what support we could for the plan. She left the room with all the dignity she could muster. He could muster only 154 votes at the election.

get, have, etc. a free ˈhand: to get, have, etc. the opportunity to do what you want to do and to make your own decisions. Sp. Tener carta blanca. E.g. I was given a free hand in designing the syllabus.

Phonograph: /ˈfəʊnəɡrɑːf/ record player. Sp. Tocadiscos.

Wreck: wreck something to damage or destroy something. E.g. The building had been wrecked by the explosion. The road was littered with wrecked cars.

Spanner: a metal tool with a specially shaped end for holding and turning nuts and bolts (= small metal rings and pins that hold things together). E.g. I’ll need a spanner to change the back wheel.

(throw) a ˈspanner in the works: (to cause) a delay or problem with something that somebody is planning or doing. To do something that prevents a plan or activity from succeeding. E.g. We were hoping to get the project started in June but the funding was withdrawn so that rather threw a spanner in the works. The sudden withdrawal of the guest speaker really threw a spanner in the works.

Contraption: /kənˈtræpʃn/ a machine or piece of equipment that looks strange. Sp. Artilugio, artefacto. E.g. She showed us a strange contraption that looked like a satellite dish.

Zeal: zeal (for/in something) (formal) great energy or enthusiasm connected with something that you feel strongly about. E.g. her missionary/reforming/religious/political zeal.

Stock: farm animals, such as cows and sheep, that are kept for their meat, wool, etc. Sp. Ganado. E.g. breeding stock.

Piety: /ˈpaɪəti/ the state of having or showing a deep respect for somebody/something, especially for God and religion; the state of being pious. Sp. Devoción.

Veneer: /vəˈnɪə(r)/ veneer something (with/in something) to cover the surface of something with a veneer (Sp. chapa, revestimiento) of wood, etc. Sp. Revestir. E.g. The bed was veneered with cherrywood.

High-minded: (of people or ideas) having strong moral principles. Sp. De altos principios. E.g. rich high-minded Victorians.