On Screen p 42. Reading

Vocabulary

ethical (adj): relating to beliefs about what is morally correct or not

e.g. It isn't ethical to try to cheat in an exam; it's morally wrong.



masterpiece (n): sb's best piece of work

e.g. ‘Hamlet’ is widely regarded as one of Shakespeare's greatest masterpieces.



virtue (n): moral goodness

e.g. A simple act of virtue, such as collecting donations for charity, can make a huge difference to someone's life.



vice (n): an immoral personal quality

e.g. Being selfish is a vice that Julie needs to grow out of; there's no need to be so self-centred.



egoism (n): the fact of believing you are better than anyone else

e.g. Sally's egoism is a big problem; she's so vain and arrogant!



self-actualised (adj): able to fulfil your highest potential

e.g. Self-actualised people maximise their potential by doing their best in all aspects of their lives.



genuine (adj): real, sincere

e.g. Terri and Anne share a genuine friendship; they would do anything for each other.



utility (n): usefulness

e.g. Ted and Paul had a friendship of utility; they only met when they needed something from each other.



materialist (n): sb who is preoccupied with worldly possessions

e.g. Laura is such a materialist; she is constantly preoccupied with purchasing new clothes.



sincerity (n): honesty

e.g. Although both men pretended to be happy to see each other, their greeting lacked sincerity and was clearly not genuine.



fleeting (adj): lasting for a brief time only

e.g. Enjoying a sweet dessert is a fleeting pleasure that never lasts long.



short-lived (adj): lasting for a short period of time only

e.g. Unfortunately, Tina and Erica's short-lived friendship only lasted during their holiday, as they never saw each other again.



genesis (n): the origin of sth

e.g. The festival finds its genesis in ancient Maori culture.



stable (adj): steady

e.g. They enjoyed a trusting and stable working relationship, which lasted for more than two years.



rarity (n): scarcity

e.g. Mark laments the rarity of strong friendships, and wonders why they are so uncommon nowadays!



virtuous (adj): honest and moral

e.g. William is a virtuous man; he would never accept a bribe or steal.



empathy (n): the understanding of another person's feelings

e.g. Roberta has a lot of empathy and is able to understand her friends' feelings.



grasp (v): to fully understand sth

e.g. Mary failed to grasp the task and didn't understand what she was supposed to do.



formidable (adj): awesome, very impressive

e.g. Having satisfying relationships at work offers formidable benefits to employees.



resilience (n): the ability to withstand or recover from difficult situations

e.g. Jackie and Sandra are amazed at the resilience of their friendship; they've known each other for fifty years!



hyper-connectivity (n): the use of various means of communication to get in contact with sb, such as email, social networking sites, etc

e.g. Hyper-connectivity, nowadays, allows global communication online in an instant.