Progress check 2 – Exercise 2 (p. 40)
Audioscript
Extract one
Man: Young people have a lot to decide when taking a gap year. So many aspects come into play. Where to go? What to do? Will it benefit them and how? Also, will they be able to return to the life of academia? You need a certain mindset when you’re studying which can be difficult to regain once you’ve been out in the world.
Woman: It is easy to lose focus when you’ve had a taste of life away from the books, but I think it can concentrate their mind. Not so much on the rigours of studying, but on a goal to strive for.
Man: I don’t know about that. I’ve seen students give up because they lost the drive for it. And to be honest, I really can’t blame them. So many graduates are having to scrimp and save just to stay afloat, their years of studying affording them little in the way of a leg-up at the beginning of their careers. No doubt they’ll be grateful of their qualifications once they get up the ladder but they don’t seem to count for much when they’re attempting to get on that first rung. It’s a Catch-22.
Extract two
In a year when the local economy has been hit by the foreclosure of the Sonic Electrics Company after it went into administration, we are finally turning a corner and closing the book on what has been a tumultuous decade for the region. We have seen record figures of unemployment that I’m sure has impacted every household. Whether it was to a greater or lesser extent, it has been felt by all and we have never lost the community spirit that makes this such a special place to live. Now, the strength of our resolve has been rewarded by not just one but two fortuitous developments. With the creation of 100 jobs at this new cannery coupled with a new factory at the company’s sister site in Wester Hills accommodating a workforce of over 200, we can look forward to brighter times ahead. Much like someone who’s been hurt in a terrible accident, we’ve endured a long road to recovery through painful treatment, but we’ve soldiered on and made it through. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the management who have weathered the storm hand-in-hand with us. We are grateful for their continued support and their belief in us.
academia: /ˌækəˈdiːmiə/ the world of learning, teaching, research, etc. at universities, and the people involved in it. Sp. ámbito académico.
E.g.
leading figures from academia and industry
mindset: a set of attitudes or fixed ideas that somebody has and that are often difficult to change. Mentality. Sp. mentalidad, actitud.
E.g.
a conservative mindset the mindset of the current generation.
rigour /ˈrɪɡə(r)/
1. the fact of being careful and paying great attention to detail.
E.g. academic/intellectual/scientific, etc. rigour
2. the fact of being strict or severe. Severity. Sp. Rigor, severidad.
E.g. This crime must be treated with the full rigour of the law.
the rigours of something [plural] the difficulties and unpleasant conditions of something.
E.g.
The plants were unable to withstand the rigours of a harsh winter.
She woke refreshed to face the rigours of a new day.
The rigors of winter in Chicago are tough even for the locals. Sp. El rigor del invierno en Chicago es duro hasta para los locales
strive:
strive, strove, striven
strive, strived, strived
to try very hard to achieve something strive for something
Sp. esforzarse
E.g.
We encourage all members to strive for the highest standards.
Strive for success. Sp. Esfuérzate por alcanzar el éxito.
drive: a strong desire to do things and achieve something; great energy. Sp. deseo, impulso.
E.g.
He'll do very well—he has tremendous drive.
His drive to succeed led him into business. Sp. Su deseo de tener éxito le llevó al mundo de los negocios.
scrimp: to spend very little money on the things that you need to live, especially so that you can save it to spend on something else. Sp. escatimar gastos, ajustarse el cinturón.
E.g.
They scrimped and saved to give the children a good education.
After months of scrimping, Layla was able to buy a new computer. Sp. Después de escatimar gastos durante meses, Layla pudo comprarse un nuevo ordenador.
leg-up: /ˈleɡ ʌp/
1. an act of helping somebody to get on a horse, over a wall, etc. by allowing them to put their foot in your hands and lifting them up.
2. an act of helping somebody to improve their situation.
E.g.
The loan from his father gave him a leg-up when he needed it.
rung: one of the bars that forms a step in a ladder. Sp. escalón, peldaño.
E.g.
He put his foot on the bottom rung to keep the ladder steady.
She climbed the last few rungs of the ladder.
(figurative) to get a foot on the bottom rung of the career ladder
(figurative) She was a few rungs above him on the social ladder.
Catch-22: an
unpleasant situation from which you cannot escape because you need to
do one thing before doing a second, but you need to do the second thing
before doing the first:
E.g.
We're in a Catch-22 situation.
foreclosure: /fɔːˈkləʊʒə(r)/ the act of taking control of somebody's property because they have not paid back money that they borrowed to buy it; an example of this.
E.g.
Foreclosures are expected to peak this year, then begin to fall. Sp. Las ejecuciones hipotecarias han sido previstas a incrementar este año, después comenzarán a bajar.
turn the corner to pass a very important point in an illness or a difficult situation and begin to improve. Sp. superar.
E.g.
The country's economy has finally turned the corner.
He's in a serious condition but we're hoping he'll turn the corner by morning. Sp. Él realmente está en malas condiciones pero esperamos que para mañana lo supere.
We knew Dad had turned the corner when he started complaining about the hospital food.
close the book on something: to end something unpleasant that has been continuing for a long time.
E.g.
It’s time to close the book on this unfortunate period in our history.
tumultuous: /tjuːˈmʌltʃuəs/ involving many difficulties and a lot of change and often violence. tempestuous.
E.g.
the tumultuous years of the English Civil War.
It was a tumultuous time in her life
resolve: /rɪˈzɒlv/ a determined desire to achieve something. resolution. Sp. determinación, resolución.
E.g.
The difficulties in her way merely strengthened her resolve.
It was a test of his stamina and resolve.
She did not weaken in her resolve.
resolve to do something The government reiterated its resolve to uncover the truth.
fortuitous: /fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs/ happening by chance, especially a lucky chance that brings a good result. Sp. fortuito, casual.
E.g.
a fortuitous meeting
His success depended on a fortuitous combination of circumstances.
cannery
: /ˈkænəri/ a factory where food is put into cans. Sp fábrica de conservas, fábrica de enlatados
E.g. His mother worked in the local tuna cannery.
endure: /ɪnˈdjʊə(r)/ to experience and deal with something that is painful or unpleasant without giving up. Bear. Sp. aguantar, soportar.
E.g.
endure something
They had to endure a long wait before the case came to trial.
She could not endure the thought of parting.
The pain was almost too great to endure.
soldier on to continue with what you are doing or trying to achieve, especially when this is difficult or unpleasant. Sp seguir adelante.
E.g.
His partner left and he had to soldier on alone.
make it through: to manage to deal with a difficult experience. Sp. Superar.
E.g.
I couldn’t have made it through those times without the support of my boyfriend.
If you try hard enough, you can make it through!
weather the storm: to deal with a difficult situation without being harmed or damaged too much. Sp. capear el temporal.
E.g.
Newspapers have weathered the storm of online information by providing news online themselves.
The entire world is weathering the storm of the financial crisis. Sp. El mundo entero está capeando el temporal de la crisis financiera.
hand in hand:
if two things go hand in hand, they are closely connected and one thing causes the other. In close association. Together.
E.g.
Poverty and poor health often go hand in hand.
The chef works hand in hand with a nutritionist
