Showing posts with label
Objective Proficiency Edition 2002 U01.
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Showing posts with label
Objective Proficiency Edition 2002 U01.
Show all posts
Ex 2
- Skin-deep: not as important or strongly felt as it appears to be. Superficial. E.g. Physical beauty helps, but in the end it's only skin-deep.
- Chameleon: /kəˈmiːliən/. a small lizard (= a type of reptile ) that can change colour according to its surroundings. Camaleón.
- Wilfully: done deliberately. Intencionadamente. E.g. They were charged with wilfully neglecting their children.
- Point: to lead to or suggest a particular development or logical argument. E.g. The evidence seems to point in that direction.
- Customize (-ise): /ˈkʌstəmaɪz/ to make or change something to suit the needs of the owner. E.g. You can customize the software in several ways.
- Mark out: define. Marcar. E.g. Changing their physical appearance helped our ancestors to mark out differences of role, status and kinship.
- Kinship: 1. the fact of being related in a family. Parentesco. E.g. the ties of kinship. 2. a feeling of being close to somebody because you have similar origins or attitudes. E.g. We tend to feel kinship with those who share the same values.
- Arguably: /ˈɑːɡjuəbli/ used (often before a comparative or superlative adjective) when you are stating an opinion that you believe you could give reasons to support. Podría decirse que. E.g. He is arguably the best actor of his generation.
- Capability: (to do something/of doing something) /ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/ the ability or qualities necessary to do something. E.g. Animals in the zoo have lost the capability to catch/of catching food for themselves.
- A species: (pl. species) /ˈspiːʃiːz/ a group into which animals, plants, etc. that are able to breed with each other and produce healthy young are divided. Especie. E.g. a rare species of beetle.
Please note that the plural of species is also species. That's because it comes from Latin. Here you will find a comprehensive list of words with an irregular plural.
Paper 3 Part 1 Open Cloze
A train of thought: the connected series of thoughts that are in your head at a particular time. Hilo. E.g. The phone ringing interrupted my train of thought.
Ex 1
Outward: /ˈaʊtwəd/ connected with the way people or things seem to be rather than with what is actually true. Exterior. E.g. Mark showed no outward signs of distress. She simply observes the outward forms of religion. To all outward appearances (= as far as it was possible to judge from the outside) they were perfectly happy. There were no outward signs that the house was inhabited.
Chord: /kɔːd/ two or more notes played together. Acorde. Strike/touch a chord (with somebody): to say or do something that makes people feel sympathy or enthusiasm. Acertar el tono. E.g. The speaker had obviously struck a chord with his audience.
Lend itself to something: to be suitable for something. E.g. Her voice doesn't really lend itself well to blues singing.
Chromium: /ˈkrəʊmiəm/ Chromium is a hard grey metal that shines brightly when polished and is often used to cover other metals in order to prevent them from rusting. Cromo. E.g. He covered the bright chromium parts of his camera.
Render: Render sb/sth + adj: to cause somebody/something to be in a particular state or condition. Make. E.g. To render something harmless/useless/ineffective. Hundreds of people were rendered homeless by the earthquake.
Unceasingly: /ʌnˈsiːsɪŋli/ continuing all the time. Incessantly /ɪnˈsesntli/ E.g. Snow fell unceasingly.
- Rate: a measurement of the speed at which something happens. Velocidad, ritmo. E.g. Most people walk at an average rate of 5 kilometres an hour.
Ex 5
- Dive: 1 to jump into water with your head and arms going in first. E.g. We dived into the river to cool off. 2 to swim underwater wearing breathing equipment. E.g. The main purpose of his holiday to Greece was to go diving. I've never done a course in deep-sea diving.
- Drum kit: a set of drums. Batería. E.g. We should never have bought Alex that drum kit!
Ex 6
- Lawn: an area of ground covered in short grass in a garden or park, or used for playing a game on. E.g. In summer we have to mow the lawn twice a week.
- Onlooker: a person who watches something that is happening but is not involved in it. Bystander. E.g. A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash.
- Burn down: to be destroyed, or to destroy something, by fire. E.g. The house burned down in 1895.
- Unit: a department, especially in a hospital, that provides a particular type of care or treatment. E.g. The intensive care unit. A maternity unit.
- Fur: the soft thick mass of hair that grows on the body of some animals. E.g. The cat carefully licked its fur.
- Flatten: to become or make something become flat or flatter. E.g. He flattened his hair down with gel.
- Comfort: /ˈkʌmfət/ to make somebody who is worried or unhappy feel better by being kind and sympathetic towards them. Consolar. E.g. The victim's widow was today being comforted by family and friends.
- Tie sb down: to restrict somebody's freedom, for example by making them accept particular conditions or by keeping them busy. E.g. Kids tie you down, don't they?
- Stand up: to react in a particular way to severe conditions or treatment. E.g. I have often wondered how I would stand up against fire, flood and tempest.
- Choke: to be unable to breathe because the passage to your lungs is blocked or you cannot get enough air; to make somebody unable to breathe. E.g. She almost choked to death in the thick fumes.
- Embellish: /ɪmˈbelɪʃ/ to make a story more interesting by adding details that are not always true. E.g. His account of his travels was embellished with details of famous people he met.
- All the same/just the same: despite this. E.g. All the same, there's some truth in what she says. He's not very reliable, but I like him just the same.
- Acquit sb of sth: to decide and state officially in court that somebody is not guilty of a crime. Absolver. E.g. The jury acquitted him of murder. Acquit yourself well/ badly: to perform or behave well, badly, etc. Defenderse bien/mal. E.g. He acquitted himself brilliantly in the exams.
Ex 8
- Furry: /ˈfɜːri/ covered with fur. Peludo. E.g. Small furry animals
Ex. 1
Ring the changes (with something): (British English) to make changes to something in order to have greater variety. E.g. Ring the changes with a new colour.
A change for the better/worse: a person, thing, situation, etc. that is better/worse than the previous or present one. E.g. Voters see the new leader as a change for the better.
A change of heart: if you have a change of heart, your attitude towards something changes, usually making you feel more friendly, helpful, etc. E.g. Dan did not want to get married but recently he's had a change of heart.
Come about (that…): To happen E.g. Can you tell me how the accident came about?
Ex.2
KEY
1 gaining media attention
2 stepping in for someone
3 heading the wrong way
4 being made redundant
5 meeting "Mr Right"
Heading the wrong way: going in the wrong direction. E.g. If you feel we are heading the wrong way or have missed something, please get in touch.
Step in for someone: "tomar su lugar" (el lugar del otro) E.g. "Tom was sick, so Jack had to step in for him."
Drag: to pull somebody/something along with effort and difficulty. E.g. I was dragged along to a party.
Outfit: a set of clothes that you wear together, especially for a particular occasion or purpose. E.g. She was wearing an expensive new outfit. Conjunto.
Lace: a delicate material made from threads of cotton, silk, etc. that are twisted into a pattern of holes. Encaje. E.g. It was an antique lace dress that was worth a million dollars.
Run sth up: to make a piece of clothing quickly, especially by sewing. E.g. to run up a blouse.
- Turning point (in something): the time when an important change takes place, usually with the result that a situation improves. E.g. The promotion marked a turning point in her career.Momento decisivo.
- Chuck in: quit. E.g. The simple truth is, if you chuck in your job and decide to write full time, unless you're very lucky, you're going to run out of cash pretty soon.
- Take sb on: to employ somebody. E.g. to take on new staff. She was taken on as a trainee.
Stay in: to not go out or to remain indoors. E.g I feel like staying in tonight.
Beer money: a little extra money to buy a drink or have fun with. E.g. The job was never going to make me rich, but it kept me in beer money for a while.
Break: an opportunity to do something, usually to get something that you want or to achieve success. E.g. I got my lucky break when I won a ‘Young Journalist of the Year’ competition. We've had a few bad breaks (= pieces of bad luck) along the way. If you just give me a break, you won't regret it.
Be down to somebody/something: to be caused by a particular person or thing. E.g. She claimed her problems were down to the media.
Hang around: to wait or stay near a place, not doing very much. E.g. You hang around here in case he comes, and I'll go on ahead.
Trip: to catch your foot on something and fall or almost fall. E.g. She tripped and fell. Someone will trip over that cable.
Due: arranged or expected. E.g. When's the baby due? The next train is due in five minutes.
Rabbit on (about somebody/something): (British English, informal, disapproving) to talk continuously about things that are not important or interesting. E.g. Stop rabbiting on about nothing, will you, and go to sleep. Once my wife gets on the phone with one of her friends, they rabbit on for hours.
Pick sth out: to play a tune on a musical instrument slowly without using written music. E.g. He picked out the tune on the piano with one finger.
Dismal: causing or showing sadness. Miserable. Deprimente. E.g. dismal conditions/surroundings/weather. Christmas will be dismal without the children.
Run: to become different in a particular way, especially a bad way. E.g. The river ran dry (= stopped flowing) during the drought. Supplies are running low. We've run short of milk. You've got your rivals running scared.
Draw+ prep.: to move in the direction mentioned. E.g. The train drew into the station.
Settle in/ settle into something: to move into a new home, job, etc. and start to feel comfortable there. E.g. How are the kids settling into their new school? It's not always easy for a new player to settle in. Instalarse, adaptarse.
Spiral: /ˈspaɪrəl/ a continuous harmful increase or decrease in something, that gradually gets faster and faster. E.g. the vicious spiral of rising wages and prices.
Chug: to move making the sound of an engine running slowly. E.g. The boat chugged down the river. Chug along: seguir marchando.
Bam: (exclamation) used to show that something happens very suddenly. E.g. I saw him yesterday and—bam!—I realized I was still in love with him.
Knock somebody sideways: (informal) to surprise or shock somebody so much that they are unable to react immediately. E.g. The news about his mother's accident really knocked him sideways.
Wham: (exclamation) used to show that something that is unexpected has suddenly happened. E.g. I saw him yesterday and—wham!—I realized I was still in love with him.
Rocky: difficult and not certain to continue or to be successful. E.g. a rocky marriage
Catch up with somebody: to finally start to cause problems for somebody after they have managed to avoid this for some time. Alcanzar, pasar factura. E.g. She was terrified that one day her past problems would catch up with her.
Pay sb off: to finish paying money owed for something. E.g. We paid off our mortgage after fifteen years.
Cut back (on something): to reduce something. E.g. If we don't sell more we'll have to cut back production. To cut back on spending.
Mind-numbingly: /ˈnʌmɪŋli/ very boring. E.g. The lecture was mind-numbingly tedious.
Rut: a boring way of life that does not change. Estancarse. E.g. I gave up my job because I felt I was stuck in a rut. If you don't go out and meet new people, it's easy to get into a rut.
Splash: the sound of something hitting liquid or of liquid hitting something. E.g. We heard the splash when she fell into the pool.
Gravelly: /ˈɡrævəli/ (of a voice) deep and with a rough sound. E.g. His gravelly voice is perfect for radio.
- Squad: (in sport) a group of players, runners, etc. from which a team is chosen for a particular game or match. Equipo. E.g. the Olympic/national squad.
