Lesson 51 Predicting the future
1. predict v.
He predicted that my hair would grow back `in no time'...
It's hard to predict how a jury will react...
2. notorious a.
...an area notorious for drugs, crime and violence...
→infamous He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.
3. take over
The agency has advised its clients to take over or merge with another company.
They want me to take over as editor when Harold Evans leaves.
Microfilms might even take over from libraries one day.
4. primitive a.
...studies of primitive societies.
5. follow v.
Please follow me, madam...
They took him into a small room and I followed.
I think we're being followed.
Other problems may follow...
6. giant a./n.
the electronics giant
giant steps in the conquest of a disease
giant conspiracies
7. humble a.
He gave a great performance, but he was very humble...
men and women from very humble backgrounds
My humble opinion is that an analysis would be very useful.
We only want one humble little room out of all those hundreds he’s got available.
8. remarkable a.
He was a remarkable man...
It was a remarkable achievement...
9. dismiss v.
The problem can no longer be dismissed.
Dismissing the other children, she told Anthony to stay behind.
An individual cannot now be dismissed for non-membership of a union.
10. rule v./n.
...a thirty-two-page pamphlet explaining the rules of basketball...
Strictly speaking, this was against the rules.
Short haircuts became the rule.
the days of British rule
Rule by intimidation proved the worst method in the classroom.
11. relieve v.
Drugs can relieve much of the pain...
The news relieved him of some of his embarrassment.
By writing down all your family’s birthdays you relieve yourself of the burden of remembering them.
12. commonplace a.
Air travel has now become commonplace.
The most commonplace things excited her interest.
13. instant n./a.
hesitate for an instant
They saw a man who caught sight of them at the same instant.
At that instant, an angry buzzing began.
instant success
This will allow instant access to relevant data.
14. diagnose v.
Routine tests will diagnose the condition accurately.
The doctor has diagnosed it as rheumatism
Fortunately, the fault was diagnosed early.
posted @ 2008-07-03 12:09
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Lesson 52 Mud is mud
1. permanent a.
Heavy drinking can cause permanent damage to the brain...
The ban is intended to be permanent.
→temporary His job here is only temporary...
...a temporary loss of memory.
2. study n./v.
...a relaxed and happy atmosphere that will allow you to study to your full potential...
...the use of maps and visual evidence in the study of local history...
Recent studies suggest that as many as 5 in 1000 new mothers are likely to have this problem.
→A study is a room in a house which is used for reading, writing, and studying.
3. tint v.
Its large leaves often show a delicate purple tint...
Eyebrows can be tinted with the same dye...
She gave me instructions on how to apply the tint.
4. delicate a.
She had long delicate fingers.
Although the coral looks hard, it is very delicate.
Delicate sense of smell
5. observant a.
An observant doctor can often detect depression from expression, posture, and movement.
6. contain v.
Factory shops contain a wide range of cheap furnishings...
Many cars run on petrol which contains lead.
More than a hundred firemen are still trying to contain the fire at the plant...
7. express v.
He expressed grave concern at American attitudes...
express one’s sorrow/regret/views/opinions/feelings
She came with the express purpose of causing trouble.
express letter/delivery/laundry service
8. rub v.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He coughed and rubbed at his throat.
Peter rubbed his glasses slowly.
9. dispel v.
The President is attempting to dispel the notion that he has neglected the economy.
All such doubts were now dispelled.
→banish He has now banished all thoughts of retirement...
...a public investment programme intended to banish the recession.
They tried to banish him from politics.
10. outlandish a.
This idea is not as outlandish as it sounds.
→bizarre He had some bizarre conversations with his landlady.
11. relate v.
Other recommendations relate to the details of how such data is stored...
Children need to learn to relate to other children.
12. acquire v.
General Motors acquired a 50% stake in Saab for about $400m...
I've never acquired a taste for wine...
He has acquired a reputation as this country's premier solo violinist.
an acquired taste
13. cure v.
Her cancer can only be controlled, not cured.
Atkinson has been told rest is the only cure for his ankle injury.
Private firms are willing to make large scale investments to help cure Russia's economic troubles...
14. outrageous a.
I must apologise for my outrageous behaviour...
Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.
Nearly every day from then on, some new outrageous incident would take place.
15. fanciful a.
She had fanciful notion that germs were waiting to pounce on her.
Their interpretations are often fanciful.
16. insoluble a.
I pushed the problem aside; at present it was insoluble...
17. beyond prep.
The economy is beyond me.
How he managed to find us is beyond me.
18. prompt v./a.
Japan's recession has prompted consumers to cut back on buying cars...
It is not too late, but prompt action is needed.
The company was prompt in its response to these accusations.
Mary was prompt to dismiss any suspicions I might have.
19. puzzled a.
Critics remain puzzled by the British election results...
→confused A survey showed people were confused about what they should eat to stay healthy...
20. stress n./v.
He stressed the importance of better public relations.
This stress on community values is not so apparent in the east of the country.
The rationale for the divorce rate is that too many stresses are being placed on the modern family.
21. bewilder v.
The silence from Alex had hurt and bewildered her.
22. convey v.
Other newspapers convey the impression that the war is nearing its end.
The railway company extended a branch line to Brightlingsea to convey fish direct to Billingsgate.
23. concoct v.
He had to hastily concoct an excuse.
Nancy had concocted a red wine sauce to go with the pheasants.
24. intoxicate v.
One in four admitted being intoxicated.
She was intoxicated by her position as manager of the company.
25. blank a.
Her face went blank.
My mind is a blank.
I keep thinking I know all the answers and then going blank.
26. discreet a.
I can guarantee that Perry would be discreet.
She is very discreet. She has never told me anything about it.
→discrete The company was divided into a number of relatively small, discrete units.
27. hasty a.
Hasty departure/meal
28. retreat v.
I nearly tripped and fell as I retreated from a gentleman who rushed up to me.
I retreated to the country for a long weekend.
The French, suddenly outnumbered, were forced to retreat...
29. clutch v./n.
The boy’s mother was sitting in front of the desk, clutching a handkerchief.
Smith still has the press in his clutches.
He started his car and let out the clutch far too quickly.
30 adorn v.
His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books...
posted @ 2008-07-03 12:09
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Lesson 47 Too high a price
1. pollution n.
Recycling also helps control environmental pollution by reducing the need for waste dumps.
→pollute Heavy industry pollutes our rivers with noxious chemicals...
→contaminate These chemicals contaminate water and poison animals.
2. population n.
Bangladesh now has a population of about 110 million.
...the annual rate of population growth.
→populous Indonesia, with 216 million people, is the fourth most populous country in the world.
3. industrialize v.
Energy consumption rises as countries industrialise...
→industry ...the motor vehicle and textile industries.
4. deal with
The President said the agreement would allow other vital problems to be dealt with.
→handle To tell the truth, I don't know if I can handle the job...
→cope with It was amazing how my mother coped with bringing up three children on less than three pounds a week...
5. dump v.
We dumped our bags at the nearby Grand Hotel and hurried towards the market...
→German law forbids the dumping of hazardous waste on German soil.
6. turn down
Would you turn down $7,000,000 to appear nude in a magazine?
→turn out It turned out to be a fairly sensational evening.
They have been turning out great blades for 400 years.
7. attempt n./v.
Some of the crowd attempted to break through police cordons.
A long time had elapsed since I had attempted any serious study.
She has made no attempt to contact her mother.
8. volume n.
Senior officials will be discussing how the volume of sales might be reduced.
...the first volume of his autobiography.
He came to complain about the volume of the music.
When egg whites are beaten they can rise to seven or eight times their original volume.
9. threaten v.
He tied her up and threatened her with a six-inch knife...
The fighting is threatening to turn into full-scale war...
→warn They warned him of the dangers of sailing alone...
I wish I'd listened to the people who warned me against having the operation...
10. overwhelm v.
The need to talk to someone, anyone, overwhelmed her.
Their mission was to seize the bridges and overwhelm the garrison.
→overpower The smell of decaying meat overpowered Crompton.
The bank robber was overpowered by two cashiers.
11. quantity n.
...a small quantity of water.
...vast quantities of food...
→quality Everyone can greatly improve the quality of life...
Other services vary dramatically in quality.
12. abandon v.
He claimed that his parents had abandoned him...
The authorities have abandoned any attempt to distribute food...
He has spent money with gay/joyous abandon...
→give up After a fruitless morning sitting at his desk he had given up.
→fruitless Talks have so far have been fruitless.
13. steady a.
A student doesn't have a steady income.
This year we’ve seen a steady rise in prices.
slow but steady progress
14. innocent a.
He was sure that the man was innocent of any crime...
They seemed so young and innocent...
→guilty They were found guilty of murder...
They feel guilty about seeing her so little.
15. affect v.
Nicotine adversely affects the functioning of the heart and arteries...
Arthritis is a crippling disease which affects people all over the world.
→afflict Italy has been afflicted by political corruption for decades...
→ crippling
→corruption
16. invade v.
If his country was invaded by a foreign enemy, he would return at once.
invade one’s privacy
17. alarm v./n.
We could not see what had alarmed him.
The locals view these road improvements with alarm.
The alarm went off.
18. go off
A few minutes later the bomb went off, destroying the vehicle.
Don't eat that! It's mouldy. It's gone off!
→go after My husband had gone after a job.
Go after a better deal.
→go by As time goes by more devices come on to the market.
Don’t go by what he says.
→go in for I thought of going in for teaching.
19. assist v.
The family decided to assist me with my chores...
The public is urgently requested to assist police in tracing this man...
20. profound a.
This is a book full of profound, original and challenging insights.
...discoveries which had a profound effect on many areas of medicine.
21. rate n./v.
The world's tropical forests are disappearing at an even faster rate than experts had thought.
interest rate cuts.
divorce rate
a rising rate of unemployment
He was a self-taught geologist, rated by his colleagues as one of the best.
22. scale n.
However, he underestimates the scale of the problem...
→full-scale, large-scale, small-scale
We are prepared for any crisis, including full-scale warfare.
large-scale forest fires
23. range n./v.
Her talk conveyed something of the range and diversity of research activities in the university.
outside his range of responsibility
a range of subjects/possibilities/options
Prices range from $3 to $5
The cost of the improvements would range between 2.5 million and 4 million.
24. block n./v.
a large office block
His flat is on the fourth floor of this five-storey block
the school physics block
Some students today blocked a highway that cuts through the center of the city...
He couldn’t block the deal.
25. contain v.
Each pill contains 75 milligrams of aspirin
Factory shops contain a wide range of cheap furnishings...
More than a hundred firemen are still trying to contain the fire at the plant...
26. figure n./v.
It will not be long before the inflation figure starts to fall...
This led to the development of a new type of machine(see Figure 8).
She had not yet figured out what she was going to do.
27. stagger v.
I staggered to the nearest chair.
We managed to stagger back up to the deck.
→staggering The public response was absolutely staggering.
posted @ 2008-07-03 12:08
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