CERTIFICATE IN ADVANCED ENGLISH 4 (Cambridge University Press)
READING PASSAGES VOCABULARY
TEST 1
Pg 1/ What I wear to work
Diverse(adj)= different,various, diversity(n)- syn.variety
To deem(v)= to think, to believe, to be of the opinion of
e.g. ‘I deem that the second option is better.’
Outfit(n)= clothes one wears
e.g ‘ I can’t go to work in this outfit.’
Satchel(n)= a bag used to carry books
To impact on(v)= to affect, to have an effect on
To goggle(v)= to laugh in a silly way
To eavesdrop(v)= to listen to somebody’s conversation on purpose
Unnerving= that, which upsets you, enervates you
To contribute to(v)= to lead to,to help with
Barriers(n)= limits
e.g. ‘This plane can break the sound barrier.
Also: language barrier= not speaking a language, which stops you from communicating with people
Colleagues= people who do the same job e.g. teachers
Frame of mind= mood one is in e.g. ‘ I’m not in the right frame of mind for this kind of work’
To associate one thing with another= to connect things (in one’s mind)
e.g. ‘ I always associate Christmas with receiving and giving gifts’.
Pg. 8 Mrs Mintar
To be misled=to make mistakes, to be wrong
(see usage in the text)
Wiry=thin, flexible, muscular
Vigor=strength, force, power
Thong=a string of leather
Pendant=a piece of jewelry hanging from one’s neck
Unconventional=unusual
Dreary=boring, uninteresting
Assumption=hypothesis, supposition, presumption
Col. To make an assumption
Pg. 9 The Polo Shirt
Scruffy=untidy in appearance
Sloppy=imperfect
e.g “He speaks sloppy English”
to transcend=to exceed
e.g “the athlete transcended himself and did more than was possible”
Rebellion=revolution (v)=to rebel against sb
Pivotal=being of considerable importance
e.g good studying habits are pivotal to passing an exam
Pg. 10 The Modern Adventurer
Summit=top of, the crest/peak of
Candour=honesty, brilliance
Dough=money
A decade=ten years (a period of)
To abseil from=to come down from, using a rope
Growing=increasing
To trudge=to walk with heavy, slow steps
Abbreviated=short
Intrepid=fearless
Stamina=strength, physical endurance
To generate=to produce
An exploit=an achievement,a feat
Plight=situation one is in (usu. bad)
Juvenile=young
Hazardous=dangerous
To slither=to slide
Pg. 12/13 Bridges
To hint at=to imply, to suggest indirectly
Limbo=any in between place or condition
Far-fetched=impossible to imagine
Concept=idea, notion
Shallow=not deep
e.g shallow maters
Boundaries=limits, borders
Region=area, district
Deliberately=on purpose, intentionally
Feat=achievement
To savour=to taste, to enjoy, to relish
To contradict=to be against, to appose
Ancestors=people we come from, forefathers
Delineation=specification
To visualize=to predict
Be confined to=be limited to
Co-ordination=synchronicity
Pg. 14/15 A Band and its website
Shortcomings=disadvantages
Potential=ability to do smt
Approach=method, strategy-way one does smt
To fit in with=to match, go together with
Acclaim(n)=recognition, acknowledgement
Attribute(v) smt to smt else=give reasons for
Integrated into=included in
Overhaul=a complete repair of
TEST 2
Pg 33. The interview
Suburbs=city areas outside the city centre
Competence=ability to do something well
Waywardness=obstinacy, stubbornness
Hilarious=comical, very funny
Pompous=impressive (unnecessarily)
Pg 34 TV criticism
Distinctive=clear, specific
Disregarded(v)=ignored
Condescension=politeness towards inferiors
Staggering=shocking
Pg 35 Review of the book Teen TV
Obsolence=the process of becoming old
Relentless=unstoppable, ceaseless
Caution=attention
To exploit(v)=to take advantage of
To appeal to= to attract
Inevitable= cannot be avoided, unavoidable
To adjudicate= to act as a judge, to judge
To condemn= to criticize, to reject
Sitcom= a TV comedy
Lifespan= duration of
Page 36 calls from the deep
To monitor= to carefully control
To pinpoint= to specify
To baffle= to confuse, to puzzle
Audible= that which can be heard
To detect= to find, to discover
To luck= to remain hidden in order to attack
Efficient= able to, effective, competent
An array of= a line of
Page 38 THOR HEYERDAHL
Sprawling= stretching across an area
Remnants = what remains, ruins, remains (n)
Raft= a square piece of wood used for sailing
Consensus= general agreement
To retort= to reply, to answer back
Conviction= idea,belief, a prison sentence
Backlash= public reaction
To dabble in= be an amateur dealing with something
Audacious= daring, bold
Grudgingly= unwillingly, reluctantly
Hitherto= up to now,so far
To purchase= to buy
To conceal= to hide
Resentment= displeasure
Pages 40,41 old friends reunited
Compatible= go well together ( of people, things)
To endure= to last
Mutually= involving two sides
To long to(v)= to want something badly
Avid= enthusiastic e.g. an avid reader
Re-ignited= restarted, rekindled
Riotous= rebellious, revolutionary
To drift apart= to lose touch with somebody
Discerning= choosy, selective, careful when choosing
Be disconcerted= be upset about
To renounce= to reject, to drop, to leave
Daunting= terrifying
To entail= to include,to involve, to contain
TEST 3
Page 59 Life in the slow lane
To withstand= to confront,to resist, to face
Circumnavigation= travelling round a place
Skeptical= doubtful
Off spring= child, children
Invariably= as a rule, usually
Page 60 Mr.particular.com
Barbed= thorny, with cutting edges
Defiencies= inadequacies,gaps
Be up to scratch(idiom)= meeting the required standards,expectations
Be eloquent= one who possesses the art of rhetorics,can speak in an excellent way
A bug= a small insect
To foot the bill= to pay the bill
Decent= good enough
Page 61 Walking the world
Pace=rhythm
To neglect= to forget to do, pay no attention to one’s duties or obligations
Teeming=crowded=to teem with =be full of
Aprelude=a prologue to/ a preface to
Propulsion=a push forward
A multitude of=lots of, many of, several, a plethora of
Broad=large
Sufficiently=enough, adequately
Pg. 62/63 The birth of Spider-Man
Brainchild= idea, inspiration, a ‘product’ of one’s mind
Irresistible= impossible to resist, or to fight
Compulsive= unable to stop oneself from doing something eg. compulsive eater
Profoundly= deeply
Saviour= one who saves others e.g. ‘Jesus is our saviour’
Contemporaries= people who live at the same time
Featuring= showing
To enhance= to improve
Maligned= having a bad reputation
Angst= stress, pressure
Adolescence= teenage
Quintessential= the ultimate
Privy= secret, hidden
To become privy= start to understand somebody’s inner thoughts
Pages 64,65 Recreating sails used on Viking ships
Replica= a copy of, an imitation of
Catch(n)= a problem e.g. ‘There’s a catch here’
To perish= to die, to disappear
Shelter= protection
A breed= a kind of (us for animals)
To saturate= to soak in water
Heather= an evergreen planet
To thrive on= to do very well, to prosper
To shear= to cut a little, to trim
An insight into= an understanding of
To consult= to ask for an expert’s advice
Interpretation= explanation,understanding
Pages 66-67 Electric Guitars
To prompt(v)= to cause something to happen
To lay something aside= to abandon, to give something up
To bash= to strike, to hit heavily
To raid= to attack
To disassemble= to take something to pieces, to take something apart
Notably= in other words, that is to say
Glare= brilliance, brightness
To pander to= to appeal to, to attract
To amass= to gather, to collect, to accumulate
Reverence= respect for(v)= to revere(v)
To resurface= to reappear
TEST 4
Pages 85 Camping in the wild
To retreat= to go back to,to retire to
Sumptuousness= luxury , lavishness
To insulate= to keep one away from
Privilege= advantage
To scar= to do harm to, to damage(figur.)
Page 86 THE BIG STORM
To fliquer= to tremble (of candles,flames)
Fury= anger,force
Turmoil= the state of being upside down
Rational= logical,reasonable
Imminent= ready to happen,impending
Leap= jump
Pages 87 PROTECTING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Pristine= unspoiled,unoccupied, virgin
Haven= a refuge or sanctuary,a shelter
To emerge= to appear
To quadruple= to become four times more
Sediment= a collection of small particles
Grazing= animals eating the green in fields
Bleaching= a surface turning to white
Pages 88-89 Elephant intelligence
To infiltrate= to gain access to,to enter
A herd= a group of animals, a flock
Footage=an amount of film or tape
Mischievousness= ability to do harm to
Perpetrator=the one committing a crime
To trample= to walk heavily upon
Pages 90-91 The Sound of Music
To define= to characterise as
Intricate=complicated
Illustrative= explanatory
Royalties=money one gets from copyrights
Lucrative= profitable
To stimulate=to excite
Bulk= lots of,plenty of
To hurl= to throw something with force
To perceive=be aware of, to understand
Be concerned about= worry about
Pages 92,93 Keeping a Journal
Perspective= view
Recreation=amusement,enjoyment
To undergo changes= to go through changes
Primary= main,chief
Lack of=absence of, shortage of
To foretell= to foresee,to predict
Banal= unimportant,insignificant,trivial
To witness= to see, to be present at
Rough draft=piece of paper used for making quick notes
An endeavour= an effort, an attempt
Aspiration= ambition
Implication= result of
Uncensored= without restriction,limits
To utter= to say
Ruthlessly=without mercy
Irrefutable= undeniable
Schism= an opening between, a chasm
Constant= continuous, steady
Hindsight= looking back in time, reconsidering past events or experiences
Impenetrable= impossible to enter, go through
To undermine= to sabotage, to harm, to damage
Retrospective=looking backwards
Tedious=boring and tiring
Random= depending on chance
To mimic=to copy,to imitate
Wayward=obstinate,stubborn
Cogent= reasonable and convincing
Principally= mainly
Integrity=unity,honesty