4 Flashcards
ambience
the qualities of a place and
the way it makes you feel
anonymous
having no interesting or unusual
features
be made up of
to consist of or be formed from
two or more things
benefit rates
how much money the
government gives to people who are ill, poor, not
working, etc. depending on their situation
bland
not interesting or exciting
booming industry
a very successful industry
that is increasing in size
break up sth
to divide something into different
areas
call centre
a place where organisations
employ people to talk over the telephone to customers to
provide information, or sell goods or services
claustrophobic
a claustrophobic place makes
you feel anxious because it is very small or crowded
clutter
a lot of objects that are not tidy or well
organized
clutter sth up
to cover a surface or fill a place
with things that are not tidy or well organised
cohesion
when the members of a group
or society are united
committed a
loyal and willing to give your time
and energy to something that you believe in
constant pressure (under ~)
worried
feelings all the time because you are always dealing with
difficult situations
cramped
a cramped room, building, etc. is
unpleasant because it is not big enough
décor
the style of decoration and furniture in
a room or building
design feature
a piece of furniture or part of a
room that is intended to be stylish and attractive
draw the line at sth
to not allow something
dreariness
when something is boring and
makes you feel unhappy
emerging economies
economies that are
starting to be successful and competitive
extensive experience/knowledge
a lot of
experience/knowledge
eye-strain
tired or painful eyes as a result of
too much reading, looking at a computer screen, etc
fiddle with sth
to move things about or touch
things with no particular purpose
fierce competition
very strong competition
flourish
to grow or develop well
fluffy animals/toys
toy animals that are soft
and covered in fur
get your teeth into sth
to start to deal with
something with great energy and enthusiasm
give sb an/the edge over sb
to make someone
slightly better than someone else
give a false impression
give someone a wrong
idea about what something is like
glare
strong, bright light that hurts your eyes
go for + n (a break/walk/coffee)
to go
somewhere in order to take a break/walk/drink a cup of
coffee, etc.
high-rise block
a building that is very tall and
has a lot of floors
a hotbed of sth
a place where there is a lot of a
particular activity
idea-swapping
telling other people about your
ideas and listening to other people’s ideas
in all fields
in all areas of study or activity
in demand
wanted or needed in large numbers
job-sharing
when two people do one job
between them, sharing the duties and the pay and
working at different times of the day or week
kill a few birds with one stone (usually to kill two birds
with one stone)
to achieve several things at once
labyrinthine
having a lot of passages and parts
so that it is easy to get lost in
layout
the way that something is arranged
light and airy
having a lot of light and space
made up of
to consist of or be formed from two
or more things
mundanity
when something is very ordinary
and not interesting
open-plan office
an office with few or no
walls inside, so it is not divided into smaller rooms
outline sth
to describe the most important
ideas or facts about something
perk
something you are given because of your
job, such as a car, which is not your salary
price yourself out of the market
to charge such
a lot of money for the things you are selling that people
stop buying them
prioritise sth
to decide which of a group of
things are the most important so that you can deal with
them first
quality of life
the level of enjoyment, comfort and
health in someone’s life
retain sth
to continue to keep something
rethink sth
to change what you think
about something or what you plan to do
right across the board
affecting everyone or
every part of something
shortage
when there is not enough of
something
shrink
to become smaller, or to make
something smaller
sparkle
to shine brightly because of reflected
light
spartan
) very simple and not comfortable or
luxurious
stifling
extremely hot and therefore unpleasant
or difficult to breathe
tenet
a principle or belief of a theory or
religion
threadbare
1 material or clothes are very thin because they have
been used too much
2 poorly or cheaply furnished
utilitarian
designed to be useful and not
beautiful
vast knowledge
great knowledge
warehouse
a large building for storing goods
that are going to be sold
workload
the amount of work that you have
to do
workstation
a computer and the area around it
where you work in an office
