Advanced English Vocabulary Set 1 Flashcards
Democrats _______ the President’s budget plan for being ‘inadequate’.
to criticize someone or something very strongly， usually in public
lambasted
the black ______ water of the lake
stinking
fetid
Even a ______ glance at the figures will tell you that sales are down.
done very quickly without much attention to details
cursory
On-line instruction is a useful _______ to the real thing.
something that is added or joined to something that is bigger or more important
adjunct
a ________ argument for banning the drug
reasonable and correct
cogent
the desperate _____ of the flood victims
a very bad situation
plight
He’s a reserved， ________ person.
saying little， especially habitually
taciturn
someone who is _______ is fat and has a red face
rubicund
He _______ the letter from my grasp.
to violently pull something away from someone
wrested
She was confronted by a man ________ a knife.
to hold a weapon or tool and look as if you are going to use it
wielding
made of or looking like glass
vitreous
I was never _______ ___ conversations between top management.
to be told information that is not told to many people
privy to
relating to or happening in the spring
vernal
The book contains _______ descriptive passages.
extremely good， beautiful or enjoyable
sublime
These salesmen are a _______ lot.
thinking quickly and cleverly， especially in business or financial matters
canny
His contract _________ him ___ discussing his work with anyone outside the company.
prevent someone from doing something
precludes from
Despite his kindly， sometimes _______ air， he was a shrewd observer of people.
unusual and strange in a way that might be amusing or annoying
whimsical
It was a _____ move to buy your house just before property prices started to rise.
well judged and likely to be right
shrewd
Other economists are more ________ about the possibility of inflation.
happy and hopeful about the future
sanguine
Can atheists be buried in _________ ground?
holy
hallowed
________ icons such as Marilyn Monroe and James Dean
very respected and praised because of great importance or great age
hallowed
Stop pestering me with your _______ theories!
difficult to understand
abstruse
The year 1969 was a _______ in her life - she changed her career and changed her partner.
an event or period which is important because it represents a big change in how people do or think about something
watershed
It is unlikely that his forces could withstand an allied __________ for very long.
a powerful attack
onslaught
He simply _________ the same story.
to use the same ideas again in a new form that is not really different or better
rehashed
This issue has been ________ so many times already.
to repeat something that was discussed earlier， especially in an annoying way
rehashed
Despite her ________ about leaving the baby， she decided to accompany her husband.
a feeling of doubt or fear
misgivings
Despite my _______， I took the job.
a feeling of slight worry or doubt because you are not sure that what you are doing is right
qualms
a ______ little village in Yorkshire
unusual and attractive， especially in an old-fashioned way
quaint
if a crowd of people _______ someone， they kill them， especially by hanging them， without using the usual legal process
lynches
She made a sharp ________
a quick and clever remark， often made in answer to a criticism
riposte
an amount of money paid regularly to someone， especially a priest， as a salary or as money to live on
stipend
It will be my first ______ ____ local government.
a short attempt at doing a particular job or activity， especially one that is very different from what you usually do
foray into
The soldiers were _______ ____ by machine gun fire.
to kill large numbers of people at the same time， especially by shooting them
mown down
He was sentenced to two years in prison for _______ _____ a nine-year old girl.
to kill someone by driving into them fast
mowing down
He was attacked and _______ by a bull.
wounded by an animal with its horns or tusks
gored
He likes movies with plenty of blood and _______
thick dark blood that has flowed from a wound
gore
Come on， I want to hear all the _____ details.
all the details about an unpleasant or interesting event
gory
She was feeling very _____
horny
randy
He was totally _______ by his father.
to make someone feel respect or fear， so that they are nervous or unable to say or do anything
overawed
The terrible experience seemed to have _________ him slightly.
to make someone become very upset or mentally ill
unhinged
Perl and Unix are __________ to the computing world
an action which harms something or someone
disservices
She _________ the cause of religious freedom.
publicly fight for and defend an aim or principle
championed
The large raise that he gave himself _________ his motives for running the charity.
to lower the quality or esteem of something
debased
a child who has a key to his or her home and is often alone at home after school has finished for the day because his or her parents are out at work
latchkey kid
sad because the person you love does not love you
lovelorn
a picture of the sea
seascape
Her fear of dogs is a _______ from her childhood.
an action， feeling， or idea that has continued from the past into the present
holdover
The twins were identical but their personalities were ______
unconnected， separate
discrete
When things are all jumbled up together， they’re said to be ________， which means not separated or sorted
indiscrete
After you’ve been in a relationship for a while all sorts of little secrets start to come out of the __________
to appear after having been hidden or not active for a long time
woodwork
the usual _______ romantic comedy
which lacks new ideas and sincerity， or is too often repeated and therefore not amusing or interesting
cornball
someone who lacks experience of something
greenhorn
Lindows is an operating system for Microsoft haters and _________. Its flaws make Windows seem like a genuine bargain.
someone who spends as little money as possible - used to show disapproval
cheapskates
a spirit of perfect _______
friendship， especially between countries
amity
He sued the police after they ________ his car.
confiscate
impounded
She shows a ______ disregard for danger.
happy， without worry
blithe
There’s been a steady decline in _________ industries such as shipbuilding and steel.
traditional industries that produce large machines and lot of pollution
smokestack
All this may sound a bit _________， but companies are already developing ‘intelligent’ homes.
extremely unlikely to be true or to happen
far-fetched
The task of proving Fermat’s “last” theorem remains _________.
hard to deal with
nettlesome
I hope the people we couldn’t invite don’t see it as a ______.
deliberate affront
snub
describes a nose which is short and turns up at the end
snub nose
Smoking is a particular _________ of his.
a particular thing that annoys or upsets you
bugbear
a person who influences the choice of people for powerful positions within an organization
kingmaker
Describing a person as being thin and bony， having prominent bones， rugged but not necessarily handsome.
rawboned
I’ve known this material for a long time， so the test on it should be a ________.
something that is easy or simple， or does not present any great challenge
cakewalk
He went to work on Saturday to try to work through the ________ of papers on his desk.
a large amount of things that you should have done before and must do now
backlog
a factory where coal is made into gas for use as fuel for heating and cooking
gasworks
A cocktail made from spirit plus soda water etc.
highball
Time will tell whether he is a ________ or a genius for promoting that sort of idea.
An eccentric， crazy or foolish person.
crackpot
The papers had some ________ version of the story.
very unclear and confusing
garbled
_______ animals used to live with humans but have become wild
feral
The normally _____ Mr James was photographed smiling and joking with friends.
unfriendly， unhappy and very serious
dour
After a sudden burst of activity， the team lapsed back into _______.
laziness
indolence
The ______ girl resisted doing her homework.
lazy
indolent
The author’s ______ style has done nothing to encourage sales of the book.
using too many words and therefore boring or difficult to read
prolix
Now that you’ve_______ doubts in my mind， I’ll never again be sure I can trust him.
to cause a bad emotion or condition to begin somewhere， which will grow or continue
sown
He had a few _______ of hair on his chin， but you could hardly call it a beard.
a number of short pieces of especially hair or grass which closely grow together or are held together near the base
tufts
She was trying to be friendly， but she just seemed ______ and insincere.
polite in an insincere way - used to show disapproval
smarmy
He’s got that lovely Irish ______ in his voice.
a gentle and pleasant rising and falling sound in a person’s voice
lilt
