B2 - Lesson 09 - Experiences

Question 1

fortune [/ˈfɔːtʃən/]

Answer 1

1 MONEY [countable] a very large amount of money
He made a fortune selling property in Spain.
Her personal fortune was estimated at £37 million.

2 CHANCE [uncountable] chance or luck, and the effect that it has on your life
I had the good fortune to work with a brilliant head of department.

Question 2

teller [/ˈtelə/]

Answer 2

1 someone whose job is to receive and pay out money in a bank
2 someone who counts votes

Question 3

regret [/rɪˈɡret/]

Answer 3

1 to feel sorry about something you have done and wish you had not done it
Don’t do anything you might regret.

2 [not in progressive] formal used in official letters or statements when saying that you are sorry or sad about something
We regret any inconvenience caused to our customers.

Question 4

cheat [/tʃiːt/]

Answer 4

1 [intransitive, transitive] to behave in a dishonest way in order to win or to get an advantage, especially in a competition, game, or examination
He had cheated in the test by using a calculator.

2 [transitive] to trick or deceive someone so that they do not get or keep something they have a right to have
Illegal workers are often cheated by employers.

Question 5

horrendous [/hɒˈrendəs,/]

Answer 5

1 frightening and terrible SYN horrific

a horrendous experience

Question 6

awful [/ˈɔːfəl/]

Answer 6

1 very bad or unpleasant SYN terrible

The weather was awful.

Question 7

rewarding [/rɪˈwɔːdɪŋ/]

Answer 7

making you feel happy and satisfied because you feel you are doing something useful or important, even if you do not earn much money → satisfying, worthwhile
Teaching can be a very rewarding career.

Question 8

unforgettable [/ˌʌnfəˈɡetəbəl◂/]

Answer 8

an unforgettable experience, sight etc affects you so strongly that you will never forget it, especially because it is particularly good or beautiful → memorable
A visit to Morocco is a truly unforgettable experience.

Question 9

dire [/daɪə/]

Answer 9

extremely serious or terrible
warnings of dire consequences that often don’t come true
The country is in dire need of food aid.
The situation looked dire.

Question 10

bizarre [/bəˈzɑː/]

Answer 10

very unusual or strange
a bizarre coincidence
dancers in rather bizarre costumes

Question 11

set off []

Answer 11

1 to start to go somewhere
I’ll set off early to avoid the traffic.
for
Jerry and I set off on foot for the beach.

2 set something ↔ off to make something start happening, especially when you do not intend to do so
News that the claims might be true set off widespread panic.
Hong Kong’s stock market fell, setting off a global financial crisis.

Question 12

downhill [/ˌdaʊnˈhɪl◂/]

Answer 12

1 towards the bottom of a hill or towards lower land OPP uphill
I was going downhill and my brakes failed.
2 → go downhill

Question 13

optician [/ɒpˈtɪʃən/]

Answer 13

1 British English someone who tests people’s eyes and sells glasses in a shop SYN optometrist American English

2 American English someone who makes lenses for glasses

Question 14

exhilarating [/ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/]

Answer 14

making you feel happy, excited, and full of energy
an exhilarating experience
an exhilarating walk

Question 15

exciting [/ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/]

Answer 15

making you feel excited

an exciting discovery

Question 16

exhausting [/ɪɡˈzɔːstɪŋ/]

Answer 16

making you feel extremely tired

an exhausting process

Question 17

nerve-racking []

Answer 17

a nerve-racking situation makes you feel very nervous or worried
Speaking in public can be a nerve-wracking experience.
Fran faced a nerve-racking wait for her test results.

Question 18

awkward [/ˈɔːkwəd/]

Answer 18

making you feel embarrassed so that you are not sure what to do or say SYN difficult
I hoped he would stop asking awkward questions.
There was an awkward moment when she didn’t know whether to shake his hand or kiss his cheek.
an awkward silence

Question 19

memorable [/ˈmemərəbəl/]

Answer 19

very good, enjoyable, or unusual, and worth remembering

We want to make this a truly memorable day for the children.

Question 20

worthwhile [/ˌwɜːθˈwaɪl◂/]

Answer 20

if something is worthwhile, it is important or useful, or you gain something from it
He wanted to do a worthwhile job.
We decided to give the money to a worthwhile cause (=one that helps people).

Question 21

marvellous [British English, marvelous American English /ˈmɑːvələs $ ˈmɑːr-/]

Answer 21

extremely good, enjoyable, impressive etc SYN wonderful
‘How was your holiday?’ ‘Marvellous!’
We had a marvellous time.

Question 22

weird [/wɪəd/]

Answer 22

informal very strange and unusual, and difficult to understand or explain
A really weird thing happened last night.
He’s a weird bloke.

Question 23

bloke [/bləʊk/]

Answer 23

British English informal a man

He’s a nice bloke.

Question 24

shelter [/ˈʃeltə/]

Answer 24

1 [uncountable] a place to live, considered as one of the basic needs of life
They are in need of food and shelter.

2 [uncountable] protection from danger or from wind, rain, hot sun etc
shelter of
We reached the shelter of the caves.

Question 25

help out []

Answer 25

to help someone because they are busy or have problems Do you need anyone to help out in the shop? help somebody ↔ out (with something) I helped her out when Stella became ill.

Question 26

merger [/ˈmɜːdʒə/]

Answer 26

the joining together of two or more companies or organizations to form one larger one merger of/between a proposed merger between two of the largest software companies merger with There has been a lot of talk about a merger with another leading bank. Going through the process of a merger was horrendous, everyone was worried about losing their jobs.

Question 27

intimidating [/ɪˈtɪmədeɪtɪŋ/]

Answer 27

making you feel worried and not confident Some people find interview situations very intimidating. The traffic was intimidating this morning! It took me an hour longer than usual to get to work.

Question 28

exhibit [/ɪɡˈzɪbɪt/]

Answer 28

1 [intransitive, transitive] to show something in a public place so that people can go to see it SYN show Her paintings have been exhibited all over the world. 2 [transitive] formal to clearly show a particular quality, emotion, or ability SYN display exhibit signs/symptoms/behaviour etc a patient who is exhibiting classic symptoms of mental illness

Question 29

homestay []

Answer 29

an arrangement in which someone from a foreign country stays with local people while studying or on holiday Homestay accommodation is available for students from abroad.

Question 30

ruin [/ˈruːɪn/]

Answer 30

1 to spoil or destroy something completely This illness has ruined my life. His career would be ruined. 2 to make someone lose all their money Jefferson was ruined by the lawsuit.

Question 31

diary [/ˈdaɪəri/]

Answer 31

``` 1 a book in which you write down the things that happen to you each day SYN journal Inge kept a diary (=wrote in a diary) during the war years. diary entry (=what you have written for a particular day) ``` 2 especially British English a book with separate spaces for each day of the year, in which you write down the meetings, events etc that are planned for each day SYN calendar American English Did you put the meeting date in your diary?

Question 32

purse [/pɜːs/]

Answer 32

1 especially British English a small bag in which women keep paper money, coins, cards etc SYN wallet American English Julie opened her handbag and took out her purse. 3 [singular] formal the amount of money that a person, organization, or country has available to spend Election expenses are met from the public purse (=money controlled by the government). A visit to the new county museum will set the family purse back by around £12.

Question 33

sympathy [/ˈsɪmpəθi/]

Answer 33

1 [plural, uncountable] the feeling of being sorry for someone who is in a bad situation sympathy for I have a lot of sympathy for her; she had to bring up the children on her own.

Question 34

pity [/ˈpɪti/]

Answer 34

2 [uncountable] sympathy for a person or animal who is suffering or unhappy → piteous, pitiable, pitiful, pitiless pity for He looked exhausted, but Marie felt no pity for him. I listened to Jason’s story with pity.

Question 35

drop out []

Answer 35

1 to no longer do an activity or belong to a group The group gets smaller as members move away or drop out. 2 to leave a school or university before your course has finished → dropout of Bill dropped out of college after his first year.

Question 36

turbulence [/ˈtɜːbjələns/]

Answer 36

1 irregular and violent movements of air or water that are caused by the wind 2 a political or emotional situation that is very confused SYN turmoil A period of political turbulence followed the civil war.

Question 37

by the time []

Answer 37

at the time, when I had lived in 12 different cities by the time I turned 18. By the time she showed up, I was finished eating.