C2.1. Unit 2 Travel

Question 1

soaring (adj)

The soaring price of natural gas is a serious concern, since many power plants are fuelled by it.

Answer 1

rising very quickly to a high level:

Question 2

drive out (phrasal v)

The natives were driven out of their villages by the foreign invaders.

Answer 2

expulsar alguna cosa o algú

Question 3

bemused (adj)

I was bemused at his sudden anger.

Answer 3

slightly confused:

Question 4

look on (phrasal v)

A large crowd looked on as the band played.

Answer 4

to watch something happen but not become involved in it

Question 5

unfurl

The demonstrators unfurled a large banner.

Answer 5

If a flag, sail, or banner unfurls, it becomes open from a rolled position, and if you unfurl a flag, etc., you make it do this

Question 6

reckon

I reckon it’s going to rain.

How much do you reckon (that) it’s going to cost?

Answer 6

to think or believe

Question 7

be at loggerheads (with someone)

The party is at loggerheads with the president over public spending.

Answer 7

to strongly disagree (with someone):

Question 8

seaward

a seaward wind

Answer 8

adj. [before a noun]
facing or tending toward the sea.
coming from the sea:

Question 9

thrashing

At that time the thrashing of servants was legal.

He was discovered to have stolen the money and given a sound thrashing.

Answer 9

an occasion when someone hits a person or animal hard many times as a punishment

Question 10

christen

She’s being christened in June.
[ + noun ] She was christened Maria.

Answer 10

to give a baby a name at a Christian ceremony and make him or her a member of the Christian Church.

Note: a boat can also be cristened.

Question 11

rollicking (adj)

The play is described as “a rollicking tale about love and lust.”

Answer 11

happy, energetic, and often noisy

Question 12

chaff (vb)

Scientists chaffed at the restriction, saying it would slow down crucial medical research.

Local residents have chaffed under some of the changes.

Answer 12

to be or become annoyed or lose patience, often because of rules or limits.

Question 13

chiefly

The island chiefly attracts upmarket tourists.

Answer 13

mainly

Question 14

lisp (vb)

Answer 14

to pronounce “s” and “z” sounds like “th”

Question 15

tang (n)

the tang of the ocean air

Answer 15

a strong, sharp taste or smell

Question 16

skunk (n)

Answer 16

mofeta

Question 17

drift (v)

Answer 17

to move slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction

Question 18

liable (adj)

The areas of town near the river are liable to flooding.

Answer 18

very likely to do something:

Question 19

downcast (adj)

I thought you were looking a little downcast this morning.

Answer 19

sad and without hope

Question 20

eagerly

When the opportunity to form a new theater with those artists presented itself, I accepted it eagerly.

Answer 20

in a way that shows that you want to do or have something very much, especially something interesting or enjoyable:

Question 21

staple (n)

Answer 21

a short, thin piece of wire used to fasten sheets of paper together. It has sharp ends that are pushed through the paper and then bent flat by a special device.

Question 22

dreary

a dreary little town

She had spent another dreary day in the office.

Answer 22

boring and making you feel unhappy

Question 23

oblivious

Absorbed in her work, she was totally oblivious of her surroundings.

Answer 23

not conscious of something, especially what is happening around you

Question 24

unencumbered (adj)

People can decide how to care for their children, unencumbered by interference from the state.

Answer 24

without something making it difficult for you to do something

Question 25

meandering (adj)

a meandering river
a long meandering speech

Answer 25

moving slowly in no particular direction or with no clear purpose

Question 26

shattering (adj)

It was a shattering schedule - seven meetings in two days.

Answer 26

making you feel extremely tired

Question 27

wistfully (adv)

“I would love to go back to Venice,” he said wistfully.
He speaks wistfully of his time in the limelight.

Answer 27

in a way that is sad and shows someone is thinking about something that is impossible or in the past

Question 28

buttercup (n)

Answer 28

a small, bright yellow wild flower

Question 29

stroll (v)

We could stroll along the beach after dinner.
An elderly couple strolled hand in hand in the park.

Answer 29

to walk in a slow relaxed way, especially for pleasure

Question 30

divert (v)

Traffic will be diverted through the side streets while the main road is resurfaced.

Answer 30

to cause something or someone to change direction

Question 31

detour (n)

Answer 31

a different route that is used because a road is closed

Question 32

wreak (v)

The recent storms have wreaked havoc on crops.

Answer 32

to cause something to happen in a violent and often uncontrolled way

Question 33

havoc (n)

The storm wreaked (= caused) havoc in the garden, uprooting trees and blowing a fence down.
play havoc with The delay played (= caused) havoc with their travel arrangements.

Answer 33

confusion and lack of order, especially causing damage or trouble:
wreak havoc

Question 34

self-effacing (adj)

The captain was typically self-effacing when questioned about the team’s successes, giving credit to the other players.

Answer 34

not making yourself noticeable, or not trying to get the attention of other people

Question 35

self-centered (adj)

Robert is a self-centered, ambitious, and bigoted man.

Answer 35

only interested in yourself and your own activities

Question 36

self-evident (adj)

Solutions which seem self-evident to humans are often beyond the grasp of computers.

Answer 36

clear or obvious without needing any proof or explanation

Question 37

self-conscious (adj)

He looked uncomfortable, like a self-conscious adolescent.

Answer 37

nervous or uncomfortable because you are worried about what people think about you or your actions

Question 38

jostling (n)

There was a lot of jostling among photographers for the perfect spot.

Answer 38

the action of knocking or pushing roughly against someone in order to move past them or get more space when you are in a crowd of people

Question 39

jerk (v)

“What’s wrong?” she asked, jerking her head up.

jerk to a halt The car made a strange noise and then jerked to a halt.

Answer 39

to make a short sudden movement, or to cause someone or something to do this

Question 40

stray

A herd of cattle had strayed into the road.
They got lost when they strayed too far from the path.

Answer 40

to travel along a route that was not originally intended, or to move outside a limited area

Question 41

veer (v)

All of a sudden, the car veered off the road.
Moments before crashing, the jet was seen veering sharply to the right.

Answer 41

to change direction

Question 42

tourist trap (n)

Answer 42

a crowded place that provides entertainment and things to buy for tourists, often at high prices

Question 43

tumbledown (adj)

a tumbledown cottage

Answer 43

(of a building) in a very bad condition, especially in a state of decay

Question 44

downcast (adj)

I thought you were looking a little downcast this morning.

Answer 44

sad and without hope

Question 45

run someone/something down (phrasal v)

He’s always running himself down.

Answer 45

to criticize someone or something, often unfairly

Question 46

down-and-out (adj)

a down-and-out loser
Nobody loves you when you’re down and out.

Answer 46

having no luck, no money, and no opportunities

Question 47

unladen (adj)

Vehicles must not be over 410 kg unladen.
A licence is needed for a goods vehicle that has an unladen weight exceeding 1525 kg.

Answer 47

not carrying anything

Question 48

undeterred (adj)

After four years of injury problems, Thomas remains undeterred.

Answer 48

still continuing to do something or enthusiastic about doing it despite a bad situation

Question 49

unrestrained (adj)

unrestrained joy/anger/criticism

Answer 49

not limited or controlled

Question 50

awash (adj)

The city is awash with drugs and the police are powerless to do anything about it.

Answer 50

having an amount of something that is very large or larger than necessary or wanted

Question 51

teeming

the teeming metropolis

Answer 51

If a place is teeming, it is full of people

Question 52

frills

no frills a cheap, no frills airline
This model has fewer frills so it costs less.
This particular blender works just fine, but if you want one with all the frills, it’s worth paying more for a better brand.

Answer 52

extra things that are added to something to make it more pleasant or more attractive, but that are not necessary

Question 53

boldfaced

They found boldfaced lies on his resume.

Answer 53

showing no shame or embarrassment about doing something bad

Question 54

rough and ready

rough and ready accommodation

Answer 54

simple but good enough

Question 55

ill-bred

an ill-bred young man

Answer 55

rude and behaving badly