cambridge 12 test 3

Question 1

spiny
adj
(dif. meanings)

Answer 1

1.full of or covered with prickles.
“a spiny cactus”

2.difficult to understand or handle.
“a spiny problem”

Question 2

plain
n

Answer 2

a large area of flat land with few trees.
“the coastal plain”

Question 3

barren
(adj)

Answer 3

1.(of land) too poor to produce much or any vegetation.
unable to have children or young animals
unproductive; infertile
“We drove through a barren, rocky landscape.”

2.(of a place or building) bleak and lifeless.
“the sports hall turned out to be a rather barren concrete building”

Question 4

settle on

Answer 4

to make a final decision about something, or to agree to accept something
“Have you settled on a name for the baby yet?”
“We wanted to buy a house, but at these prices we had to settle on an apartment.”

Question 5

give rise to

Answer 5

cause to happen
bring about
“decisions which give rise to arguments”

Question 6

exceed
v.

Answer 6

1.to be greater than a number or amount, or to go past an allowed limit:
“The final cost should not exceed $5,000.”
“The success of our campaign has exceeded our wildest expectations.”

2.be better than; surpass.
“economic growth exceeded expectations this year”

Question 7

take on board
idiom

Answer 7

to understand or accept an idea or a piece of information:
“Banks need to take on board the views of their customers.”

Question 8

whaling
n.

Answer 8

hunting and killing whales for their oil, meat, or whalebone.
“a ban on whaling”

Question 9

exponentially
adv

Answer 9

1.(with reference to an increase) more and more rapidly.
“our business has been growing exponentially”

Question 10

exacerbate

Answer 10

to make something that is already bad even worse:
aggravate; worsen; compound; complicate
“His aggressive reaction only exacerbated the situation.”
“The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs.”

Question 11

ranging from (smth) to (smth)

Answer 11

allows us to express the idea of a variety of different things
“The store sells everything ranging from perfumes to books. It sells a very wide variety of goods.”

Question 12

dedicate

Answer 12

commit or devote to a task or purpose
“Joan has dedicated her life to animals”

Question 13

pressing
adj

Answer 13

urgent or needing to be dealt with immediately; critical
“It is one of the most pressing problems facing this country.”

Question 14

captive-breeding

Answer 14

the process of keeping plants or animals in controlled environments such as zoos

Question 15

repatriation
n.

Answer 15

the return of someone to their own country.
“the voluntary repatriation of refugees”

the sending of money back to one’s own country.
“the repatriation of profits by foreign investors”

Question 16

treacherous
adj
(diff. meanings)

Answer 16

1.guilty of or involving betrayal or deception.
disloyal
“a treacherous Gestapo agent”

2.(of ground, water, conditions, etc.) presenting hidden or unpredictable dangers.
“a holidaymaker was swept away by treacherous currents”

Question 17

work out

Answer 17

to understand something or to find the answer to something by thinking about it:
[ + question word ] “There will be a full investigation to work out what caused the accident”.
[ + that ] “Investigators needed several months to work out that a fraud had been committed.”

Question 18

ambitious
adj.

Answer 18

having or showing a strong desire and determination to succeed.
“a ruthlessly ambitious workaholic”

2.An ambitious idea or plan is on a large scale and needs a lot of work to be carried out successfully.
“The ambitious project was completed in only nine months.”

Question 19

unprecedented
adj

Answer 19

never having happened or existed in the past; unparalleled or unexampled.
“She took the unprecedented step of revealing the truth about the situation.”

Question 20

well-suited

Answer 20

1.appropriate for a particular purpose.
2. (of two people) likely to have a successful relationship

Question 21

(work) around the clock
idiom

Answer 21

busy all day and all night long doing smth difficult
“They’re working around the clock to get it done.”

Question 22

drop off

Answer 22

to take someone or something to a particular place, usually by car, as you travel to a different place:
“We dropped our luggage off at the hotel and went sightseeing.”

Question 23

ahead of time

Answer 23

in advance; early
“being prepared with appropriate graphics ahead of time is a great policy”

Question 24

lumber around

Answer 24

to move slowly and awkwardly:
“In the distance, we could see a herd of elephants lumbering across the plain.”

Question 25

eradicate

Answer 25

destroy completely; put an end to.
eliminate; get rid of
“this disease has been eradicated from the world”

Question 26

prevalent
adj

Answer 26

widespread in a particular area or at a particular time.
“the social ills prevalent in society today”

Question 27

come into one’s own

Answer 27

become fully effective, used, or recognized.
“he has come into his own in the last ten years as one of the most successful advisers in the art world”

Question 28

respiratory

Answer 28

relating to breathing
“respiratory disease”

Question 29

cure
n.

Answer 29

a substance or treatment that cures a disease or condition.
remedy; healing
“the search for a cure for the common cold”

Question 30

interpret

Answer 30

1.explain the meaning of (information or actions).
“the evidence is difficult to interpret”

2.translate orally or into sign language the words of a person speaking a different language.
“I agreed to interpret for Jean-Claude”

Question 31

prone to

Answer 31

likely or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something unpleasant or regrettable.
apt to; having tendency; vulnerable
“farmed fish are prone to disease”

Question 32

clear the way (for smth)
idiom

Answer 32

to make it easier for someone or possible for something to happen:
“The owners closed the store to clear the way for a new restaurant.”

Question 33

lack thereof

Answer 33

used to say that there is not enough of the thing that has been mentioned.
“The problem is money, or (a/the) lack thereof.”

Question 34

thereof

Answer 34

: of the thing that has been mentioned
“The professor explained the problem and solution thereof.”[=the problem and the solution of the problem]
A will or any part thereof [=any part of a will] may be revoked by a subsequent will.
The problem is money, or (a/the) lack thereof. [=the problem is a lack of money]

Question 35

discrepancy
n.

Answer 35

an unexpected difference between two things that should be the same:
mismatch inconsistency
discrepancy between “There is some discrepancy between the two accounts.”
discrepancy in “The committee is reportedly unhappy about the discrepancy in numbers.”

Question 36

provision

Answer 36

1.the action of providing or supplying something for use.
2.an amount or thing supplied or provided.
“changing levels of transport provision”

Question 37

be in the front line
idiom

Answer 37

to be in an important position where you have influence, but where you are likely to be criticized or attacked:
“Many social workers are in the front line of racial tension.”

Question 38

regarding smth

Answer 38

relating to; about

Question 39

constitute

Answer 39

1.to be or be considered as something:
“This latest defeat constitutes a major setback for the Democrats.”

2.to form or make something:
“Women constitute about ten percent of Parliament.”

Question 40

be devoid of smth

Answer 40

to lack or be without something that is necessary or usual:
“Their apartment is devoid of all comforts.”
“He seems to be devoid of compassion”

Question 41

explicit
adj.

Answer 41

clear and exact:
“I gave her very explicit directions how to get here.”
explicit about She was very explicit about (= said very clearly and exactly) what she thought was wrong with the plans.
make something explicit I wasn’t aware that I would be paying - you certainly didn’t make it explicit (= state it clearly).

Question 42

dilate
v.

Answer 42

make or become wider, larger, or more open.
enlarge; wider
“her eyes dilated with horror”

Question 43

dilate
v.

Answer 43

make or become wider, larger, or more open.
enlarge; wider
“her eyes dilated with horror”

Question 44

underpinning

Answer 44

1.a solid foundation laid below ground level to support or strengthen a building.

2.a set of ideas, motives, or devices which justify or form the basis for something.
“the theoretical underpinning for free-market economics”

Question 45

potent
adj.

Answer 45

1.having great power, influence, or effect.
“thrones were potent symbols of authority”

Question 46

fancy
adj.

Answer 46

decorative or complicated:
“I wanted a simple black dress, nothing fancy.”
“The decorations were a little too fancy for my tastes”

expensive
We stayed in a fancy hotel near the Champs-Élysées.

Question 47

straightforward
adj.

Answer 47

easy to understand or simple:
“Just follow the signs to Bradford - it’s very straightforward.”

(of a person) honest and not likely to hide their opinions:
“Roz is straightforward and lets you know what she’s thinking.”

Question 48

narrow down

Answer 48

reduce the number of possibilities or options.
“the company has narrowed down the candidates for the job to two”

Question 49

obtain
v.
(diff. meanings)

Answer 49

1.to get something, especially by asking for it, buying it, working for it, or producing it from something else:
“to obtain permission”
“First editions of these books are now almost impossible to obtain.”
“Sugar is obtained by crushing and processing sugar cane.”

2.(especially of a situation) to exist:
“Conditions of extreme poverty now obtain in many parts of the country.”

3.to get something, esp. by a planned effort:
“to obtain knowledge”
“She was finally able to obtain legal possession of the house.”

Question 50

set someone’s mood

Answer 50

to change or improve someone’s mood
“let me set your mood”

Question 51

anticipate

Answer 51

to imagine or expect that something will happen:
anticipate problems/difficulties “It’s always best to anticipate problems before they arise.”
The anticipated inflation figure is lower than last month’s.
anticipate that “They anticipate that their lawyers will appeal the decision, though that process could take at least nine months.”

Question 52

up to (doing) smth

Answer 52

good enough for a particular activity:
“He wants to compete at international level, but honestly I don’t think he’s up to it.”

strong enough for a particular activity:
It was a serious fall - it’ll be a while before you feel up to walking again.

Question 53

preceding

Answer 53

coming before something in order, position, or time.
**foregoing; previous
“the preceding pages”

Question 54

assosiate with

Answer 54

connect (someone or something) with something else in one’s mind.
“I associated wealth with freedom”

Question 55

cluster
n.

Answer 55

a group of similar things or people positioned or occurring closely together.
“clusters of creamy-white flowers”

Question 56

outsider
n.

Answer 56

a person who does not belong to a particular organization or profession.
stranger
“to the outsider, glitzy fashion shows may seem an outrageous extravagance”

Question 57

intricate
adj.

Answer 57

very complicated or detailed.
complex
“an intricate network of canals”

Question 58

break down

Answer 58

fail; collapse; stop working

Question 59

cease

Answer 59

come to an end
“the hostilities ceased and normal life was resumed”

Question 60

studious

Answer 60

1.spending a lot of time studying or reading. bookish
“he was quiet and studious”

2.done deliberately or with a purpose in mind. ** conscious**
“his studious absence from public view”

Question 61

safe and sound

Answer 61

free from danger or injury.
“the children were found safe and sound” synonyms: unhurt safe.

Question 62

flirtation

Answer 62

a short period of being interested in something or doing something:
“a brief flirtation with communism”

Question 63

submission

Answer 63

the act of allowing someone or something to have power over you:
“They thought the country could be bombed into submission.”

the act of formally sending a document, plan, etc. to a person or group in authority so that they can make a decision about it:
“The teachers agreed to a special meeting, in submission to parents’ demands.”

Question 64

ingenious
adj.

Answer 64

(of a person) clever, original, and inventive.
“he was ingenious enough to overcome the limited budget”

Question 65

hold off

Answer 65

to stop something from happening, or to be delayed:
“They’re hoping to hold off surgery until he’s stronger.”
“I hope the rain holds off until we get home.”

Question 66

preserve

Answer 66

maintain (something) in its original or existing state.
conserve; preserve
“all records of the past were zealously preserved”

Question 67

suspenseful
adj

Answer 67

causing a feeling of excitement or nervousness because you are waiting for something to happen or are uncertain about what is going to happen:
a suspenseful thriller

Question 68

arise out of

Answer 68

connected to, incidental to, originating from or growing out of, directly or indirectly resulting from.

Question 69

connotative

Answer 69

the feelings and ideas that people may connect with that word

Question 70

invoke

Answer 70

to call on something or someone, esp. God, for help

Question 71

surge
n.

Answer 71

2.a sudden large increase, typically a temporary one.
“the firm predicted a 20% surge in sales”

Question 72

expectantly
adv

Answer 72

with an excited feeling that something is about to happen, especially something good.
“she waited expectantly for his answer”