Coronavirus: Dealing with mass unemployment

Question 1

downside [/ˈdaʊnsaɪd/]

Answer 1

a disadvantage of a situation:
The downside of living here, of course, is that it is expensive.
Unemployment, inflation, and greater inequality are often the downside of a market economy.

Question 2

stereotype [/ˈsteriətaɪp/]

Answer 2

a belief or idea of what a particular type of person or thing is like. Stereotypes are often unfair or untrue
racial/sexual/cultural etc stereotype
racist stereotypes in the media
stereotype of
women who don’t fit the stereotype of the good mother
stereotype about
stereotypes about the elderly

Question 3

temporary [/ˈtempərəri/]

temporarily [/ˈtempərərəli/]

Answer 3

1 continuing for only a limited period of time OPP permanent
temporary pain relief
I’m living with my parents, but it’s only temporary.

Question 4

loss [/lɒs/]

Answer 4

1 [countable, uncountable] the fact of no longer having something, or of having less of it than you used to have, or the process by which this happens
loss of
The court awarded Ms Dixon £7,000 for damages and loss of earnings.
a disease which causes fever and a loss of appetite
This did not explain his apparent loss of interest in his wife.

Question 5

assess [/əˈses/]

Answer 5

1 to make a judgment about a person or situation after thinking carefully about it SYN judge
assess the impact/extent/effectiveness etc of something
a report to assess the impact of advertising on children
assess what/how etc
The technique is being tried in classrooms to assess what effects it may have.

2 to calculate the value or cost of something
be assessed at something
The value of the business was assessed at £1.25 million.

Question 6

pack [/pæk/]

Answer 6

1 CLOTHES [intransitive, transitive] (also pack up) to put things into cases, bags etc ready for a trip somewhere
I forgot to pack my razor.
Have you finished packing yet?
pack your things/belongings
Kelly packed her things before breakfast.

Question 7

president [/ˈprezɪdənt/]

Answer 7

1 the official leader of a country that does not have a king or queen → vice-president
President of
the president of France
President Bush
2 the person who has the highest position in a company or organization → vice-president
President of
the president of General Motors

Question 8

gloomy [/ˈɡluːmi/]

Answer 8

1 making you feel that things will not improve SYN depressing OPP bright
The report paints a gloomy picture of the economy.
2 sad because you think the situation will not improve SYN depressed OPP cheerful
Anne dismissed these gloomy thoughts from her mind.
► see thesaurus at sad
3 dark, especially in a way that makes you feel sad OPP bright
It was a gloomy room with one small window.

Question 9

enormous [/ɪˈnɔːməs/]

Answer 9

very big in size or in amount SYN huge
an enormous bunch of flowers
an enormous amount of money

Question 10

ramification [/ˌræmɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/]

Answer 10

an additional result of something you do, which may not have been clear when you first decided to do it → implications, implication
an agreement which was to have significant ramifications for British politics
ramification of
the practical ramifications of taking on a new job
legal/political/economic etc ramifications
the environmental ramifications of the road-building program

Question 11

ripple effect []

Answer 11

a situation in which one action causes another, which then causes a third etc SYN domino effect

The increase had a ripple effect through the whole financial market.

Question 12

plenty [/ˈplenti/]

Answer 12

a large quantity that is enough or more than enough
plenty of
Make sure she gets plenty of fresh air.
No need to hurry – you’ve got plenty of time.

Question 13

pub [/pʌb/]

Answer 13

a building in Britain where alcohol can be bought and drunk, and where meals are often served → bar
Do you fancy going to the pub?
a pub lunch
the pub landlord

Question 14

aeroplane [/ˈeərəpleɪn]

Answer 14

a flying vehicle with wings and at least one engine SYN plane

Question 15

sustainable [/səˈsteɪnəbəl/]

Answer 15

able to continue without causing damage to the environment
The government should do more to promote sustainable agriculture.
the sustainable use of rainforest resources
Cycling is a totally sustainable form of transport.
environmentally sustainable development

Question 16

generous [/ˈdʒenərəs/]

Answer 16

1 someone who is generous is willing to give money, spend time etc, in order to help people or give them pleasure OPP mean
generous to somebody
She’s always very generous to the kids.
generous with something
Jim is very generous with his time.
it/that is generous (of somebody)
It was generous of them to ask Anna along.
generous offer/support/donation etc
my employer’s generous offer to pay the bill
► see thesaurus at kind
2 larger or more than the usual size or amount OPP measly
a generous glass of wine
generous amount/helping/measure etc
a generous helping of pasta

Question 17

fellow [/ˈfel.əʊ/]

Answer 17

used to refer to someone who has the same job or interests as you, or is in the same situation as you:
She introduced me to some of her fellow students.
Our fellow travellers were mostly Spanish-speaking tourists.

1 → fellow workers/students/countrymen etc
2 → our fellow man/men

Question 18

sort of

Answer 18

a) used to say that something is partly true but does not describe the exact situation
I sort of like him, but I don’t know why.
‘Do you know what I mean?’ ‘Sort of.’
b) used when you are trying to describe something but it is difficult to find the right word or to be exact
Then they started sort of chanting.
The walls are a sort of greeny-blue colour.

Question 19

continental [/ˌkɒntəˈnentl◂/]

Answer 19

1
a) the continental United States all the states of the US except Alaska and Hawaii
b) continental Europe/Asia etc all the countries of Europe, Asia etc that are not on islands
2 relating to a large mass of land
the warming-up of continental interiors

Question 20

labour [/ˈleɪ.bər/]

Answer 20

1 WORK [uncountable] work, especially physical work
The garage charges £30 an hour for labour.
Many women do hard manual labour (=work with their hands).
Workers withdrew their labour (=protested by stopping work) for twenty-four hours.
→ hard labour
2 WORKERS [uncountable] all the people who work for a company or in a country
a shortage of skilled labor
We need to reduce our labour costs.
3 BABY [singular, uncountable] the process of giving birth to a baby
in labour
Meg was in labour for ten hours.
Diane went into labour at 2 o’clock.

Question 21

upskilling [/ˈʌpˌskɪlɪŋ/]

Answer 21

improving the skills of workers, usually through training, so that they will be better at their jobs

Question 22

reskill [/ˌriːˈskɪl/]

Answer 22

to teach people new work skills, especially people who are unemployed
The college aims to reskill workers to help them into alternative employment.
—reskilling noun [uncountable]
a major provider of high-quality training and reskilling for international industry

Question 23

lavish [/ˈlævɪʃ/]

Answer 23

1 large, impressive, or expensive
 a royal palace on a lavish scale
 a lavish lifestyle
 The food was lavish.
2 very generous
lavish with/in
 We were always lavish with financial aid in times of crisis.
 He was always lavish in his praise of my efforts.
—lavishly adverb
 their lavishly illustrated catalogue
—lavishness noun [uncountable]

Question 24

subside [/səbˈsaɪd/]

Answer 24

1 if a feeling, pain, sound etc subsides, it gradually becomes less and then stops SYN die down
Simon waited until the laughter subsided.
The pains in his head had subsided, but he still felt dizzy and sick.
2 formal if a building or an area of land subsides, it gradually sinks to a lower level
After the heavy rains, part of the road subsided.
3 if bad weather conditions subside, they gradually return to a normal state
The wind gradually subsided, and all was quiet.
4 if water, especially flood water, subsides, it gradually goes underground or back to a normal level
When the floods subsided, the streets were littered with bodies.

Question 25

gradually [/ˈɡrædʒuəli/]

Answer 25

slowly, over a long period of time OPP suddenly
Jill gradually became aware of an awful smell.
Gradually, my ankle got better.

Question 26

sink [/sɪŋk/]

Answer 26

1 IN WATER [intransitive] to go down below the surface of water, mud etc OPP float
Their motorboat struck a rock and began to sink.
The kids watched as the coin sank to the bottom of the pool.
The heavy guns sank up to their barrels in the mud.
2 BOAT [transitive] to damage a ship so badly that it sinks
A luxury yacht was sunk in a bomb attack yesterday.
3 MOVE LOWER [intransitive] to move downwards to a lower level
The sun was sinking behind the coconut palms.
Her chin sank onto her chest, and she looked despairing.
4 FALL/SIT DOWN [intransitive] to fall down or sit down heavily, especially because you are very tired and weak
sink into/to/down/back etc
She let out a groan and sank into a chair.
He let go of her shoulders and she sank at once to the floor.

Question 27

terrace [/ˈterɪs/]

Answer 27

1 HOUSES British English a row of houses that are joined to each other, or a street with one of these rows in it
2 PLACE YOU CAN SIT a flat outdoor area next to a building or on a roof, where you can sit outside to eat, relax etc

Question 28

sigh [/saɪ/]

Answer 28

1 to breathe in and out making a long sound, especially because you are bored, disappointed, tired etc
‘Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now, ’ she sighed.
sigh heavily/deeply
Frankie stared out of the window and sighed deeply.
sigh with
He sighed with despair at the thought of all the opportunities he had missed.
► see thesaurus at breathe
2 literary if the wind sighs, it makes a long sound like someone sighing
The wind sighed in the trees.

Question 29

namely [/ˈneɪmli/]

Answer 29

used when saying the names of the people or things you are referring to
Three students were mentioned, namely John, Sarah and Sylvia.

Question 30

rarely [/ˈreəli/]

Answer 30

not often OPP frequently
She very rarely complains.
This method is rarely used in modern laboratories.

Question 31

anecdote [/ˈænɪkdəʊt/]

Answer 31

a short story based on your personal experience

The book is full of amusing anecdotes about his life in Japan.