fce 8

Question 1

the national/local media

Answer 1

The case received enormous publicity in the national media.

Question 2

the news media

Answer 2

Does the news media have a role in forming public opinion?

Question 3

the mass media

Answer 3

(= television, newspapers etc, which are seen by many people ) The mass media has helped to call attention to environmental issues.

Question 4

the mainstream/popular media

Answer 4

(= television, newspapers etc, that most people are able to see or read ) Few of these events were reported in the mainstream media.

Question 5

media attention/coverage/interest etc

Answer 5

The tragedy received worldwide media attention.
a media campaign (= when something is deliberately reported or advertised in the media a lot ) a media campaign aimed at reducing drunk driving

Question 6

a media blitz

Answer 6

(= when something is deliberately reported or advertised in the media a lot, in a small amount of time ) The candidate’s media blitz has certainly raised his profile in the election.

Question 7

media hype

Answer 7

(= when the media give something too much attention and try to make it seem more important or better than it really is ) the media hype surrounding the match against France

Question 8

a media circus

Answer 8

(= a disapproving phrase for all the people from the media who report events, and all the attention they give to these events ) There is likely to be a media circus outside the courtroom.

Question 9

en‧ti‧ty AC / entəti, entɪti / noun ( plural entities ) [ countable ]

Answer 9

formal something that exists as a single and complete unit → being :
The mind exists as a separate entity .
Good design brings a house and garden together as a single entity .

Question 10

take (sb) ages/foreverinformal

Answer 10

It took me ages to find a present for Dad.

Question 11

ages [ plural ] ( also an age ) especially British English informal

Answer 11

a long time :  
Simon! I haven’t seen you  for ages . 
That recipe  takes ages . 
it’s ages since/before/until etc something 
It’s ages since we’ve played that game.

Question 12

get the hang of something informal

Answer 12

to learn how to do something or use something :

It seems difficult at first, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.

Question 13

track somebody/something ↔ down phrasal verb

Answer 13

to find someone or something that is difficult to find by searching or looking for information in several different places :
I finally managed to track down the book you wanted in a shop near the station.
Detectives had tracked her down in California.

Question 14

next to nothing

Answer 14

very little :

He knows next to nothing about antiques.

Question 15

apart from ( also aside from American English ) preposition

Answer 15

1 except for :
We didn’t see anyone all day, apart from a couple of kids on the beach.
Apart from the ending, it’s a really good film.
2 as well as :
Apart from his earnings as a football coach, he also owns and runs a chain of sports shops.
Quite apart from the cost, we need to think about how much time the job will take.

Question 16

hom‧i‧cide / hɒməsaɪd, hɒmɪsaɪd $ hɑ- / noun

Answer 16

1 [ uncountable and countable ] especially American English the crime of murder → manslaughter
2 [ uncountable ] American English the police department that deals with murders .
homicide noun [ uncountable and countable ] especially American English law murder : Homicide rates are rising fastest amongst 15 to19-year-olds.

Question 17

break-in noun [ countable ]

Answer 17

act of entering a building illegally and by force, especially in order to steal things :
Since the break-in we’ve had all our locks changed.
→ break in at break 1

Question 18

as‧sault 1 / əsɔlt $ əsɒlt / noun

Answer 18

1 [ uncountable and countable ]   the crime of physically attacking someone :  
a case of robbery and assault 
for assault 
He was jailed for assault. 
sexual/indecent assault 
victims of indecent assault 
assault on/against 
sexual assaults on women 
Several soldiers have been  charged with assault .

Question 19

mat 1 / mæt / noun [ countable ]

Answer 19

a small piece of thick rough material which covers part of a floor :
Wipe your feet on the mat.

Question 20

clean-up , clean‧up / klinʌp / noun [ countable usually singular ]

Answer 20

a process by which you get rid of dirt or waste from a place :
The cleanup of the oil spill took months.
millions of dollars in clean-up costs

Question 21

out‧break / aʊtbreɪk / noun [ countable ]

Answer 21

if there is an outbreak of fighting or disease in an area, it suddenly starts to happen :  
a cholera outbreak 
outbreak of 
outbreaks of fighting 
the outbreak of World War II 
 →   break out  at  break 1

Question 22

lip‧stick / lɪpstɪk / noun

Answer 22

[ uncountable and countable ] something used for adding colour to your lips, in the shape of a small stick

Question 23

pave‧ment / peɪvmənt / noun

Answer 23

[ countable ] British English a hard level surface or path at the side of a road for people to walk on SYN sidewalk American English :
A small group of journalists waited on the pavement outside her house.
a pavement café

Question 24

cor‧re‧spon‧dent / kɒrəspɒndənt, kɒrɪspɒndənt $ kɔrəspɑn-, kɑ- / noun [ countable ]

Answer 24

someone who is employed by a newspaper or a television station etc to report news from a particular area or on a particular subject → reporter
political/foreign/legal etc correspondent
the political correspondent for ‘The Times’
Our correspondent in South Africa sent this report.

Question 25

sum‧mit / sʌmət, sʌmɪt / noun [ countable ]

Answer 25

1 an important meeting or set of meetings between the leaders of several governments the European summit
The two presidents agreed to hold a summit in the spring.
2 the top of a mountain → peak
summit of
Many people have now reached the summit of Mount Everest.

Question 26

de‧cent S3 / dis ə nt / adjective

Answer 26

[ usually before noun ] of a good enough standard or quality :
a decent salary
Don’t you have a decent jacket?
a house with a decent-sized yard
Their in-flight magazine is halfway decent (= quite good ) .

Question 27

bub‧ble 1 / bʌb ə l / noun [ countable ]

Answer 27

3 a bubble of something literary a small amount of a feeling :
A bubble of anger rose in Pol’s throat.

Question 28

stroll / strəʊl $ stroʊl / verb [ intransitive ]

Answer 28

to walk somewhere in a slow relaxed way 
stroll down/over/along 
We were strolling along, laughing and joking. 
— stroll   noun  [ countable ] :  
They  went for a stroll  in the park.

Question 29

pre‧cise W3 AC / prɪ’saɪs / adjective

Answer 29

precise information, details etc are exact, clear, and correct SYN exact :
precise sales figures
It was difficult to get precise information.
‘She’s a lot older than you, isn’t she?’ ‘Fifteen years, to be precise .’

Question 30

plug into something phrasal verb

Answer 30

1 plug (something) into something   to connect one piece of electrical equipment to another, or to be connected :  
Your phone can be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket in your car. 
Games consoles plug into the back of the TV. 
2 informal   to realize that something is available to be used and use it :  
A lot of students don’t plug into all the research facilities we have.

Question 31

be a slave to/of something

Answer 31

to be so strongly influenced by something that you cannot make your own decisions – used to show disapproval :
a slave to fashion

Question 32

break‧down / breɪkdaʊn / noun

Answer 32

[ uncountable and countable ] the failure of a relationship or system
breakdown of
He moved away after the breakdown of his marriage.
A sudden rise in oil prices could lead to a breakdown of the economy.
breakdown in
There has been a serious breakdown in relations between the two countries.
marriage/marital/family breakdown
Family breakdown can lead to behavioural problems in children.

Question 33

break‧up / breɪkʌp / noun [ uncountable and countable ]

Answer 33

1 the act of ending a marriage or relationship :
the breakup of her marriage
2 the separation of a group, organization, or country into smaller parts
breakup of
the breakup of the Soviet Union
→ break up at break 1

Question 34

break off phrasal verb

Answer 34

break something ↔ off to end a relationship :
She broke off their engagement only a few weeks before they were due to be married.
The US has broken off diplomatic relations with the regime.

Question 35

con‧tra‧ry 1 AC / kɒntrəri $ kɑntreri / noun

Answer 35

on the contrary/quite the contrary used to add to a negative statement, to disagree with a negative statement by someone else, or to answer no to a question :
It wasn’t a good thing; on the contrary it was a huge mistake.
‘I suppose your wife doesn’t understand you.’ ‘On the contrary, she understands me very well.’
‘Are they happy?’ ‘No, no, quite the contrary.’

Question 36

by contrast (to/with)

Answer 36

The birth rate for older women has declined, but, by contrast, births to teenage mothers have increased.

Question 37

sum 2 AC verb ( past tense and past participle summed , present participle summing )

Answer 37

sum up phrasal verb
1 to give the main information in a report, speech etc in a short statement at the end SYN summarize :
Gerald will open the debate and I will sum up.
to sum up
To sum up, for a healthy heart you must take regular exercise and stop smoking.
sum something ↔ up
In your final paragraph, sum up your argument.

Question 38

a short/long fuse

Answer 38

if someone has a short fuse, they get angry very easily

→ blow a fuse at blow 1 ( 16 )