Lesson Eight Flashcards
Afflict
V: to make someone or something suffer physically or mentally
Example:He was afflicted with severe asthma.
Toll
N: suffering, deaths, or damage
Example:Independent sources say that the death toll from the earthquake runs into thousands.
Think something out
Phrasal verb: to consider all the possible details of something
Example:Their strategy for handling the deal was very carefully thought out.
Congenital
Adj: A congenital disease or condition exists at or from birth
Example: a congenital abnormality/disease
German measles
N: an infectious disease that causes red spots on your skin, a cough, and a sore throat
Retard
V: to make something slower
Example:Reductions in pollution levels could retard global warming.
Paralysis
N: a condition in which you are unable to move all or part of your body because of illness or injury
Example:Some nervous disorders can produce paralysis.
Spinal cord
N: the set of nerves inside the spine that connect the brain to other nerves in the body
Parasite
N: an animal or plant that lives on or in another animal or plant of a different type and feeds from it
Example;The older drugs didn’t deal effectively with the malaria parasite.
Devastating
Adj: causing a lot of damage or destruction
Example:If the bomb had exploded in the main shopping area, it would have been devastating.
Deficient
Adj: not good enough
Example:His theory is deficient in several respects.
Corresponding
Adj: similar to, connected with, or caused by something else
Example:
-Company losses were 50 percent worse than in the corresponding period last year.
-As the course becomes more difficult, there’s usually a corresponding drop in attendance.
Suffice
V: to be enough
Example:I’m taking $400 - I think that should suffice.
Mediocre
Adj: not very good
Example:
-The film’s plot is predictable and the acting is mediocre.
-Parents don’t want their children going to mediocre schools.
Intimidate
V: to frighten or threaten someone, usually in order to persuade them to do something that you want them to do
Example:They were intimidated into accepting a pay cut by the threat of losing their jobs.
Epoch
N: a long period of time, especially one in which there are new developments and great change
Example:
-The president said that his country was moving into a new epoch, which would be one of lasting peace.
Implement
V: to start using a plan or system
Example:The changes to the national health system will be implemented next year.
Enigma
N: someone or something that is mysterious and impossible to understand
Example:He is an enigma to most people.
Drill
V: to tell someone something repeatedly to make them remember it
Example:
-be drilled into: It was drilled into us at an early age that we should always say “please” and “thank you”.
-drill someone in something: He drilled the children in what they should say.
Irksome
Adj: annoying
Example:The vibration can become irksome after a while.
Remedial
Adj: A remedial action is intended to correct something that is wrong or to improve a bad situation
Example:
-to take urgent/immediate remedial action
-The bill requires owners to undertake remedial work on dilapidated buildings.
Adolescent
N: a young person who is developing into an adult
Exhilarate
Adj: very excited and happy
Example:At the end of the race I was exhilarated.
Disconcerted
Adj: worried by something and uncertain
Example:I was a little disconcerted by his reply.
Fervor
N: strong and sincere beliefs
Example:
-The country was swept by patriotic fervor.
-nationalist/religious fervor
Ingenious
Adj: (of a person) very intelligent and skilful, or (of a thing) skilfully made or planned and involving new ideas and methods
Example:
-an ingenious idea/method/solution
-Johnny is so ingenious - he can make the most remarkable sculptures from the most ordinary materials.
Badge
N: a small piece of metal or plastic with words or a picture on it, that you carry with you or fasten to your clothing or something else, in order to show who you are, that you are a member of a group, etc.
Example:
-Everyone at the conference wore a badge with their name on .
-Don’t forget to display your ID badge.
Timber
N: lumbering; trees that are grown so that the wood from them can be used for building
Example:
-a timber forest
-These trees are being grown for timber.
Inhibit
V: to prevent someone from doing something by making them feel nervous or embarrassed
Example:
-be inhibited (from): Some workers were inhibited (from speaking) by the presence of their managers.
Proliferation
N: the fact of something increasing a lot and suddenly in number or amount
Example:
-The past two years have seen the proliferation of TV channels.
-nuclear weapons proliferation
Comb
V: to search a place or an area very carefully in order to find something
Example:
-comb somewhere for something: The police combed the whole area for evidence.
-comb through: Investigators combed through the wreckage.
Sawmill
N: a factory where trees are cut up into pieces with machines
Substantial
Adj: large in size, value, or importance
Example:
-The findings show a substantial difference between the opinions of men and women.
-She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.
The first draft of his novel needed a substantial amount of rewriting.
Absorb
V:
1. to take something in, especially gradually
Example:
-be absorbed into: Our countryside is increasingly being absorbed into large cities.
-The drug is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.
- if a business absorbs the cost of something, it pays that cost easily
Example:
-The school has absorbed most of the expenses so far, but it may have to offer fewer places next year to reduce costs.
Prejudice
N: an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge
Example:
-racial prejudice: Laws against racial prejudice must be strictly enforced.
Contention
N: an opinion expressed in an argument
Example:
It is her contention that exercise is more important than diet if you want to lose weight.
Out of hand
Idiom: If you refuse something out of hand, you refuse it completely without thinking about or discussing it
Example:Moving to London is certainly a possibility - I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand.
Predisposition
N: the state of being likely to behave in a particular way or to suffer from a particular disease
Example:
-She has an annoying predisposition to find fault.
-There is evidence that a predisposition to(wards) asthma runs in families.
Proposition
N: an offer or suggestion, usually in business
Example:
-He wrote to me last week regarding a business proposition he thought might interest me.
-I’ve put my proposition to the company director for his consideration
Prerequisite
N: something that must exist or happen before something else can exist or happen
Example:Introductory physics is a prerequisite for any of the advanced courses in physics.
Partiality
N: an unfair preference for one person or group over another
Example:Some parents complained about the partiality of the teacher toward certain students.
Aboriginal
N: a member of a race of people who were the first people to live in a country, before any colonists arrived
Example:The river was once a trade route for aboriginals and fur traders who built communities along its bank.
Oriented
Adj: directed towards or interested in something
Example:
Countries with more globally oriented economies have higher levels of information technology investment.
Subsistence
N: the state of having what you need in order to stay alive, but no more
Example:
-The money is intended to provide a basic subsistence and should not be paid to someone who receives other income.
-The family was living at subsistence level.
Hide
N: the strong, thick skin of an animal, used for making leather
Sinew
N: a tendon (= strong piece of tissue in the body connecting a muscle to a bone)
Drastically
Adv: in a way that is severe and sudden or has very noticeable effects
Example:
-Their budget has been drastically reduced.
-Our communication environment has changed drastically in the last 10 years.
Convergence
N: the fact that two or more things, ideas, etc. become similar or come together
Example:
-a convergence of interests/opinions/ideas
-The convergence of pop-cultural trends and technological progress gave us camera phones and the “selfie”.
Nomad
N: a member of a group of people who move from one place to another rather than living in one place all of the time
Example:a tribe of Somalian desert nomads
Impulse
N: a sudden strong wish to do something
Example:
impulse to: I had this sudden impulse to shout out “Nonsense!” in the middle of her speech.
Suspect
V: to think or believe something to be true or probable
Example:So far, the police do not suspect foul play.
Index
N: something that shows how strong or common a condition or feeling is
Example:
index of: Consumer spending is often a good index of public confidence in the economy.
Trance
N: a temporary mental condition in which someone is not completely conscious of and/or not in control of himself or herself
Example:First she goes/falls into a deep trance, and then the spirit voices start to speak through her.
Nullify
V: to cause something to have no value or effect
Example:All my hard work was nullified when I lost my notes.
Inferiority
N: the state of not being good, or not as good as someone or something else
Example:
-sense of inferiority: His ill treatment as a child had given him a strong sense of inferiority.
-Women had a position of social inferiority as compared with men.
Complex
N: a particular anxiety or unconscious fear that a person has, especially as a result of an unpleasant experience that they have had in the past or because they have a low opinion of their own worth
Example:
-an inferiority complex
-I think he’s got a complex about being bald.
