Level E Flashcards
temporary
adjective
lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent: a temporary job.
noun ( pl. temporaries )
a person employed on a temporary basis, typically an office worker who finds employment through an agency.
diary
noun ( pl. diaries )
a book in which one keeps a daily record of events and experiences: I resolved to keep a diary of events during the war.
• a datebook.
modify
verb ( modifies, modifying, modified )
make partial or minor changes to (something), typically so as to improve it or to make it less extreme
simply
adverb
1 in a straightforward or plain manner: speaking simply and from the heart.
2 merely; just:
poverty
noun
the state of being extremely poor: thousands of families are living in abject poverty.
• the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount: the poverty of her imagination.
• the renunciation of the right to individual ownership of property as part of a religious vow.
reply
verb ( replies, replied )
say something in response to something someone has said:: he was gone before we could reply to his last remark
noun ( pl. replies )
a verbal or written answer: I received a reply from the firm’s managing director
stuffy
adjective ( stuffier , stuffiest )
-(of a place) lacking fresh air or ventilation: a stuffy, overcrowded office.
• (of a person’s nose) blocked up and making breathing difficult, typically as a result of illness.
• (of a person) not receptive to new or unusual ideas and behavior; conventional and narrow-minded: he was steady and rather stuffy.
assign
verb 1 allocate (a job or duty): Congress assigned the task to the agency |
2 designate or set (something) aside for a specific purpose: managers happily assign large sums of money to travel budgets.
3 transfer (legal rights or liabilities): they will ask you to assign your rights against the airline.
appear
verb
1 come into sight; become visible or noticeable, typically without visible agent or apparent cause: smoke appeared on the horizon.
account
noun
1 a report or description of an event or experience: a detailed account of what has been achieved.
2 a record or statement of financial expenditure or receipts relating to a particular period or purpose: the ledger contains all the income and expense accounts
3 an arrangement by which a body holds funds on behalf of a client or supplies goods or services to the client on credit: a bank account | charge it to my account
4 importance: money was of no account to her.
comma
noun
1 a punctuation mark (,) indicating a pause between parts of a sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list and to mark the place of thousands in a large numeral.
attend
verb
1 be present at (an event, meeting, or function): the entire sales force attended the conference
2 deal with: he muttered that he had business to attend to.
3 occur with or as a result of: people feared that the switch to a peacetime economy would be attended by a severe slump.
alarm
noun
an anxious awareness of danger: the boat tilted and the boatmen cried out in alarm
verb
1 cause (someone) to feel frightened, disturbed, or in danger: the government was alarmed by an outbreak of unrest.
2 (be alarmed) be fitted or protected with an alarm:
astronomy
noun
the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, stars, space, and the physical universe as a whole.
Asia
the largest of the world’s continents, constituting nearly one-third of the landmass, lying entirely north of the equator except for some Southeast Asian islands.
It is connected to Africa by the Isthmus of Suez and borders Europe (part of the same landmass) along the Ural Mountains and across the Caspian Sea.
afford
verb
1 (can/could afford) have enough money to pay for: the best that I could afford was a first-floor room
2 provide or supply (an opportunity or facility): the rooftop terrace affords beautiful views
annoy
verb
irritate (someone); make (someone) a little angry: your cheerfulness has always annoyed me.
abuse
verb 1 use (something) to bad effect or for a bad purpose; misuse: the judge abused his power by imposing the fines.
2 treat (a person or an animal) with cruelty or violence, esp. regularly or repeatedly: riders who abuse their horses should be prosecuted.
3 speak in an insulting and offensive way to or about (someone): the referee was abused by players from both teams.
noun
1 the improper use of something: alcohol abuse | an abuse of public funds.
2 cruel and violent treatment of a person or animal: a black eye and other signs of physical abuse.
3 insulting and offensive language: waving his fists and hurling abuse at the driver.
California
a state in the western US, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean; pop. 36,756,666 (est. 2008);
capital, Sacramento;
statehood, Sept. 9, 1850
** Formerly part of Mexico, it was ceded to the US in 1847, having briefly been an independent republic. Large numbers of settlers were attracted to California in the 19th century, esp. during the gold rushes of the 1840s; it is now the most populous state.
ability
noun ( pl. abilities )
1 possession of the means or skill to do something: the manager had lost his ability to motivate the players | they’ll examine your ability to pay.
2 talent, skill, or proficiency in a particular area: a man of exceptional ability | students of all abilities.
assist
verb help (someone), typically by doing a share of the work: a senior academic would assist him in his work
noun
an act of helping, typically by providing money: the budget must have an assist from tax policies.
assume
verb
1 suppose to be the case, without proof: you’re afraid of what people are going to assume about me
2 take or begin to have (power or responsibility): he assumed full responsibility for all organizational work.
3 take on (a specified quality, appearance, or extent): militant activity had assumed epidemic proportions.
approve
verb
1 officially agree to or accept as satisfactory: the budget was approved by Congress | (as adj. approved) : an approved profit-sharing plan.
accomplish
verb
achieve or complete successfully: the planes accomplished their mission.
associated
verb connect (someone or something) with something else in one's mind: I associated wealth with freedom.
noun
1 a partner or colleague in business or at work: he arranged for a close associate to take control of the institute.
2 a person with limited or subordinate membership in an organization.
3 chiefly Psychology a concept connected with another.
peninsula
noun
a piece of land almost surrounded by water or projecting out into a body of water.
adjust
verb
1 alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result: he smoothed his hair and adjusted his tie | the interest rate should be adjusted for inflation.
2 assess (loss or damages) when settling an insurance claim.
aboard
adverb& preposition
on or into (a ship, aircraft, train, or other vehicle): the plane crashed, killing all 158 people aboard
attempt
verb
make an effort to achieve or complete (something, typically a difficult task or action): she attempted a comeback in 1989
noun
an act of trying to achieve something, typically one that is unsuccessful or not certain to succeed:
encyclopedia
noun
a book or set of books giving information on many subjects or on many aspects of one subject and typically arranged alphabetically.
achieve
verb [ with obj. ]
reach or attain (a desired objective, level, or result) by effort, skill, or courage: he achieved his ambition to become a journalist
appearance
noun
1 the way that someone or something looks: I like the appearance of stripped antique pine | they are similar in appearance .
2 an act of performing or participating in a public event: he is well-known for his television appearances.
3 [ usu. in sing. ] an act of becoming visible or noticeable; an arrival: the sudden appearance of her daughter startled her.
arrive
verb [ no obj. ]
reach a place at the end of a journey or a stage in a journey: we arrived at his house and knocked at the door
China
a country in eastern Asia, the third largest and most populous in the world; pop. 1,338,613,000 (est. 2009); capital, Beijing; language, Chinese (Mandarin is the official form). Official name People’s Republic of China.
utensils
noun
kitchen utensils: implement, tool, instrument, device, apparatus, gadget, appliance, contrivance, contraption, aid; informal gizmo.
tone
noun
1 a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength: the piano tone appears monochrome or lacking in warmth.
2 the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.: trust her to lower the tone of the conversation
3 Phonetics (in some languages, such as Chinese) a particular pitch pattern on a syllable used to make semantic distinctions.
4 (also whole tone )a basic interval in classical Western music, equal to two semitones and separating, for example, the first and second notes of an ordinary scale (such as C and D, or E and F sharp); a major second or whole step.
5 the particular quality of brightness, deepness, or hue of a tint or shade of a color: an attractive color that is even in tone and texture | stained glass in vivid tones of red and blue.
verb [ with obj. ]
1 give greater strength or firmness to (the body or a part of it): exercise tones up the muscles.
share
noun
a part or portion of a larger amount that is divided among a number of people, or to which a number of people contribute:
verb [ with obj. ]
have a portion of (something) with another or others: he shared the pie with her | all members of the band equally share the band’s profits.
poem
noun
a piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter, rhyme, and stanzaic structure.
volume
noun
1 a book forming part of a work or series.
2 the amount of space that a substance or object occupies, or that is enclosed within a container, esp. when great:
3 quantity or power of sound; degree of loudness: he turned the volume up on the radio.
severe
adjective ( severer, severest )
1 (of something bad or undesirable) very great; intense:
2 strict or harsh: the charges would have warranted a severe sentence |
3 very plain in style or appearance: she wore another severe suit, gray this time.
height
noun
1 the measurement from base to top or (of a standing person) from head to foot:
2 a high place or area: he’s terrified of heights.
3 the most intense part or period of something: the height of the tourist season
religion
noun
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods
admire
verb [ with obj. ]
regard (an object, quality, or person) with respect or warm approval
calculate
verb [ with obj. ] 1 determine (the amount or number of something) mathematically
frightened
verb [ with obj. ]
make (someone) afraid or anxious
minority
noun ( pl. minorities )
1 the smaller number or part, esp. a number that is less than half the whole number: harsher measures for the minority of really serious offenders
2 the state or period of being under the age of full legal responsibility.
stroke
noun
1 an act of hitting or striking someone or something; a blow: he received three strokes of the cane.
2 an act of moving one’s hand or an object across a surface, applying gentle pressure: massage the cream into your skin using light upward strokes.
3 a movement, esp. one of a series, in which something moves out of its position and back into it; a beat: the ray swam with effortless strokes of its huge wings.
4 a sudden disabling attack or loss of consciousness caused by an interruption in the flow of blood to the brain, esp. through thrombosis.
