My Words (general)

Question 1

Not affected or influenced by something and seeming not to notice it

• His ego was […] to self-doubt
• A material […] to water

Answer 1

impervious

/ɪmˈpɜːvjəs/

Question 2

Something that makes you want to do something or to work harder, because you know that you will benefit by doing this

Is cash back a powerful […] to spend more?

Answer 2

an incentive

/ɪnˈsɛntɪv/

• create an incentive
• act as an incentive
• have an incentive

Question 3

to make someone stop feeling angry

formal

• What strategy is more effective: to […] or confront a business opponent?

Answer 3

placate

He tried to placate her and that was a mistake

/pləˈkeɪt $ ˈpleɪkeɪt/

Question 4

something you buy cheaply or for less than its usual price

With more entertainment options, the high price of the subscription would seem more like a […] to the customers

Answer 4

bargain

/ˈbɑːɡɪn $ ˈbɑːr-/

• look for/search for a bargain
• offer a bargain
• get a bargain

Question 5

to make someone stop doing what they should be doing, or stop talking about what they started talking about, by making them interested in something else

Answer 5

to sidetrack

Question 6

certain to succeed

Безошибочный, верный (способ)

There is no […] way to create an outstanding video game, there are small details and pure creativity that could hook gamers.

Answer 6

surefire

/ˈʃɔːfaɪə $ ˈʃʊrfaɪr/

• surefire recipe
• surefire solution
• surefire way

There is a part of me that says this is a right decision, but I need more facts to be sure that it’s a surefire way to attract gamers from all over the world.

Question 7

big, bright, or very easy to notice

Even a […] advertisement won’t be able to sell a low-level quality product or service.

Answer 7

splashy

/ˈsplæʃi/

Question 8

completely – used especially to emphasize that something is very bad, or that a feeling is very strong

Whether you like her or not is […] irrelevant.

Answer 8

utterly

/ˈʌtəli $ -ər-/

Question 9

used to say that you have heard that something is true, although you are not completely sure about it

I wasn’t there, but […] it went well.

Answer 9

apparently

/əˈpærəntli/

Question 10

in danger of being lost or harmed

**in […] **

We will not do anything that will put our business in […]

Answer 10

jeopardy

/ˈdʒepədi $ -ər-/

Question 11

to offend or upset someone slightly

[…] smb’s […]

His critical remarks […] of the board members

Answer 11

ruffle somebody’s feathers

I agreed to do what they wanted because I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers.

Question 12

to make something seem less important than it really is

de-emphasize

White House officials attempted to […] the president’s role in the affair

Answer 12

downplay

• Grandma downplays the seriousness of her health problems.
• Athletes often downplay their injuries.

Question 13

someone or something that is […] is so important or useful that it is impossible to manage without them

must-have, critical

This book is […] to anyone interested in space exploration.

Answer 13

indispensable

Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our lives.

Question 14

to be caused by (something or someone) : to come from (something or someone)

phrasal verb

Most of her health problems […] an accident she had when she was younger.

Answer 14

To stem from

His love of the outdoors stems from his father.

Question 15

to stop oneself from saying (something)

phrasal verb

I attempted to smile sweetly while [1]ing [2] angry comments.

Answer 15

bite back

Question 16

[…] reaction - a quick reaction that does not allow you time to consider something carefully

readily predictable

Answer 16

knee-jerk

Question 17

[…] reaction - a quick reaction that does not allow you time to consider something carefully

readily predictable

Answer 17

knee-jerk

Question 18

devoted to resisting or preventing aggression or attack

[…] behavior

He became […] when I brought up his spending habits

Answer 18

defensive

Question 19

giving painful or unpleasant sensations

He made some […] remarks

Answer 19

offensive

An offensive odor was coming from the basement.

Question 20

having or showing a disdainful attitude toward someone or something regarded as unworthy of serious attention

To be […] is to be indifferent and a little rude.

He responded to the question with a […] wave.

Answer 20

dismissive

пренебрежительно

Question 21

to feel a strong dislike for someone or something that you think is bad or worthless

She […] her neighbours.

Answer 21

despise

And what if you despise the person who’s providing said feedback? Remember that even flawed sources can produce accurate critiques.

Question 22

a smile expressing criticism and irony

to paint a […] on your face

Answer 22

a sarcastic smirk

Now that you’ve engaged your intelligent self and resisted the urge to paint a sarcastic smirk on your face, allow the other person to reach the end of their sentence.

Question 23

a […] voice is deep, quiet, and attractive

Answer 23

husky

• ‘Come quickly, ’ she said in a husky whisper.

Question 24

a pair of women’s shoes with very low heels

Answer 24

flats

When Marilyn felt like going casual, she usually went for flats.

Question 25

[…]s are small brown spots on someone’s skin, especially on their face, which the sun can cause to increase in number and become darker

[countable usually plural]

Answer 25

freckles

She had the same red hair and freckles as her mother.

Question 26

[…] remarks, attitudes etc are insulting and disapproving

adjective

Answer 26

derogatory

/dɪˈrɒɡətəri $ dɪˈrɑːɡətɔːri/
Уничижительный, унизительный

• Their conversation contained a number of derogatory racial remarks

Question 27

caring only about yourself and not about other people

used to show disapproval

Answer 27

selfish

Эгоистичный

• How can you be so selfish?

Question 28

having no money

adjective

Answer 28

broke

“Can you lend me some money?” “Sorry, I’m broke.”

Question 29

a woman who is […] is short and attractively thin

Answer 29

petite

/pəˈtiːt/

His wife was a petite dark-haired woman in her early thirties

Question 30

if someone [1]s [2] a bad situation or bad influences, they do not let these things affect them because they are mentally strong or have strong moral principles

phrasal verb

Быть выше. Подняться над (чем-то, кем-то)

Answer 30

to rise above something

He always rises above the difficulties and keeps working towards his goal

Question 31

very careful about small details, and always making sure that everything is done correctly

The book describes his journey in […] detail

Answer 31

meticulous

дотошный, скрупулезный

Many hours of meticulous preparation had gone into the excellent mark he got on his final exam

Question 32

nasty unpleasant people

informal

People like that are the […] of the earth

Answer 32

scum

Отбросы

If he treats you as badly as you say, he’s real scum

Question 33

If your phone [1] [2] in a public place, everyone’s head automatically turns in your direction.

phrasal verb

Зазвенит

Answer 33

go off

I’ve forgotten to put my phone on silent mode, so, obviously, it went off at the worst possible moment

Question 34

to relax and stop feeling anxious

a beautiful country hotel that is the perfect place to […]

Answer 34

unwind

/ʌnˈwaɪnd/

• Playing tennis helps me unwind after a difficult day at work
• After a couple of drinks, Tom began to unwind.

Question 35

anxious or nervous

informal

Answer 35

jittery

/ˈdʒɪtəri/
нервный

He’s been jittery lately because he has lots of both working and family problems

Question 36

a short sudden increase of activity, effort, speed, or emotion

In a sudden […] of anger, Ellen slammed the door shut.

Answer 36

spurt

/spɜːt $ spɜːrt/
рывок

Kevin is very fast when he runs in short spurts, but it’s easy to outrun him over long distances

Question 37

when someone is very fat in a way that is unhealthy

noun

[…] can lead to heart disorders and other health problems

Answer 37

obesity

/əʊˈbiːsəti $ oʊ-/

Her latest weapons in the battle against obesity are diet pills

Question 38

to study hard at the last minute for a test

The day before the trip, Lena decided to […] all the information about the country

Answer 38

to cram

If you would study all the time, you wouldn’t need to cram.

Question 39

a feeling of sickness in the stomach characterized by an urge to vomit

A feeling of […] suddenly came over me.

Answer 39

nausea

/ˈnɔːziə, -siə $ ˈnɒːziə, -ʃə/

That disgusting dish made me feel nauseous, but I tried not to show it and said I wasn’t hungry