need to know

Question 1

encompass

Answer 1

to include different types of things:
The festival is to encompass everything from music, theatre, and ballet to literature, cinema, and the visual arts.

Linguistics embraces a diverse range of subjects such as phonetics and stylistics.

Question 2

savvy (informal)

Answer 2

practical knowledge and ability:
She’s very intelligent, but hasn’t got much savvy.

Question 3

make a difference

Answer 3

to cause a positive change or have a significant effect on a situation or person

Question 4

stop in one’s tracks

Answer 4

stopped because of surprise or fear:
The flowers on the street made me stop in my tracks owing to their beauty
She stopped in her tracks when she heard the unexpected news about the promotion
He stopped in his tracks, realizing he had forgotten his wallet at home
The stunning artwork made everyone stop in their tracks and admire its beauty.

Question 5

deter someone from doing something

Answer 5

to prevent someone from doing something/ to make someone less enthusiastic about doing something:
High prices are deterring many young people from buying houses.
These measures are designed to deter an enemy attack.
Academic stress deters students from learning interesting ideas.

Question 6

dread (v+O)

Answer 6

to feel extremely worried or frightened about something that is going to happen:
I’m dreading having to meet his parents.
He’s dreading the exam.
I’m dreading meeting my crush :>

Question 7

dread (n) = apprehension

Answer 7

The prospect of working full-time fills me with dread.
A feeling of dread crept over me as I approached the door.

Question 8

setback

Answer 8

Sally had been recovering well from her operation, but yesterday she experienced/suffered a setback

There has been a slight/temporary setback in our plans.

Question 9

creep (v): rón rén, nhích dần

Answer 9

She turned off the light and crept through the door.
Someone was creeping around outside my window.
The traffic was creeping along at a snail’s pace.

Question 10

miss out (on)

Answer 10

George missed out (on all the fun) because of his broken leg.
I missed her out (of the list) because she was away on holiday. -> fail to include

Question 11

impede + O
= inhibit

Answer 11

to delay or stop the progress of something:
Lack of funding will impede the progress of the research project
Excessive regulations can inhibit business growth and innovation
The fear of dismissal inhibited employees from raising problems.

Question 12

hinder (v+O)

Answer 12

to limit the ability of someone to do something, or to limit the development of something:

High winds have hindered firefighters in their efforts to put out the blaze.
Her progress certainly hasn’t been hindered by her lack of experience.

Question 13

take something for granted

Answer 13

to believe something to be the truth without even thinking about it:
You take it for granted that people over a certain age can drive.
We all took it for granted that water would always be freely available.

do not realize or show that you are grateful for:
One of the problems with relationships is that after a while you just take each other for granted.
She knows she’s very privileged - she doesn’t take it for granted.

Question 14

deficiency

Answer 14

the state of not having, or not having enough, of something that is needed/ not good
There was a clear deficiency in the standard of service provided.
Despite his deficiencies as a husband, he was a good father to his children.

Question 15

strain (n,v)

Answer 15

puts pressure on something, sometimes causing damage:
The hurricane put such a strain on the bridge that it collapsed.
Their constant arguments were putting a strain on their marriage.
Migration into the cities is putting a strain on already stretched resources.
A negative aspect of tourism is the strain it can place on local resources and infrastructure

something that makes you feel nervous and worried:
She’s a lot better than she was but she’s still not ready to face the stresses and strains of a job.

to cause too much of something to be used, especially money:
Increases in wholesale oil prices have strained the company’s finances.

Question 16

recuperate (v)
=recover

Answer 16

to become well again after an illness; to get back your strength, health, etc.
She spent a month in the country recuperating from/after the operation.

Question 17

compromise (v)

Answer 17

to risk having a harmful effect on something:

Maintaining a nocturnal schedule can severely compromise young people’s physical and mental health
We would never compromise the safety of our passengers.

Question 18

chronic

Answer 18

(especially of a disease or something bad) continuing for a long time:

Question 19

deprivation

Answer 19

a situation in which you do not have things or conditions that are usually considered necessary for a pleasant life:
During the Civil War, there were shortages of food and other essential items, causing deprivation among the people.
One in three new mothers suffers serious sleep deprivation.
They say that nothing ages you like sleep deprivation.

Question 20

at the cost of something/doing something

Answer 20

in exchange for something bad or for doing something harmful:
Victory in the war was achieved at the cost of great human suffering.

Question 21

instant gratification

Answer 21

pleasure or satisfaction:
The immediate gratification of completing tasks at night comes at the cost of long-term health consequences.

Question 22

fatigue

Answer 22

extreme tiredness:
suffer from fatigue

Question 23

self-gratification

Answer 23

the act of getting satisfaction or pleasure by doing something or getting something that you want:
He only cares about his own self-gratification.
Freedom does not just mean the opportunity for self-gratification without considering other people.

Question 24

interrupt

Answer 24

to stop something from happening for a short period:
We had to interrupt our trip when we heard John’s mother had had an accident.

Question 25

disrupt

Answer 25

to prevent something, especially a system, process, or event, from continuing as usual or as expected:
Heavy snow disrupted travel into the city this morning
Several England supporters were arrested after disrupting the match.

Question 26

adhere (v,O)

Answer 26

to stick firmly:
By adhering to a nocturnal schedule, young people may forfeit (lose sth because u’ve broken a rule) these valuable experiences, limiting their personal and professional growth.

Question 27

undermine (v)

Answer 27

to make someone less confident, less powerful, or less likely to succeed, or to make something weaker, often gradually:
If you continually criticize children, you can seriously undermine their confidence
He’s been trying to undermine her position by spreading rumours about her

Question 28

diminish (I/T)

Answer 28

to reduce or be reduced in size or importance:
These memories will not be diminished by time.
The inaccuracy of the missiles greatly diminishes their effectiveness.

Question 29

moderately

Answer 29

in a way that is neither small nor large in size, amount, degree, or strength:
There’s very little moderately priced housing in this area.
The company remains moderately profitable, but it is not making as much money as it should.

Question 30

sought after (a)

Answer 30

wanted by many people and usually of high quality or rare:
At the age of 17 she is already one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses.

Question 31

fight tooth and nail

Answer 31

to try very hard to get something you want:
The students fight tooth and nail about everything, whether who should lead the group project or what topic to choose for the debate.
We fought tooth and nail to change the new road’s route.

Question 32

realm

Answer 32

an area of interest or activity:
Her interests are in the realm of practical politics.

Question 33

discern

Answer 33

to see, recognize, or understand something that is not clear:
He could discern the note of urgency in their voices.

Question 34

elevate

Answer 34

to make someone or something more important
They want to elevate the status of teachers.
These factors helped to elevate the town to the position of one of the most beautiful in the country.

Question 35

necessitate

Answer 35

to make something necessary:
Reduction in government spending will necessitate further cuts in public services.

Question 36

learning curve

Answer 36

the rate of someone’s progress in learning a new skill

Question 37

be an effort

Answer 37

to be difficult, tiring, or boring to do:
I’m exhausted all the time, and everything is a real effort.

Question 38

resonate

Answer 38

(of a place) to be filled with sound:
The room resonated with the chatter of 100 people.

to remind somebody of something; to be similar to what somebody thinks or believes:
These issues resonated with the voters.
His speech resonated with the fears and suspicions of his audience

to be filled with a particular quality:
The building resonates with historic significance.

to continue to have a powerful effect or value:
The significance of those great stories resonates down the centuries.

Question 39

amateur

Answer 39

a person who engages in a particular activity, study, or interest without formal training or as a pastime rather than as a professional:
He was an amateur singer until the age of 40 when he turned professional.

Question 40

subjective - objective

Answer 40

I think my husband is the most handsome man in the world, but I realize my judgment is rather subjective.

More specific and less subjective criteria should be used in selecting people for promotion within the company.

I can’t really be objective when I’m judging my daughter’s work.

Question 41

observe

Answer 41

to obey a law, rule, or custom:
People must observe the law. Nobody should be an exception.
The old people in the village still observe the local traditions.

Question 42

intellect

Answer 42

the ability to understand and to think intelligently:
He is a man more noted for his intellect than his charm.
She is an intellectual who enjoys reading philosophy and discussing complex theories
The city’s cafes are popular spots for intellectuals to gather and engage in deep conversations about art and literature

Question 43

cite

Answer 43

to mention something as proof for a theory or as a reason why something has happened:
She cited three reasons why people get into debt.