Reading

Question 1

usurp
BrE / juzɜp /
NAmE / juzɜrp /
verb

Answer 1

~ sb/sth ( formal )
to take sb’s position and/or power without having the right to do this
usurpation / BrE juzɜpeɪʃn ; NAmE juzɜrpeɪʃn / noun [ uncountable ,  countable ]
-the usurpation of power
usurper / BrE juzɜpə(r) ; NAmE juzɜrpər / noun

Question 2

undergo
BrE / ʌndəɡəʊ /
NAmE / ʌndərɡoʊ /
verb

Answer 2

( undergoes / BrE ʌndəɡəʊz ; NAmE ʌndərɡoʊz / underwent / BrE ʌndəwent ; NAmE ʌndərwent / undergone / BrE ʌndəɡɒn ; NAmE ʌndərɡɔn ; ʌndərɡɑn / ) ~ sth
to experience sth, especially a change or sth unpleasant
-to undergo tests/trials/repairs
- My mother underwent major surgery last year.
- Some children undergo a complete transformation when they become teenagers.

Question 3

revenue
BrE / revənju /
NAmE / revənu /
noun

Answer 3

[ uncountable ] ( also revenues [ plural ] )
the money that a government receives from taxes or that an organization, etc. receives from its business
syn: receipts
- a shortfall in tax revenue
-The company’s annual revenues rose by 30%.

Question 4

cripple verb, noun
BrE / krɪpl /
NAmE / krɪpl /

Answer 4

verb
1 [ usually passive ] ~ sb to damage sb’s body so that they are no longer able to walk or move normally
syn: disable
-He was crippled by polio as a child.
- to be crippled with arthritis
2 [ usually passive ] ~ sb/sth to seriously damage or harm sb/sth
-The pilot tried to land his crippled plane.
crippling / BrE ; NAmE / adjective
a crippling disease
crippling debts

Question 5

profound
BrE / prəfaʊnd /
NAmE / prəfaʊnd /
adjective

Answer 5

1 very great; felt or experienced very strongly

• profound changes in the earth’s climate
• My father’s death had a profound effect on us all.

Question 6

viable
BrE / vaɪəbl /
NAmE / vaɪəbl /
adjective

Answer 6

1 that can be done; that will be successful

syn : feasible

• a viable option/proposition
• There is no viable alternative .
• to be commercially/politically/financially/economically viable

Question 7

demographic noun, adjective
BrE / deməɡræfɪk /
NAmE / deməɡræfɪk /

Answer 7

adjective
relating to the population and different groups within it

• demographic changes/trends/factors

Question 8

oblivious
BrE / əblɪviəs /
NAmE / əblɪviəs /
adjective

Answer 8

[ not usually before noun ]
not aware of sth
>~ (of sth) He drove off, oblivious of the damage he had caused.
>~ (to sth) You eventually become oblivious to the noise.
- The couple seemed oblivious to what was going on around them.
> obliviously:adverb

Question 9

drive-in

noun

Answer 9

a place where you can watch films/movies, eat, etc. without leaving your car

• We stopped at a drive-in for a hamburger.
• drive-in movies
• drive-in theaters > opp: hard-top theaters

Question 10

prestige
noun, adjective
BrE / prestiʒ /
NAmE / prestiʒ /

Answer 10

adjective
[ only before noun ]
1 that brings respect and admiration; important
- a prestige job
2 admired and respected because it looks important and expensive
syn: luxury
- a prestige car
- prestige items such as jewellery and silver

Question 11

drift noun, verb
BrE / drɪft /
NAmE / drɪft /

Answer 11

noun
slow movement
1 [ singular ,  uncountable ] a slow steady movement from one place to another; a gradual change or development from one situation to another, especially to sth bad
- a population drift away from rural areas

Question 12

baby boom

Answer 12

noun

a period when many more babies are born than usual

Question 13

necessitate
BrE / nəsesɪteɪt /
NAmE / nəsesɪteɪt /

Answer 13

verb
( formal )
to make sth necessary
>~ sth Recent financial scandals have necessitated changes in parliamentary procedures.
>~ doing sth Increased traffic necessitated widening the road.
>~ sb/sth doing sth His new job necessitated him/his getting up at six.

Question 14

(be) up in arms (about/over sth)

Answer 14

( informal ) ( of a group of people ) to be very angry about sth and ready to protest strongly about it

Question 15

all the way

IDM

Answer 15

completely;as much as it takes to achieve what you want

• I’m fighting him all the way.
• you can feel that the audience is with her all the way.

Question 16

paramount
BrE / pærəmaʊnt /
NAmE / pærəmaʊnt /
adjective

Answer 16

1 more important than anything else
This matter is of paramount importance .
Safety is paramount.
The welfare of the child must always be the court’s paramount consideration.

Question 17

eliminate
BrE / ɪlɪmɪneɪt /
NAmE / ɪlɪmɪneɪt /
verb

Answer 17

1 to remove or get rid of sth/sb
- ~ sth/sb Credit cards eliminate the need to carry a lot of cash.
- ~ sth/sb from sth The police have eliminated two suspects from their investigation.
> elimination / BrE ɪlɪmɪneɪʃn ; NAmE ɪlɪmɪneɪʃn / noun [ uncountable ,  countable ]
-the elimination of disease/poverty/crime
- There were three eliminations in the first round of the competition.
- the elimination of toxins from the body

Question 18

booking
BrE / bʊkɪŋ /
NAmE / bʊkɪŋ /
noun

Answer 18

2 [ countable ] an arrangement for sb to perform at a theatre, in a concert, etc.

Question 19

retain     
BrE   / rɪteɪn / 
NAmE   / rɪteɪn / 
  verb  
 ( rather  formal )

Answer 19

1 ~ sth to keep sth; to continue to have sth
syn: preserve
- to retain your independence
- He struggled to retain control of the situation.
2 ~ sth to continue to hold or contain sth
- a soil that retains moisture

Question 20

sway verb, noun
BrE / sweɪ /
NAmE / sweɪ /

Answer 20

noun
[ uncountable ]
1 a movement from side to side
- The sway of the yacht was making her feel sick.
2 ( literary ) power or influence over sb
- Rebel forces hold sway over much of the island.

Question 21

lavish  
adjective,   verb 
BrE   / lævɪʃ / 
NAmE   / lævɪʃ / 
adjective

Answer 21

1 large in amount, or impressive, and usually costing a lot of money
syn : extravagant , luxurious
- lavish gifts/costumes/celebrations
- They lived a very lavish lifestyle .
- They rebuilt the house on an even more lavish scale than before.
- It was one of the most lavish weddings I’ve ever been to.

Question 22

surge verb, noun
BrE / sɜdʒ /
NAmE / sɜrdʒ /

Answer 22

verb
1 [ intransitive ] + adv./prep. to move quickly and with force in a particular direction
- The gates opened and the crowd surged forward.
- Flood waters surged into their homes.

Question 23

virtually
BrE / vɜtʃuəli /
NAmE / vɜrtʃuəli /

Answer 23

adverb
1 almost or very nearly, so that any slight difference is not important
to be virtually impossible
- Virtually all students will be exempt from the tax.

Question 24

outlay
BrE / aʊtleɪ /
NAmE / aʊtleɪ /
noun

Answer 24

[ countable ,  uncountable ] ~ (on sth)
the money that you have to spend in order to start a new project
- The business quickly repaid the initial outlay on advertising.
- a massive financial/capital outlay

Question 25

blow

noun

Answer 25

(to sb/sth)
a sudden event which has damaging effects on sb / sth,causing sadness or disappointment
- losing his job came as a terrible blow to him.

Question 26

stability
BrE / stəbɪləti /
NAmE / stəbɪləti /
noun

Answer 26

[ uncountable ]
the quality or state of being steady and not changing or being disturbed in any way (= the quality of being stable)
- political/economic/social stability
-the stability of the dollar on the world’s money markets
- price stability
opp: instability

Question 27

culmination
BrE / kʌlmɪneɪʃn /
NAmE / kʌlmɪneɪʃn /
noun

Answer 27

[ singular ] ( formal )
the highest point or end of sth, usually happening after a long time
- The reforms marked the successful culmination of a long campaign.

Question 28

superior adjective, noun
BrE / supɪəriə(r) /
BrE / sjupɪəriə(r) /
NAmE / supɪriər /

Answer 28

adjective
1 ~ (to sb/sth) better in quality than sb/sth else; greater than sb/sth else
-vastly superior
- superior intelligence
- This model is technically superior to its competitors.
- The enemy won because of their superior numbers (= there were more of them) .
opp: inferior

Question 29

accumulate
BrE / əkjumjəleɪt /
NAmE / əkjumjəleɪt /
verb

Answer 29

1 [ transitive ] ~ sth to gradually get more and more of sth over a period of time

syn: amass
- By investing wisely she accumulated a fortune.
- We have accumulated a great amount of evidence.

Question 30

accelerate
BrE / əkseləreɪt /
NAmE / əkseləreɪt /
verb

Answer 30

1 [ intransitive ,  transitive ] to happen or to make sth happen faster or earlier than expected

• Inflation continues to accelerate.
• ~ sth Exposure to the sun can accelerate the ageing process.

Question 31

record noun, verb

Answer 31

noun
highest/best
4 [ countable ] the best result or the highest or lowest level that has ever been reached, especially in sport
- There was a record number of candidates for the post.
- record profits
- Unemployment has reached a record high (= the highest level ever) .

Question 32

locus
BrE / ləʊkəs /
NAmE / loʊkəs /
noun

Answer 32

( plural loci / BrE ləʊsaɪ ; NAmE loʊsaɪ / ) ( technical or formal )
the exact place where sth happens or which is thought to be the centre of sth

Question 33

meld
BrE / meld /
NAmE / meld /
verb

Answer 33

[ intransitive ,  transitive ] ~ (A) with B | ~ (A and B) (together) ( formal )
to combine with sth else; to make sth combine with sth else
syn: blend

Question 34

overwhelming
BrE / əʊvəwelmɪŋ /
NAmE / oʊvərwelmɪŋ /

Answer 34

adjective
very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist it or decide how to react
- The overwhelming majority of those present were in favour of the plan.
- an overwhelming sense of loss

Question 35

prohibitive     
BrE   / prəhɪbətɪv / 
NAmE   / prəhɪbətɪv / 
NAmE   / proʊhɪbətɪv / 
  adjective

Answer 35

1 ( of a price or a cost ) so high that it prevents people from buying sth or doing sth
syn : exorbitant
- prohibitive costs
- a prohibitive tax on imported cars
- The price of property in the city is prohibitive.

Question 36

watershed 
BrE   / wɔtəʃed / 
NAmE   / wɔtərʃed / 
NAmE   / wɑtərʃed / 
  noun

Answer 36

1 [ countable ] ~ (in sth) an event or a period of time that marks an important change
- The middle decades of the 19th century marked a watershed in Russia’s history.

Question 37

sell sth off

Answer 37

1 to sell things cheaply because you want to get rid of them or because you need the money
2 to sell all or part of an industry,a company or land
- the Church sold off the land for housing.

Question 38

loom verb, noun
BrE / lum /
NAmE / lum /

Answer 38

verb
2 [ intransitive ] to appear important or threatening and likely to happen soon
- There was a crisis looming.