FCE - Vocabulary

unkind

"unpleasant - slightly cruel" - Karen's unkind comments really upset my sister.

jaw-dropping

"very surprising - impressive - making you feel respect and admiration"

coaster

a ride at a fairground that goes up and down very steep slopes and that people ride on for fun and excitement.i Also: roller coaster.

biting (wind)

(of a wind) very cold and unpleasant

shelter

a safe place for sb

line-up

a set of items or events arranged to follow one another-There is a very interesting line-up of documentaries on TV this week.

newsflash

a short item of important news that is broadcast on radio or television

disturbance

a situation in which people behave violently in a public place

shuttle

a spacecraft designed to be used for travelling between the earth and a space station

announcement

a spoken or written statement that informs people about sth - Pete and Josie's announcement of their wedding took us by surprise.

soap opera

a story about the lives of a group of people, which is broadcast regularly on TV

moreover

in addition - You have made serious mistakes in your work Mr Hadley. Moreover, you repeatedly arrive late for work.

in my view

in my opinion - In my view, schools should start later in the mornings.

nevertheless

in spite of sth you have mentioned - I trust him but nevertheless, when I gave him the money, I asked for a receipt.

even though

in spite of what has happened - Even though she was so horrible to me, I have forgiven her.

headquarters

a place from which an organisation is controlled, Most companies prefer to have their headquarters in the city centre.

(got, got)

Vivian got through her exams with excellent marks, even though she was sick the whole week before.

wildlife refuge

a place that provides shelter or protection for wild animals

sloth

a South American animal that lives in trees and moves very slowly

new release

a film that has just been made available to the public

corps

a group of people involved in a particular job or activity,When Jason joined the diplomatic corps, we were all very happy for him.

stingray

a kind of flat sea fish with a long tail

theme park

a large park where people go to enjoy themselves, and where much of the entertainment is connected with one subject or idea

sea lion

a large seal that is found on the shores of the Pacific Ocean

storey

a level of a building - the lower storey of the house

trek

a long hard walk - "I don't think going back on foot is a good idea - it's a long trek back home."

bench

a long seat for two or more people, usually made of wood

trainee

a person who is being taught how to do a particular job

film set

a place where a movie is filmed

encounter

a sudden or unexpected meeting, This chapter describes the encounter of young Lizzy and a fox in the woods.

achievement

a thing that sb has done successfully, esp. using their own effort and skill. Winning the tournament was an extraordinary achievement for such a young athlete.

whether

used to express a doubt or choice between two possibilities

awful

very bad, unpleasant

close up

very near

charming

very pleasant, attractive

floorless

without a floor

packed (with)

containing a lot of a particular thing - My handbag was so packed with things that it took ages to find my mobile phone.

stunt

dangerous act in a film

in spite of

even though - In spite of the danger, the fireman entered the burning building to save the child's life.

despite

even though - They decided to make the trip despite my warnings about the storm that was approaching.

far and wide

everywhere, We've searched for our cat far and wide, but we can't find him.

straight through

from one end or side of sth to the other

muddy

full of or covered in wet earth that is soft and sticky

fortunate

having or bringing an advantage

as is commonly the case

in the way that sth usually happens

keen (on)

interested in - My sister is keen on jazz.

collaborative

involving the work of many people - a collaborative effort

mad about

liking sth/sb very much - "My son is mad about football - he never misses a match."

restriction (on)

limitation - Most highways have a speed restriction.

uplifting

making you feel happier or more hopeful

nail-biting

making you feel very excited or anxious because you do not know what is going to happen-i Usually before a noun.

get hold of

manage to find - How on earth did you get hold of Madonna's autograph?

second-rate

not very good or impressive - A hundred euros per night is too much money for such a second-rate hotel.

there's no stopping us

nothing can prevent us from achieving what we want to achieve

issue

one of a regular series of magazines or newspapers

townspeople

people who live in a particular town - The townspeople were offered free day-passes to the resort.

breeches

short trousers fastened blow the knee - riding breeches

annoyed

slightly angry

in order that

so that sth can happen - The company opened new offices in Paris in order that they can promote European sales.

treat

sth pleasant that you give to, or do for, sb - Going to the zoo is a special treat for me and my brother.

occurrence

sth that happens

the sky's the limit

there is no limit to what sb can achieve

tolerate

to allow or accept sth that you don't agree with - Our teacher is very strict and won't tolerate anyone talking in class.

postpone

to arrange for an event to take place at a later time - Judith came down with the flu, so we had to postpone our holidays for later in the spring.

lay the table

to arrange knives, forks, plates, etc. on a table ready for a meal(laid, laid) -

reach a decision

to arrive at finally making a decision - It's quite difficult to reach a decision when many people take part in a discussion.

make it to

to be able to be present at a place

kick myself

to be annoyed with myself because I have done sth stupid ,She'll kick herself when she realises she could have won the competition.

be bound to

to be certain to happen - He's bound to tell you about his new car - he never talks about anything else.

be better off

to be happier or more satisfied - I think we'll be better off if we take a taxi. It's too late to walk back home.

tend (to be)

to be likely - Our village is up in the mountains, so winters tend to be very cold.

can't bear

to be unable to accept something unpleasant

kick up a fuss

to complain loudly about sth - Did you have to kick up a fuss about such a silly mistake?

dine

to eat dinner

perform

to entertain an audience by playing a piece of music, acting in a play, etc. - perform in front of a live audience

suspect

to have an idea that sth is probably true or likely to happen, esp. sth bad, but without having definite proof

go blank

to have no pictures(went, gone) - My computer screen suddenly went blank and I lost all the work that I'd done that day.

drop out

to leave school or university without finishing your studies - Diane's parents begged her not to drop out of university in her final year, but she wouldn't listen.

inhabit

to live in a particular place ,The summer house has not been inhabited for more than a year.

howl

to make a long loud sound

stumble over my lines

to make mistakes and stop while speaking in a play or film

kick (sb) out of

to make sb leave or go away , They were kicked out of the pub because they were drunk and started to cause trouble.

reveal

to make sth known to sb - When the scandal was revealed by the press, the minister was forced to resign.

get through

to manage to do or complete sth

be out of tune

to not be singing or playing the correct musical notes to sound pleasant

delay

to not do sth until a later time or to make sth happen at a later time

dismiss

to officially remove sb from their job,He was dismissed because he was always late for work.

hold a concert

to organise a concert(held, held) -

hand (sb sth)

to pass or give sth to sb - The airport official handed us our passport and told us to go to gate 32.

make a fuss

to pay a lot of attention to sb

put on

to produce or present a play, a show, etc.(put, put) - "I heard that the Badminton Theatre will be putting on 'Cats' - is it true?"

dress up

to put on special clothes to pretend to be sb/sth different, The girls love to dress up as princesses.

chase

to run, drive, etc. after sb/sth in order to catch them

protest

to say or do sth to show that you disagree with or disapprove of sth, esp. publicly - Students took to the streets to protest against the decision.

kick off

to start ,We'd better kick off with the meeting at nine - or is it too early?

found

to start sth, such as an organisation or an institution, esp. by providing money(founded, founded) -

embark on

to start to do sth new or difficult ,Before you embark on home repairs, make sure you have calculated costs accurately.

warn

to tell sb about sth, esp. sth dangerous or unpleasant that is likely to happen, so that they can avoid it

spin

to turn or make sth turn round and round quickly - Some ice skaters can spin incredibly fast on the ice.

dreadful

unpleasant, horrible