Ready for CAE p 73. Listening. Vocabulary

Excel: (in / at sth / at doing sth) to be very good at doing sth: e.g.She has always excelled in foreign languages.
Sole: only; single: e.g. the sole surviving member of the family. My sole reason for coming here was to see you.
Set up: start: e.g.to set up a business
Arty: seeming or wanting to be very artistic or interested in the arts: e.g. She hangs out with the arty types she met at drama school.
Have a go (at sth / at doing sth)to make an attempt to do sth: e.g.‘I can’t start the engine.’ ‘Let me have a go.’
Speak out (against sth): to state your opinions publicly, especially in opposition to sth and in a way that takes courage.
Brainy: very intelligent.
Boarding school: a school where children can live during the school year.
Master: to learn or understand sth completely: e.g. to master new skills / techniques. French was a language he had never mastered.
Ethos: /ˈiːθɒs/the moral ideas and attitudes that belong to a particular group or society: e.g. an ethos of public service. Valores y actitudes, espíritu.
Self-sufficient (in sth): able to do or produce everything that you need without the help of other people: e.g. The country is totally self-sufficient in food production.
Be up to sb: to be sb’s duty or responsibility; to be for sb to decide: e.g. It’s not up to you to tell me how to do my job. Shall we eat out or stay in? It’s up to you.
Invaluable: extremely useful. Very valuable. The opposite of valuable is valueless or worthless.
Carry out: to do and complete a task: e.g. to carry out an inquiry / an investigation / a survey. Extensive tests have been carried out on the patient.
Underperform: to not be as successful as was expected.
Take it on / upon yourself to do sth: to decide to do sth without asking permission or advice. E.g. My father took it upon himself to educate me at home.
Read sth up (on sb/sth): to read a lot about a subject: e.g. I’ll need to read up on the case before the meeting.
Rush: to do sth with great speed, often too fast. E.g. We had to rush our meal.