Inebriated: /ɪ ˈniːb rieɪt ɪd/ drunk.
Get stuck: be unable to move further
Reputed (to be sth / to have done sth): generally thought to be sth or to have done sth, although this is not certain. SYN rumoured: e.g. He is reputed to be the best heart surgeon in the country.
Get left: to be left stranded. To miss an opportunity, objective, etc
E.g. I don’t like to get left in a room alone. Don’t get left behind. Study English!
Ready for CAE p 78. My Constant Fight to Stay Awake. Vocabulary
MY CONSTANT FIGHT TO STAY AWAKE
Narcolepsy: a condition in which sby falls into a deep sleep when they are in relaxing surroundings.
To nod off: (informal) to fall asleep for a short time while you are sitting in a chair.
To service: [usually passive] to examine a vehicle or machine and repair it if necessary so that it continues to work correctly.
To snooze: (informal) to have a short light sleep, especially during the day and usually not in bed.
The sack: (BrE, informal) being told by your employer that you can no longer continue working for a company, etc., usually because of sthg that you have done wrong.
However tired: Por muy cansado…
To baffle: to confuse sby completely; to be too difficult or strange for sby to understand or explain.
Blind: a covering for a window, especially one made of a roll of cloth that is fixed at the top of the window and can be pulled up and down.
To draw a blind: to open or close curtains, etc.
Bouncer: a person employed to stand at the entrance to a club, pub, etc. to stop people who are not wanted from going in, and to throw out people who are causing trouble inside.
Inebriated: drunk.
Arousal: excitement.
To slump: to sit or fall down heavily.
To drop: to fall or make sthg fall deliberately.
Surge: a sudden increase of a strong feeling.
To hold: to support the weight of sby/sthg.
Buckle: to crush or bend sth
To be taken aback: [usually passive] to shock or surprise sby very much
High-pitched: (of sounds) very high.
Squeal: a long high cry or sound.
To snap out of: to help sby to stop feeling unhappy.
To come round: to become conscious again.
Fresh-faced: having a young, healthy-looking face.
Overwhelming: very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist it or decide how to react.
To put sthg down to: to attribute, to consider that sthg is caused by sthg.
Tablet: (especially BrE) a small round solid piece of medicine that you swallow.
Condition: the state of sby’s health or how fit they are. an illness or a medical problem that you have for a long time because it is not possible to cure it.
Mood: the way you are feeling at a particular time.
To level out: to stay at a steady level of development or progress after a period of sharp rises or falls.
Tiny: very small in size or amount.
To take sby / sthg for granted: to be so used to sby/sthg that you do not recognise their true value any more and do not show that you are grateful.
To encounter: to experience sthg, especially sthg unpleasant or difficult, while you are trying to do sthg else.
Rejection: refusal to accept sthg or sby.
To turn up: to appear.
Forlorn: appearing lonely and unhappy.
To turn down: to reject or refuse to consider an offer, a proposal, etc. or the person who makes it.
Happy-go-lucky: not caring or worrying about the future.
To crack a joke: to tell a joke.
To set off: to start a process or series of events.
To look on the bright side: to be cheerful or positive about a bad situation, for example by thinking only of the advantages and not the disadvantages.
To grin: to smile.
Narcolepsy: a condition in which sby falls into a deep sleep when they are in relaxing surroundings.
To nod off: (informal) to fall asleep for a short time while you are sitting in a chair.
To service: [usually passive] to examine a vehicle or machine and repair it if necessary so that it continues to work correctly.
To snooze: (informal) to have a short light sleep, especially during the day and usually not in bed.
The sack: (BrE, informal) being told by your employer that you can no longer continue working for a company, etc., usually because of sthg that you have done wrong.
However tired: Por muy cansado…
To baffle: to confuse sby completely; to be too difficult or strange for sby to understand or explain.
Blind: a covering for a window, especially one made of a roll of cloth that is fixed at the top of the window and can be pulled up and down.
To draw a blind: to open or close curtains, etc.
Bouncer: a person employed to stand at the entrance to a club, pub, etc. to stop people who are not wanted from going in, and to throw out people who are causing trouble inside.
Inebriated: drunk.
Arousal: excitement.
To slump: to sit or fall down heavily.
To drop: to fall or make sthg fall deliberately.
Surge: a sudden increase of a strong feeling.
To hold: to support the weight of sby/sthg.
Buckle: to crush or bend sth
To be taken aback: [usually passive] to shock or surprise sby very much
High-pitched: (of sounds) very high.
Squeal: a long high cry or sound.
To snap out of: to help sby to stop feeling unhappy.
To come round: to become conscious again.
Fresh-faced: having a young, healthy-looking face.
Overwhelming: very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist it or decide how to react.
To put sthg down to: to attribute, to consider that sthg is caused by sthg.
Tablet: (especially BrE) a small round solid piece of medicine that you swallow.
Condition: the state of sby’s health or how fit they are. an illness or a medical problem that you have for a long time because it is not possible to cure it.
Mood: the way you are feeling at a particular time.
To level out: to stay at a steady level of development or progress after a period of sharp rises or falls.
Tiny: very small in size or amount.
To take sby / sthg for granted: to be so used to sby/sthg that you do not recognise their true value any more and do not show that you are grateful.
To encounter: to experience sthg, especially sthg unpleasant or difficult, while you are trying to do sthg else.
Rejection: refusal to accept sthg or sby.
To turn up: to appear.
Forlorn: appearing lonely and unhappy.
To turn down: to reject or refuse to consider an offer, a proposal, etc. or the person who makes it.
Happy-go-lucky: not caring or worrying about the future.
To crack a joke: to tell a joke.
To set off: to start a process or series of events.
To look on the bright side: to be cheerful or positive about a bad situation, for example by thinking only of the advantages and not the disadvantages.
To grin: to smile.
Ready for CAE p 77. Idioms with "Mind". Extra Speaking
Ready for CAE Ss p 77. Idioms With Mind. Extra Speaking
Vocabulary Exercise:
Match the following idioms with the definitions 1 to 10.
- To speak your mind
- To cross your mind
- To mind your own business
- To be in two minds about something
- To be bored out of your mind
- To make your mind up
- To change your mind
- Out of sight, out of mind
- To give sby a piece of your mind
- To bear / to keep in mind
1. To decide.
2. To be extremely bored.
3. To remember a piece of information when you are making a decision or thinking about a matter.
4. To say what you think about something very directly.
5. To form a new opinion or make a new decision about something which is different from your old one.
6. To think of something.
7. To be unable to decide about something.
8. To speak angrily to someone about something they have done wrong.
9. Said to emphasize that when something or someone cannot be seen, it is easy to forget them.
10. Used to tell someone in a rude way that you do not want them to ask about something private.
KEY
- To speak your mind: 4.
- To cross your mind: 6.
- To mind your own business: 10.
- To be in two minds about something: 7.
- To be bored out of your mind: 2.
- To make your mind up: 1.
- To change your mind: 5.
- Out of sight, out of mind: 9.
- To give sby a piece of your mind: 8. E.g. I've had enough from John. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. Sally, stop it, or I'll give you a piece of my mind.
- To bear / to keep in mind: 3.
Finally, you can also listen to the song If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot and fill in the gaps.
Vocabulary Exercise:
Match the following idioms with the definitions 1 to 10.
- To speak your mind
- To cross your mind
- To mind your own business
- To be in two minds about something
- To be bored out of your mind
- To make your mind up
- To change your mind
- Out of sight, out of mind
- To give sby a piece of your mind
- To bear / to keep in mind
1. To decide.
2. To be extremely bored.
3. To remember a piece of information when you are making a decision or thinking about a matter.
4. To say what you think about something very directly.
5. To form a new opinion or make a new decision about something which is different from your old one.
6. To think of something.
7. To be unable to decide about something.
8. To speak angrily to someone about something they have done wrong.
9. Said to emphasize that when something or someone cannot be seen, it is easy to forget them.
10. Used to tell someone in a rude way that you do not want them to ask about something private.
KEY
- To speak your mind: 4.
- To cross your mind: 6.
- To mind your own business: 10.
- To be in two minds about something: 7.
- To be bored out of your mind: 2.
- To make your mind up: 1.
- To change your mind: 5.
- Out of sight, out of mind: 9.
- To give sby a piece of your mind: 8. E.g. I've had enough from John. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. Sally, stop it, or I'll give you a piece of my mind.
- To bear / to keep in mind: 3.
Finally, you can also listen to the song If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot and fill in the gaps.
Ready for CAE p 76. BAFTAS 2012. Extra Listening.
Watch the video and fill in the gaps with a word or phrase.
1. The star of Single Man, The King's Speech and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a man so brilliant, so talented and so successful that we would have been _________________ by his presence with us. However, it ______________ we do live in an ideal world because _______________, the Colin they call Firth!
2. "Actress in a leading role" is a category in which Colin Firth has been _________________________.
3. Viola Davis: "Just 24 years old, he _____________ the best part of a person's life. Anniversary of his death comes every year and I can't breathe. But to you all, it's just another day at Bridge"
4. Meryl Streep: "Perhaps the Right Honourable gentleman could attend more closely to what I'm saying, rather than how I am saying it. He may receive a valuable education________________ himself"
5. Meryl Streep: "the ________ of the well-known is to be misunderstood. And the ambition of this film, The Iron Lady, was to look at the life of the Iron Lady from the inside out and to locate something real, maybe hidden, but _____________ in the life of someone that we've all decided we all know everything about already."
6. Meryl Streep: " I owe so much to Phyllida Lloyd, Abi Morgan, Pathe, Damien Jones for _____________ this, for asking and expecting so much of me. I want to thank the _____________ Jim Broadbent, the __________________ Olivia Colman, my beloved moths, all 300 beautiful actors and crew that worked on this film
7. Prince Charming tried the ___________ on and it fitted.
8. A true Hollywood superstar is standing back there ____________ the BAFTA mask and golden envelope makes me all ____________, if I say Vanilla Sky, Volver and Pirates of the Caribbean, you will know who I mean. In fact she's so popular, they've even named a type of very popular beach, __________ and common leisure activity after her. The great Penelope Cruz.
KEY
1. bowled over (bowl somebody over: to surprise or impress somebody a lot) turns out, behold (to look at or see somebody/something).2. grievously overlooked (grievous: very serious and often causing great pain or suffering) (overlook: to fail to see or notice something. Miss. E.g. In my hurry to finish the exam I had overlooked part of one of the questions.)
3. skipped
4. in spite of
5. fate (the things, especially bad things, that will happen or have happened to somebody/something) truthful (saying only what is true, honest)
6. sticking with (stick with sth: to continue with something or continue doing something. E.g. They decided to stick with their original plan.) soulful (expressing or appearing to express deep and often sorrowful feeling) divinely gifted
7. slipper (a loose soft shoe that you wear in the house)
8. clutching. (Clutch: to hold somebody/something tightly.) flattery (praise. Halagos) heath (a large area of open land that is not used for farming and is covered with rough grass and other small wild plants)
Transcript
Colin Firth: Good evening! It's my great privilege to present a category in which I have been grievously overlooked- "Actress in a leading role". Let's have a look at the nominees.
Viola Davis- The Help
"Just 24 years old, he skipped the best part of a person's life. Anniversary of his death comes every year and I can't breathe. But to you all, it's just another day at Bridge"
Meryl Streep- The Iron Lady
"Perhaps the Right Honourable gentleman could attend more closely to what I'm saying, rather than how I am saying it. He may receive a valuable education in spite of himself"
Colin Firth: And the BAFTA goes to Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep: I'll get there! I'll get there! Oh my God. Thank you so much. That couldn't be worse, that couldn't have gone worse! Oh, gosh. Somebody once said, I think it was Margaret Atwood, actually I always say it was Atwood but I don't even know if she said this, but somebody once said, "the fate of the well-known is to be misunderstood. And the ambition of this film, The Iron Lady, was to look at the life of the Iron Lady from the inside out and to locate something real, maybe hidden, but truthful in the life of someone that we've all decided we all know everything about already. And I'm very proud of the film and I owe so much to Phyllida Lloyd, Abi Morgan, Pathe, Damien Jones for sticking with this, for asking and expecting so much of me. I want to thank the soulful Jim Broadbent, the divinely gifted Olivia Colman, my beloved moths, all 300 beautiful actors and crew that worked on this film and to say that half of me is Streep, but the other half is Wilkinson from Lincolnshire so I come by it honestly, this part. Thank you very very much I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful, thank you.
Stephen Fry: Oh Prince Charming tried the slipper on and it fitted Cinderella at once. What a happy ending! It follows as the night, the Dame that if there is to be an award for Best Actress, there should also be one for Best Actor. To remind us of the nominees and announce the chosen one, a true Hollywood superstar. Just knowing she's standing back there clutching the BAFTA mask and golden envelope makes me all flattery, if I say Vanilla Sky, Volver and Pirates of the Caribbean, you will know who I mean. In fact she's so popular, they've even named a type of very popular beach, heath and common leisure activity after her. The great Penelope Cruz.
Ready for CAE p 76. Stephen Fry Pays Tribute to the Harry Potter Films. Extra Listening.
British actor Stephen Fry, the narrator of the British audiobook versions of the Harry Potter series, pays tribute to the Harry Potter films which receive an award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.
Director David Heyman pays tribute to the 6,000 people who have worked on each of the Potter films:
"Over the past decade we've had the privilege of working with some of the finest people working today, in an atmosphere filled with pride but no ego, working on glorious fiction created by Jo Rowling.
"We became a family of sorts, we had an awful lot of fun."
Harry Potter author JK Rowling is equally enthused: "It's very strange to look back after seven films and remember how wary I was of letting anyone put Harry on the screen.
"I kept saying no and it was David Heyman who persuaded me.
"Being involved in these films has been one of the best experiences of my life," she adds.
TASK:
1. “I
have the honour to present this year’s award for ____________British
contribution to cinema.
2. One
of the most ____________ phenomena of our time was the bursting into the world
of boy wizard Harry Potter.
3. The
Harry Potter cycle became the most ___________literary series of our time,
perhaps of all time.
4. The
characters made an ___________ mark in the imagination of millions of adults
and children the world over.
5. Could
such an ______________________phenomenon ever be translated to the screen?
6. The
Harry Potter series has shown British film making in its very best light.
Dramatically, _____________, technically breathtaking, internationally
record-breaking
7. At
the heart of the film’s appeal is the fact that no matter how much money they
make. And believe me it is a ____________.
8. The Harry Potter movies all seem to have been
crafted with an attention to detail and a love which _________ genuine care and
affection.
9. So successfully, inventively, and faithfully
have the Harry Potter movies transferred JK Rowling’s vision to the screen that
some have suggested ____________though it may seem
10. that the film may actually be better than the
quite ____________audio books.
KEY
1. Outstanding
2. Remarkable
3. Successful
4. Indelible:
impossible to forget or remove. SYN: permanent. E.g. Her
unhappy childhood left an indelible mark.
5. unprecedented
and astounding(so surprising that it is difficult to believe. SYN
astonishing: e.g. There was an
astounding 20% increase in sales).
6. Dazzling: brilliant: e.g. a dazzling display of oriental dance
7. shedload
(of sth) (BrE, informal)( from the noun shed + load;
perhaps euphemistic after shitload). a large amount of sth, especially money:
The project cost a shedload of money. This should save you shedloads.
8. Bespeaks. Bespeak: to
show or suggest sth: e.g. His style of
dressing bespoke great self-confidence.
9. sacrilegious
/ˌsækrəˈlɪdʒəs/
10. brilliantly
voiced
Ready for CAE p 76. A Conversation with Amy Tan. Extra Listening
A CONVERSATION WITH AMY TAN
0) According to Amy Tan, a book is like windows or doors to your mind which you can get out of to explore the world.- Some elements constitute a good place to start a story: ________________, ________________, ________________, ________________.
- When you read a book, you go through the same feelings, _____________________, _____________________, as the characters.
- Amy Tan’s parents thought that learning Mandarin would affect _____________________ to learn English.
- Her mother and her friends used to sit around the kitchen table and talk about the _____________________.
- At around the age of 8, she used to read Thesaurus and felt each of the words in the book were like _____________________ to her.
- Her mother’s many warnings made her grow up with a _____________________.
- Amy Tan’s grandmother had been the daughter of a _____________________.
- When her great-grandfather died, Amy’s grandmother and her mother were left _____________________, and felt very ashamed.
- Her mother’s warnings were her way to say she _____________________.
- Amy Tan started making up things when she _____________________ to her friends when she moved from one place to the other.
KEY
- Some elements constitute a good place to start a story: CONFUSION, CONFLICTS, AMBIGUITIES, AMBIVALENCE.
- When you read a book, you go through the same feelings, JOY, TRAGEDY, LOSS, as the characters.
- Amy Tan’s parents thought that learning Mandarin would affect HER ABILITY to learn English.
- Her mother and her friends used to sit around the kitchen table and talk about the OLD DAYS.
- At around the age of 8, she used to read Thesaurus and felt each of the words in the book were like LITTLE STORIES to her.
- Her mother’s many warnings made her grow up with a SENSE OF DANGER.
- Amy Tan’s grandmother had been the daughter of a SCHOLAR.
- When her great-grandfather died, Amy’s grandmother and her mother were left DESTITUTE and felt very ashamed.
- Her mother’s warnings were her way to say she LOVED HER.
- Amy Tan started making up things when she WROTE LETTERS to her friends when she moved from one place to the other.
Ready for CAE p 76. Julian Smith: I'm Reading a Book. Extra Comedy
At home
sitting in my favorite nook
My girl is trying to get me eat some dinner she cooked
I'm reading a book, girl
I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
On the shoulder
I got pulled over
The Pig is trying to get me, roll my window lower
I'm reading a book, pig
I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
Why are all these people always interrupting me?
What I gotta do to try to make them see?
(Don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book)
I'm reading a book, I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
(Don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book)
I'm reading a book, I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
I'm at the library, where they call me a crook
I never even pay for my library books
I take them from the shelf
and if anyone looks I say
I'm reading a book, man
I'm reading a book
At a stupid birthday party for some stupid kid
take a book from a present
They were supposed to be his
Now I'm about to find out what happens to Captain Hook
Cause I'm reading your book, kid
I'm reading your book
Why are all these people always interrupting me?
What I gotta do to try to make them see?
(Don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book)
I'm reading a book, I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
(Don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book)
I'm reading a book, I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
If you ever interrupt me
you can bet you are gonna see
the nasty me, the nasty me, the nasty me
I'm reading a book, I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
(Don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book)
I'm reading a book, I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
I'm reading a book, I'm reading a book
don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book
(Don't you ever interrupt me while I'm reading a book)
I'm reading a book, I'm reading a book
don't you ever inte...
(Bagpipe)
Vocabulary:
Nook: a small quiet place or corner that is sheltered or hidden from other people. Rincón.
Crook: a dishonest person. Granuja. Ladrón
Ready for CAE p 76. Book Reviewer David Ulin on Forum. Extra Listening
In his new book, The Lost Art of Reading, Los Angeles Times book critic David Ulin explores the ongoing relevance of literature in an age of digital distraction
Ready for CAE p 75. Vocabulary
Whizzkid: a person who is very good and successful at sth, especially at a young age:
E.g. financial whizz-kids.
Flair for sth: a natural ability to do sth well. SYN talent. E.g. He has a flair for languages
Dab hand: noun(BrE, informal) a person who is very good at doing sth or using sth: E.g. He’s a dab hand at cooking spaghetti. She’s a dab hand with a paintbrush.
E.g. financial whizz-kids.
Flair for sth: a natural ability to do sth well. SYN talent. E.g. He has a flair for languages
Dab hand: noun(BrE, informal) a person who is very good at doing sth or using sth: E.g. He’s a dab hand at cooking spaghetti. She’s a dab hand with a paintbrush.
Ready for CAE p 75. Intelligence and Ability. Extra Speaking
Ready for CAE Ss p 75. Intelligence and Ability. Extra Speaking
Useful Language
1.
He was a brainy student who didn't fit in socially.
The parents of a bright child or the gifted child are rarely aware of their child's extraordinary abilities.
2.
A great teacher produces a brilliant student.
3.
Elias James Corey was a whizzkid from Methuen who wrote his doctoral thesis in four weeks, earned a PhD at age 22 and was made a full professor at 27. At 62, he won an award that friends and colleagues said was years, even decades, overdue: the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
4.
One of my neighbours has a gift for languages. She's also interested in politics and foreign cultures and wants to make a difference in the world. Like any good newspaper journalist, she has a nose for a good story.
I discovered that I have an ear for accents, and I quickly pick up (identify) the accent of the speakers around me.
5.
I love cooking and socialising with friends. We have barbeques and parties in the summer. I'm a dab hand at DIY and can fix anything mechanical.
I'm an ace at planning and management (I even scare myself sometimes, I'm so organised! ), just not so good at having spontaneous ideas, though.
I'm a strong team leader with the ability to motivate others.
6.
I'm not a computer expert at all.
I'm afraid I could never be a businessman, I don't have a head for figures.
7.
In some areas I am hopeless but I do have an eye for specific details.
I am terrible at spelling.
8.
I have never been good with my hands.
I don't shine in sports or dancing or singing.
10.
Joan Baez is a hugely talented songwriter, who writes with honesty and wit and her rhymes are set to absolutely superb music.
He is the fastest runner in his school; at 15 he is a highly promising athlete, perhaps Olympic material.
He is an exceptionally gifted violinist with extraordinary musical perception.
He is a very promising talent and has proven many great achievements since he started playing tennis.
She is a remarkably intelligent athlete, fully engaged in important issues of public policy, and willing to listen and learn as she seeks to make the world a better place.
I would say that he is outstandingly talented in artistic ways, also very talented in drawing.
I know he is a born teacher and teaches with kindness, compassion, a sense of humour and intuition.
11.
I strongly believe that everyone is naturally gifted and their talents should be celebrated.
Useful Language
1.
He was a brainy student who didn't fit in socially.
The parents of a bright child or the gifted child are rarely aware of their child's extraordinary abilities.
2.
A great teacher produces a brilliant student.
3.
Elias James Corey was a whizzkid from Methuen who wrote his doctoral thesis in four weeks, earned a PhD at age 22 and was made a full professor at 27. At 62, he won an award that friends and colleagues said was years, even decades, overdue: the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
4.
One of my neighbours has a gift for languages. She's also interested in politics and foreign cultures and wants to make a difference in the world. Like any good newspaper journalist, she has a nose for a good story.
I discovered that I have an ear for accents, and I quickly pick up (identify) the accent of the speakers around me.
5.
I love cooking and socialising with friends. We have barbeques and parties in the summer. I'm a dab hand at DIY and can fix anything mechanical.
I'm an ace at planning and management (I even scare myself sometimes, I'm so organised! ), just not so good at having spontaneous ideas, though.
I'm a strong team leader with the ability to motivate others.
6.
I'm not a computer expert at all.
I'm afraid I could never be a businessman, I don't have a head for figures.
7.
In some areas I am hopeless but I do have an eye for specific details.
I am terrible at spelling.
8.
I have never been good with my hands.
I don't shine in sports or dancing or singing.
10.
Joan Baez is a hugely talented songwriter, who writes with honesty and wit and her rhymes are set to absolutely superb music.
He is the fastest runner in his school; at 15 he is a highly promising athlete, perhaps Olympic material.
He is an exceptionally gifted violinist with extraordinary musical perception.
He is a very promising talent and has proven many great achievements since he started playing tennis.
She is a remarkably intelligent athlete, fully engaged in important issues of public policy, and willing to listen and learn as she seeks to make the world a better place.
I would say that he is outstandingly talented in artistic ways, also very talented in drawing.
I know he is a born teacher and teaches with kindness, compassion, a sense of humour and intuition.
11.
I strongly believe that everyone is naturally gifted and their talents should be celebrated.
Ready for CAE p 74. Vocabulary
Plague: verb [vn] plague sb/sth (with sth):to cause pain or trouble to sb/sth over a period of time. SYN: trouble. E.g. to be plagued by doubt. Financial problems are plaguing the company. The team has been plagued by injury this season. (Atormentar, mortificar)
Ready for CAE p 73. How Do I Improve My Memory? Forget More! Extra Listening
Do you know what is essential for a good memory? The ability to forget.
To completely and thoroughly forget. Forgetting, like breathing or
sleeping, is physiologically normal. This is at odds with our modern
compulsion to record and remember everything and is a perfect recipe for
anxiety.
Read more
Read more
Ready for CAE p 73. Memory and the Brain. Extra Listening
It's almost impossible to accurately describe the power and importance of memory. Whether you're fondly reminiscing over an event from a childhood vacation, quickly memorizing a phone number or address, or learning a new skill on the job, memory is so interwoven into our everyday lives that we can sometimes take it for granted. So how does memory actually work?
Watch this lecture delivered by neuroscientist and award-winning Professor Jeanette Norden of Vanderbilt University
Watch this lecture delivered by neuroscientist and award-winning Professor Jeanette Norden of Vanderbilt University
Ready for CAE p 73. How Your Brain Works. Extra Listening
As you’re reading these words, your brain is shaping thoughts and images. You’re remembering and associating what’s being written with your experiences. You’re forming new networks of ideas that are encoded into your brain’s intricate circuitry. And it’s all part of brain plasticity, the phenomenon through which your brain continues to change throughout your life.
Brain plasticity is a concept discovered in recent years by neurobiologists, who traditionally thought that the brain was fully formed by adulthood. But in fact, it is life experiences that shape and mold the brain throughout the span of a human life and that influences the brain’s messengers, known as neurotransmitters. Which means you can increase your brain’s power by your own effort. All it takes is applying what you know about how the brain works to meet everyday challenges and about using the principles of brain operation to solve problems and learn new things.
Watch this lecture delivered by Dr. Richard Restak, Clinical Professor of Neurology at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Brain plasticity is a concept discovered in recent years by neurobiologists, who traditionally thought that the brain was fully formed by adulthood. But in fact, it is life experiences that shape and mold the brain throughout the span of a human life and that influences the brain’s messengers, known as neurotransmitters. Which means you can increase your brain’s power by your own effort. All it takes is applying what you know about how the brain works to meet everyday challenges and about using the principles of brain operation to solve problems and learn new things.
Watch this lecture delivered by Dr. Richard Restak, Clinical Professor of Neurology at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
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.
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.
Ready for CAE p 72. Intelligence and Stupidity. Extra Speaking
Ready for CAE Ss p 72. Intelligence and Stupidity. Extra Speaking
Vocabulary:
An accomplished
dancer/pianist/singer. Accomplished:
very good at a particular thing; having a lot of skills.
A
born artist/teacher/writer
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.
A competent
driver/lawyer/skier
An experienced
journalist/manager/professional
An expert
cook/gardener/skier
A gifted
musician/ sportswoman/ student
Gifted: having a lot of natural ability or
intelligence.
Gift: a special ability to do something.
To have a flair for something to have a natural ability to do
something well. E.g. He has a flair for languages.
A proficient
horsewoman/pilot/typist. Proficient:
(competente) able to do sth well because of training and practice: She’s proficient in several languages. He’s proficient at his job. I’m a reasonably proficient driver.
A promising athlete/player/student. Promising: ( prometedor) showing signs of being good or successful: He was voted the most promising new actor
for his part in the movie. The weather doesn’t look very promising.
A skilled craftsman/technician/worker (Hábil)
A skilful card player/diplomat/footballer (habilidoso)
A strong swimmer
Brainy: very intelligent.
Excel: (in / at sth / at doing sth) to be very
good at doing sth: e.g. She has always excelled in foreign languages.
Underperform: to not be as successful as was expected
Master: to learn or understand sth completely:
e.g. to master new skills / techniques. French was a language he had never
mastered.
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.
Ready for CAE p 72. Multiple Intelligencies. Vocabulary
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
To come up with: to find or produce an answer, a sum of money, etc.
Skill: an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it.
Gifted: having a lot of natural ability or intelligence.
To dare: to ask someone to do something which involves risk.
At the top of the heap: high up in the structure of an organisation or a society.
To range from… to: To vary within specified limits.
Subsequently: (formal) afterwards; later; after sthg else has happened.
To withdraw: to stop taking part in an activity or being a member of an organisation; to stop sby/sthg from doing these things.
Achievement: something very good and difficult that you have succeeded in doing.
Mastery: great knowledge about or understanding of a particular thing.
Preserve: (of sby) an activity, a job, an interest, etc. that is thought to be suitable for one particular person or group of people.
To mark out: to make people recognise sby as special in some way.
To seek – sought – sought: to try to find or get something, especially something which is not a physical object.
Underlying: real but not immediately obvious.
Bearer: a person who has knowledge of sthg, such as an idea or a tradition, and makes sure that it is not forgotten, by teaching others about it.
Accuracy: faithful measurement or representation of the truth; correctness; precision.
To rate: to judge the value or character of someone or something.
To lump: to put or consider different things together in the same group.
To gauge: to make a judgement about sthg, especially people’s feelings or attitudes. To calculate sthg approximately.
The latter: the second of two people, things or groups previously mentioned.
Embodiment: (formal) embodiment of sthg a person or thing that represents or is a typical example of an idea or a quality.
Spectrum: a range of opinions, feelings, etc.
Hopeless: completely without skill at a particular activity.
Gift: a special ability to do something.
To come up with: to find or produce an answer, a sum of money, etc.
Skill: an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it.
Gifted: having a lot of natural ability or intelligence.
To dare: to ask someone to do something which involves risk.
At the top of the heap: high up in the structure of an organisation or a society.
To range from… to: To vary within specified limits.
Subsequently: (formal) afterwards; later; after sthg else has happened.
To withdraw: to stop taking part in an activity or being a member of an organisation; to stop sby/sthg from doing these things.
Achievement: something very good and difficult that you have succeeded in doing.
Mastery: great knowledge about or understanding of a particular thing.
Preserve: (of sby) an activity, a job, an interest, etc. that is thought to be suitable for one particular person or group of people.
To mark out: to make people recognise sby as special in some way.
To seek – sought – sought: to try to find or get something, especially something which is not a physical object.
Underlying: real but not immediately obvious.
Bearer: a person who has knowledge of sthg, such as an idea or a tradition, and makes sure that it is not forgotten, by teaching others about it.
Accuracy: faithful measurement or representation of the truth; correctness; precision.
To rate: to judge the value or character of someone or something.
To lump: to put or consider different things together in the same group.
To gauge: to make a judgement about sthg, especially people’s feelings or attitudes. To calculate sthg approximately.
The latter: the second of two people, things or groups previously mentioned.
Embodiment: (formal) embodiment of sthg a person or thing that represents or is a typical example of an idea or a quality.
Spectrum: a range of opinions, feelings, etc.
Hopeless: completely without skill at a particular activity.
Gift: a special ability to do something.
Ready for CAE p 72. John Malkovich's Talents. Extra Listening
AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MALKOVICH
1. What did the character played by Javier Bardem want to be?
2. Why is the film John Malkovich has just directed different from the previous ones?
3. What were his first three films about?
4. What was the Japanese guy worried about?
5. What is special about the suit he is wearing during the interview?
6. What are some of the talents John Malkovich possesses?
7. What talent does he share with the interviewer, Jon Stewart?
8. What is John Malkovich driven by?
9. What was he asked to do he was not sure he could do?
10. How does Jon Stewart feel about the fashion industry?
KEY
1. A goat farmer.
2. It is his first feature-length film.
3. fashion.
4. Tidal waves.
5. He designed it.
6. He designs things; he is a film director; an actor; he makes furniture; he cooks; he drinks water!; he drinks wine.
7. Drinking water.
8. Curiosity about things.
9. To design a line of men’s clothing.
10. He has too much disdain for it, perhaps even contempt. he says it is an odd corrupt world.
Ready for CAE p 72. Matt Ridley: When Ideas Have Sex. Extra Listening
British author Matt Ridley argues that, through history, the engine of human progress and prosperity has been, and is, "ideas having sex with each other." It's not important how clever individuals are, he says; what really matters is how smart the collective brain is.
Mock Exams
Vocabulary Reading Advanced
PART ONE (Ready for CAE p 78)
Baffled: confused. Perplejo
Inebriated: drunk
Coupled with: unido con
Arousal: excitement
Buckle: to crush or bend. When your knees or legs buckle or when you buckle at the knees, your knees become weak and you start to fall. e.g. His legs buckled and he fell. Le fallaron las piernas y se cayó.
To be taken aback: to be shocked or surprised
Snap: move quickly
To crack a joke: to tell a joke
Set off: to start a process
PART TWO
High street: the main street of a town, where most shops/stores, banks, etc. are. Calle mayor. E.g. Peckham High Street. 106 High Street, Peckham. High-street banks/shops.
Spree: a short period of time that you spend doing one particular activity that you enjoy, but often too much of it. Juerga. Hacer algo desenfrenadamente. E.g. a shopping/spending spree. He's out on a spree. They went on a spending spree (salieron a gastarse lo que no está escrito).
Fall apart: to be in very bad condition so that parts are breaking off. Caerse a pedazos. E.g. my car is falling apart.
Clear-out: a process of getting rid of things or people that you no longer want. Limpieza a fondo. E.g. have a clear-out. A staff clear-out is being planned at party headquarters (= people are going to lose their jobs).
Heap: an untidy pile of something. Montón. E.g. the building was reduced to a heap of rubble. Worn-out car tyres were stacked in heaps.
Pull: Attraction. The fact of something attracting you or having a strong effect on you. Atracción, fuerza. E.g. the magnetic pull of the city was hard to resist. He felt the pull of paternal love.
Voracious: /vəˈreɪʃəs/ Having an insatiable appetite for an activity; greedy. Insaciable. E.g. a voracious reader.
Frugality: /fruˈɡæləti/ the fact of using only as much money or food as is necessary. Austeridad. E.g When I was growing up, frugality was a way of life.
Source: to get something from a particular place. Obtener. E.g. we source all the meat sold in our stores from British farms.
Sweatshop: a place where people work for low wages in poor conditions. Fábrica donde se explota a los obreros.
Sound: sensible; that you can rely on and that will probably give good results. Sensato. E.g. a person of sound judgement He gave me some very sound advice.
Code: a set of moral principles or rules of behaviour that are generally accepted by society or a social group. E.g. a strict code of conduct.
Patch sth up:to repair sth especially in a temporary way by adding a new piece of material or a patch: E.g.Just to patch the boat up will cost £10 000.
Odd: occasional
Vintage: /ˈvɪntɪdʒ/ typical of a period in the past and of high quality. De época
Chuck sth away/Chuck sth out: to throw something away. Tirar. E.g. those old clothes can be chucked out.
Ready for CAE p 72. Multiple Intelligencies. Vocabulary
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
To come up with: to find or produce an answer, a sum of money, etc.
Skill: an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it.
Gifted: having a lot of natural ability or intelligence.
To dare: to ask someone to do something which involves risk.
At the top of the heap: high up in the structure of an organisation or a society.
To range from… to: To vary within specified limits.
Subsequently: (formal) afterwards; later; after sthg else has happened.
To withdraw: to stop taking part in an activity or being a member of an organisation; to stop sby/sthg from doing these things.
Achievement: something very good and difficult that you have succeeded in doing.
Mastery: great knowledge about or understanding of a particular thing.
Preserve: (of sby) an activity, a job, an interest, etc. that is thought to be suitable for one particular person or group of people.
To mark out: to make people recognise sby as special in some way.
To seek – sought – sought: to try to find or get something, especially something which is not a physical object.
Underlying: real but not immediately obvious.
Bearer: a person who has knowledge of sthg, such as an idea or a tradition, and makes sure that it is not forgotten, by teaching others about it.
Accuracy: faithful measurement or representation of the truth; correctness; precision.
To rate: to judge the value or character of someone or something.
To lump: to put or consider different things together in the same group.
To gauge: to make a judgement about sthg, especially people’s feelings or attitudes. To calculate sthg approximately.
The latter: the second of two people, things or groups previously mentioned.
Embodiment: (formal) embodiment of sthg a person or thing that represents or is a typical example of an idea or a quality.
Spectrum: a range of opinions, feelings, etc.
Hopeless: completely without skill at a particular activity.
Gift: a special ability to do something.
To come up with: to find or produce an answer, a sum of money, etc.
Skill: an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it.
Gifted: having a lot of natural ability or intelligence.
To dare: to ask someone to do something which involves risk.
At the top of the heap: high up in the structure of an organisation or a society.
To range from… to: To vary within specified limits.
Subsequently: (formal) afterwards; later; after sthg else has happened.
To withdraw: to stop taking part in an activity or being a member of an organisation; to stop sby/sthg from doing these things.
Achievement: something very good and difficult that you have succeeded in doing.
Mastery: great knowledge about or understanding of a particular thing.
Preserve: (of sby) an activity, a job, an interest, etc. that is thought to be suitable for one particular person or group of people.
To mark out: to make people recognise sby as special in some way.
To seek – sought – sought: to try to find or get something, especially something which is not a physical object.
Underlying: real but not immediately obvious.
Bearer: a person who has knowledge of sthg, such as an idea or a tradition, and makes sure that it is not forgotten, by teaching others about it.
Accuracy: faithful measurement or representation of the truth; correctness; precision.
To rate: to judge the value or character of someone or something.
To lump: to put or consider different things together in the same group.
To gauge: to make a judgement about sthg, especially people’s feelings or attitudes. To calculate sthg approximately.
The latter: the second of two people, things or groups previously mentioned.
Embodiment: (formal) embodiment of sthg a person or thing that represents or is a typical example of an idea or a quality.
Spectrum: a range of opinions, feelings, etc.
Hopeless: completely without skill at a particular activity.
Gift: a special ability to do something.
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