Do the Reading and Use of English Part 2 Ex
launch something to put a ship or boat into the water, especially one that has just been built. Sp. Echar al agua.
E.g.
The Navy is to launch a new warship today.
The lifeboat was launched immediately.
USS:
(United States Ship) (used before the name of a ship in the US navy)
E.g.
USS Oklahoma
Kittiwake: /ˈkɪtɪweɪk/ a bird that lives in groups on sea cliffs. Sp. gaviota tridáctila
deploy:
1. deploy somebody/something to move soldiers or weapons into a position where they are ready for military action. Sp. desplegar.
E.g.
2 000 troops were deployed in the area.
At least 5 000 missiles were deployed along the border.
Tanks were deployed effectively during the long campaign.
2. deploy something (formal) to use something effectively. Sp. utilizar.
E.g.
to deploy arguments/resources
She rejected the arguments that had been deployed against her.
key: A low-lying island or reef, especially in the Caribbean. Sp. cayo, arrecife
E.g.
Key West is one of the Florida Keys.
decommission: /ˌdiːkəˈmɪʃn/ decommission something to officially stop using weapons or military equipment. Sp. retirar del servicio.
E.g. The ship will be decommissioned today
shipwreck: a ship that has been lost or destroyed at sea. Sp. buque naufragado.
E.g.
The contents of shipwrecks belong to the state.
scuba-diving: /ˈskuːbə daɪvɪŋ/ the sport or activity of swimming underwater using special breathing equipment consisting of a container of air which you carry on your back and a tube through which you breathe the air. Sp. buceo.
E.g.
to go scuba diving
scuba gear/equipment
dispose of somebody/something to get rid of somebody/something that you do not want or cannot keep. Sp. deshacerse de, desechar.
E.g.
the difficulties of disposing of nuclear waste
to dispose of stolen property
Radioactive waste must be disposed of safely.
standard: a level of quality, especially one that people think is acceptable. Sp. nivel, estándar, norma.
E.g.
There has been a fall in living standards.
safety/quality standards
Who sets the standard for water quality?
fitting: suitable or right for the occasion. Appropriate.
E.g.
It seems fitting that: Sp. Resulta apropiado/adecuado.
It is only fitting that Simon should propose the first toast tonight.
It is fitting that the new centre for European studies should be in a university that teaches every European language.
It seemed entirely fitting that she should be wearing black.
Do The Listening part 3 Ex
Questions
highlight: the best, most interesting or most exciting part of something. Sp. lo más destacado.
E.g.
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the Taj Mahal.
in a good, bad, favourable, etc. light: if you see something or put something in a good, bad, etc. light, it seems good, bad, etc. Sp. de manera positiva.
You must not view what happened in a negative light.
They want to present their policies in the best possible light.
During an interview, you need to show yourself in the best possible light.
paid leave n being paid while absent. Sp. permiso retribuido, vacaciones pagadas.
E.g.
The amount of paid leave to which employees are entitled is proportionate to the amount of work they have to do in a year.
Script
cherish something to keep an idea, a hope or a pleasant feeling in your mind for a long time. Sp. Valorar, estimar.
E.g.
Cherish the memory of those days in Paris.
He cherishes the hope that one day they will meet again.
Adults still cherish happy memories
of childhood holidays
carefree: having no worries or responsibilities.
E.g.
He looked happy and carefree.
a carefree attitude/life
spectrum: a complete or wide range of related qualities, ideas, etc. Sp. gama, espectro.
E.g.
a broad spectrum of interests
We shall hear views from across the political spectrum.
as it were: so to speak. Used when a speaker is giving his or her own impression of a situation or expressing something in a particular way. Sp. digamos, por así decirlo, por decirlo de algún modo.
E.g.
Teachers must put the brakes on, as it were, when they notice students looking puzzled.
dip: a decrease in the amount or success of something, usually for only a short period. A fall. Sp. caída, bajada.
E.g.
Share prices have taken a slight dip.
dip in something: a sharp dip in profits.
dawn on somebody if something dawns on you, you begin to realize it for the first time. Sp. percatarse, caer en la cuenta de que.
E.g.
it dawns on somebody that… Suddenly it dawned on me that they couldn't possibly have met before.
tricky: difficult to do or deal with. Sp. difícil, complicado.
E.g.
a tricky situation
Getting it to fit exactly is a tricky business.
The equipment can be tricky to install.
snag: a problem or difficulty, especially one that is small, hidden or unexpected. Difficulty. Sp. inconveniente, problema, dificultad, obstáculo.
E.g.
There is just one small snag—where is the money coming from?
Let me know if you run into any snags.
mar something: to damage something or make something less good or successfulSp. dañar, estropear.
E.g.
The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans.
rose-tinted:
(also rose-coloured)
used to describe an idea or a way of looking at a situation as being better or more positive than it really is.
E.g.
He tends to view the world through rose-coloured spectacles.
a rose-tinted vision of the world.
backlog: a quantity of work that should have been done already, but has not yet been done. Sp. Trabajo atrasado.
E.g.
When she eventually returned to work, there was a tremendous backlog of paperwork to catch up on. We are faced with a backlog of orders we can’t deal with.
give rise to something (formal) to cause something to happen or exist. Sp. provocar, dar lugar a.
E.g.
The novel's success gave rise to a number of sequels.
put something down to something to consider that something is caused by something. synonym attribute.
E.g.
What do you put her success down to?
either way | one way or the other used to say that something will be the same whichever of two things happens or is true. Sp. en cualquiera de los dos casos.
E.g.
Was it his fault or not? Either way, an explanation is due.
We could meet today or tomorrow—I don't mind one way or the other.
statutory /ˈstætʃətri/ fixed by law; that must be done by law. Sp. reglamentario.
E.g.
The authority failed to carry out its statutory duties.
When you buy foods you have certain statutory rights.
wear off: to gradually disappear or stop. Sp. desaparecer, pasarse
E.g.
The effects of the drug will soon wear off.
The novelty of married life was beginning to wear off
Read the transcript:
Open World p 36. Listening Track 017. Script
You will hear an interview in which two psychologists called Matthew
Partridge and Emma Macedo are talking about the benefits of holidays.
For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best
according to what you hear.
You’ll hear the recording twice. You now have seventy seconds to look at
part 3.
Presenter: My first guest today
is psychologist Matthew Partridge, who’s written
extensively on people’s reasons for wanting to go on holiday. Matthew, why
is it that we love our holidays so much?
Matthew: Because we really value them,
and of course many adults still cherish
happy memories of childhood
holidays. But as to why, well it’s
largely dependent on the age of the person you’re interviewing. There are
lots of common answers, like having carefree
time in an unfamiliar place.
Adults love having quality time
with their kids, who in turn are
actually more interested in exciting stuff like roller-coaster rides, or sensory
experiences like splashing in
the sea.
In contrast, for adults it’s almost the reverse
- what they most value is the calm,
quiet time where they don’t have to do anything! The other end of the spectrum, as it were.
Presenter: Sure. Well my second
guest is also a psychologist. Emma Macedo, welcome to the show.
Emma: Thank you.
Presenter: Emma, work has been
done to measure the fun people have on holiday. Tell us about that.
Emma: Yes, there was a study in the
Netherlands and in order to get a
meaningful picture of a complex issue, several hundred holidaymakers were
interviewed about their enjoyment of their holidays. And what emerged from that
was the notion of a holiday happiness curve.
For the first … say ten percent of the time people often report a lower
mood, perhaps caused by congestion
driving to the airport or something. This then improves for a substantial
central section of the break, followed quite often by a quick dip, perhaps as it dawns on people that it’s coming to an end.
But they tend to enjoy the closing stages, perhaps trying to make the most of the time remaining, or
even looking forward to getting back
home again.
Presenter: How easy or
difficult is it to interpret tourists’ accounts of their enjoyment levels
during their holidays?
Matthew: It tends to be very tricky. I once asked groups of tourists
on a five-day cycling tour of Scotland to keep diaries on their travels, which
I would then use for my research. I did the same with groups on a three-week
cruise of the Arctic too, and conducted follow-up interviews on their return
home.
Many of the diary entries focused
to quite a substantial extent on the daily obstacles encountered. But
when I spoke to them later these snags
that had marred the excursion at the
time were rapidly forgotten, and their recollections were overwhelmingly
positive. So they had what we can call a
rose-tinted view of their time away.
Presenter: So researching
holiday experience can be more complex? What do you both think?
Emma: Absolutely. Depending on what
kind of job a person has, if they’ve got deadlines to get out of the way before
their holiday, this can lead to stress. But it’s questionable whether that stress should be seen as being holiday-related
rather than work-related.
Matthew: And similarly, people can come
back from their holidays feeling fantastic, having totally forgotten about work
for a week like Emma was describing. But the moment they walk back into their
office, there’s this backlog of work
that confronts them. And that can give
rise to negative feelings.
But again, should this be put
down to the holiday? Or just treated as a sort of side-effect of having been away? I think you could argue either way.
Presenter: I see. And does
research into tourism give us plenty to feel positive about or does it leave us
feeling rather disappointed?
Emma: Well, you don’t always get a
consensus when you look at different pieces
of research, but it’s undeniable that a trip away, however
long it is, does you a huge amount of good. And it can lead to improved
performance when you get back to work or study after your holiday.
This should be looked at in parts of the world where it’s not standard
to have statutory holiday pay. For
example, in the US, workers only get about 10 days off annually, compared to
over 20 in Europe, so employees are not necessarily feeling the same benefits.
But what’s most depressing, I suppose, is that with all you gain from a
holiday in terms of psychological and physical wellbeing, it all tends to be so
brief and wear off after a week or
two. And then you’re back to your pre-holiday levels.
Presenter: I see. Any tips for
getting the most out of our holidays?
Matthew: Various things. One is to immerse yourself in the place you’re
going to visit ahead of the trip, for example by reading a novel set there, or
studying the guidebook.
And if possible, don’t restrict yourself to just one holiday a year if
you really want to get the psychological benefit that travelling can have, for
yourself and your travel companions.
Emma: Sure, people tend to have
holidays only occasionally because of the cost, the logistics, and all the time
required to make plans. But ideally we should be doing the opposite.
And it’s easier to get the trip you want if you reserve well ahead,
while there’s plenty of availability. That’s assuming you already know who
you’ll be wanting to go with of course!
Presenter: Great. Thank you
both very much.
Do this speaking task:
