controversy kɒn'trə ve:si	public debate. dispute disagreement	These are some controversial statements
hoax /həʊks/	a plan to deceive someone, such as telling the police there is a bomb somewhere when there is not one, or a trick.
onlooker n ˈɒnˌlʊkə	someone who watches something happening without being involved in it	A crowd of onlookers had gathered at the scene of the accident.
recipient n rɪˈsɪpiənt	someone who receives something	the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
derivative n dɪˈrɪvətɪv	something that has developed or been produced from something else	Heroin is a derivative of morphine.
source n sɔːs	a thing, place, activity etc that you get something from	They get their money from various sources.
equate v ɪˈkweɪt	to consider that two things are similar or connected	Most people equate wealth with success.
equivalent n ɪˈkwɪvələnt	something that has the same value, purpose, job etc as something else	The word has no equivalent in English.
hog v hɒɡ	to keep, use, or have all of something that should be shared	How much longer are you going to hog the bathroom?
impact n ˈɪmpækt	the effect or influence that an event, situation etc has on someone or something	We need to assess the impact on climate change.
alleviate v əˈliːvieɪt	to make something less painful or difficult to deal with	a new medicine to alleviate the symptoms of flu
dual adj ˈdjuːəl	having two of something or two parts	The bridge has a dual role, carrying both road and rail.
offspring n ˈɒfˌsprɪŋ	someone’s child or children – often used humorously	a young mother trying to control her offspring
spirited adj ˈspɪrətəd, ˈspɪrɪtəd	having energy and determination – used to show approval	a spirited and energetic girl
surplus to requirements adj phr ˈsɜːpləs tə rɪˈkwaɪəmənts	an amount of something that is more than what is needed	This paper is surplus to requirements so I'm going to recycle it.
dispose v dɪˈspəʊz	to get rid of something, especially something that is difficult to get rid of	I dispose of all my glass at a recycling bank.
landfill n ˈlændfɪl	the practice of burying waste under the ground, or the waste buried in this way	There is no room left in my town for landfill.
instil v ɪnˈstɪl	to teach someone to think, behave, or feel in a particular way over a period of time	A manager’s job is to instil determination into his players.
dispute v dɪˈspjuːt	to say that something such as a fact or idea is not correct or true	The main facts of the book have never been disputed.
opportunistic adj ˌɒpətjuːˈnɪstɪk	someone who uses every opportunity to gain power, money, or unfair advantages – used to show disapproval	opportunistic thefts from cars
predator n ˈpredətə	an animal that kills and eats other animals	The shark is the most powerful predator in the sea.
detrimental adj ˌdetrəˈmentl, ˌdetrɪˈmentl	causing harm or damage	Smoking is detrimental to your health.
mammal n ˈmæməl	a type of animal that drinks milk from its mother’s body when it is young. Humans, dogs, and whales are mammals.	Humans are mammals, just like chimpanzees and dogs.
contemplate v ˈkɒntəmpleɪt	to think about something that you might do in the future	He had even contemplated suicide.
neuter v ˈnjuːtə	to remove part of the sex organs of an animal so that it cannot produce babies	a neutered tomcat
dusk n dʌsk	the time before it gets dark when the sky is becoming less bright	The street lights go on at dusk.
advocate v ˈædvəkeɪt	to publicly support a particular way of doing something	Extremists were openly advocating violence.
finite adj ˈfaɪnaɪt	having an end or a limit	the Earth’s finite resources
feline adj ˈfiːlaɪn	relating to cats or other members of the cat family, such as lions	She moves with feline grace.
premium adj ˈpriːmiəm	of very high quality	I only buy premium cheese, I don't like the taste of the cheap products.
sinner n ˈsɪnə	someone who has sinned by not obeying God’s laws	When I asked for a plastic bag she looked as me as though I were a sinner.
excess adj ˈekses	additional and not needed because there is already enough of something	Cut any excess fat from the meat.
spark off phr v spɑːk ɒf	to be the cause of something, especially trouble or violence	The hot weather sparked off some dramatic thunderstorms.
thin on the ground idm θɪn ɒn ðə ɡraʊnd	if a particular type of person or thing is thin on the ground, there are very few available	Supporters of the politician are thin on the ground -- no more than a handful.
emit v ɪˈmɪt	to send out gas, heat, light, sound etc	The kettle emitted a shrill whistle.
give rise to v phr ɡɪv raɪz tə	to be the reason why something happens, especially something bad or unpleasant	The flooding gave rise to a lot of damage in homes.
wipe out phr v waɪp aʊt	to destroy, remove, or get rid of something completely	Whole villages were wiped out by the floods.
spray v spreɪ	to force liquid out of a container so that it comes out in a stream of very small drops and covers an area	She sprayed herself with perfume.
build-up n bɪld ʌp	an increase over a period of time	a heavy build-up of traffic on the motorway
ozone layer n phr ˈəʊzəʊn ˈleɪə	a layer of gases in the sky that prevents harmful radiation from the sun from reaching the Earth	the hole in the ozone layer
famine n ˈfæmən, ˈfæmɪn	a situation in which a large number of people have little or no food for a long time and many people die	the great potato famine in Ireland
geneticallymodified v dʒəˈnetɪkli ˌmɒdɪfaɪd	genetically-modified foods and plants have had their GENETIC (=the materials that control the development of particular qualities) structure changed so that they are not affected by certain diseases or harmful insects	Consumers are turning their backs on genetically-modified ingredients, and demanding organic products.
imminent adj ˈɪmənənt, ˈɪmɪnənt	an event that is imminent, especially an unpleasant one, will happen very soon	He was in imminent danger of dying.
oblivious adj əˈblɪviəs	not knowing about or not noticing something that is happening around you	He seemed oblivious to the fact that he had hurt her.
implication n ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən, ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən	a possible future effect or result of an action, event, decision etc	What are the implications of these proposals?
pollinate v ˈpɒləneɪt, ˈpɒlɪneɪt	to give a flower or plant pollen so that it can produce seeds	flowers pollinated by bees
crucial adj ˈkruːʃəl	something that is crucial is extremely important, because everything else depends on it	This aid money is crucial to the government’s economic policies.
inevitable adj ɪˈnevətəbəl, ɪˈnevɪtəbəl	certain to happen and impossible to avoid	A further escalation of the crisis now seems inevitable.
knock-on effect n phr ˌnɒk ˈɒn ɪˈfekt	o start a process in which everything that happens causes something else to happen	We have had no rain for six months and the knock-on effect is that many plants have died.
availability n əˌveɪləˈbɪləti, əˌveɪləˈbɪlɪti	something that is available is able to be used or can easily be bought or found	the availability of affordable housing
be right up there with idm bi raɪt ʌp ðeə wɪð	is amongst the best/most important	My wedding day is right up there as one of the happiest moments of my life.
scenario n səˈnɑːriəʊ, sɪˈnɑːriəʊ	a situation that could possibly happen	Imagine a scenario where only 20% of people have a job.
deteriorate v dɪˈtɪəriəreɪt	to become worse	Ethel’s health has deteriorated.
corresponding adj ˌkɒrəˈspɒndɪŋ, ˌkɒrɪˈspɒndɪŋ	caused by or connected with something you have already mentioned	The war and the corresponding fall in trade have had a devastating effect on the country.
repetitive adj rɪˈpetətɪv, rɪˈpetɪtɪv	done many times in the same way, and boring	repetitive tasks like washing and ironing
diversity n daɪˈvɜːsəti, daɪˈvɜːsɪti, də-	the fact of including many different types of people or things	The curriculum will take account of the ethnic diversity of the population.
be prone to v phr bi prəʊn tə	likely to do something or suffer from something, especially something bad or harmful	We live near a river and our house is prone to flooding.
immune system n phr ɪˈmjuːn ˈsɪstəm	the system by which your body protects itself against disease	My immune system is not as strong as it ought to be.
thrive v θraɪv	to become very successful or very strong and healthy	plants that thrive in tropical rain forests
infect v ɪnˈfekt	to give someone a disease	People with the virus may feel perfectly well, but they can still infect others.
pesticide n ˈpestəsaɪd, ˈpestɪsaɪd	a chemical substance used to kill insects and small animals that destroy crops	Pesticides are useful for farmers because they increase the size of the harvest.
wipe out v waɪp aʊt	to destroy, remove, or get rid of something completely	Whole villages were wiped out by the floods.
disoriented adj dɪsˈɔːrientəd, dɪsˈɔːrientɪd	confused and not understanding what is happening around you	When he emerged into the street, he was completely disoriented.
habitat n ˈhæbətæt, ˈhæbɪtæt	the natural home of a plant or animal	watching monkeys in their natural habitat
further afield adj ˈfɜːðə əˈfiːld	further away	If you want something unusual, you should look further afield rather than in just the local shops.
phenomenon n fɪˈnɒmənən, fɪˈnɒmɪnən	something that happens or exists in society, science, or nature, especially something that is studied because it is difficult to understand	the growing phenomenon of telecommuting
pest n pest	a small animal or insect that destroys crops or food supplies	a chemical used in pest control
virtually adv ˈvɜːtʃuəli	almost	Virtually all the children come to school by bus.
bitterly adv ˈbɪtəli	in a way that produces or shows feelings of great sadness or anger	He complained bitterly about his exam grades.
unspoilt adj ˌʌn ˈspɔɪəlt	an unspoilt place is beautiful because it has not changed for a long time and does not have a lot of new buildings	This stretch of coastline is really natural and unspoilt.
dependent adj dɪˈpendənt	needing someone or something in order to exist, be successful, be healthy etc	Norway’s economy is heavily dependent on natural resources.
beneficial adj ˌbenəˈfɪʃəl, ˌbenɪˈfɪʃəl	having a good effect	a drug that has a beneficial effect on the immune system
hacker n ˈhækə	someone who secretly uses or changes the information in other people’s computer systems	A hacker had managed to get into the system.
breed n briːd	a type of animal that is kept as a pet or on a farm	Spaniels are my favourite breed of dog.
threat n θret	someone or something that is regarded as a possible danger	The team we're playing this weekend is a bit of a threat, but I'm sure we can beat them.
acknowledge v əkˈnɒlɪdʒ	to admit or accept that something is true or that a situation exists	The family acknowledge the need for change.
bound to be adj baʊnd tə bi	to be very likely to do or feel a particular thing	You're bound to feel a bit lonely when your sister goes to university.
in perspective adj phr ɪn pəˈspektɪv	judge the importance of something correctly	You might not have got an A grade, but you need to get things into perspective -- you can still go to university.
privacy n ˈprɪvəsi, ˈpraɪ-	the state of being able to be alone, and not seen or heard by other people	With seven people squashed in one house, you don’t get much privacy.
scandalous adj ˈskændələs	completely unfair and wrong	a scandalous waste of public money
ferret through phr v ˈferət θruː	to search for something that is lost or hidden among a lot of things or inside a drawer, box etc	I can't find the invitation; could you ferret through that pile of paper while I look upstairs?
discard v dɪsˈkɑːd	to get rid of something	Discard any old cleaning materials.
scary adj ˈskeəri	frightening	a scary moment
hush something up phr v hʌʃ ˈsʌmθɪŋ ʌp	to prevent people from knowing about something dishonest or immoral	The whole affair was hushed up by the government.
unsettle v ʌnˈsetl	to make someone feel slightly nervous, worried, or upset	The sudden changes unsettled Judy.
hardened adj ˈhɑːdnd	a criminal, police officer etc who has had a lot of experience of things that are shocking and is therefore less affected by them	Dan is a hardened smoker -- I think he'll find it very difficult to give up now.
fall for v phr fɔːl fə	to be tricked into believing something that is not true	The criminal tricked me out of my money -- I can't believe I fell for it!
stalk v stɔːk	to follow a person or animal quietly in order to catch and attack or kill them	a tiger stalking its prey
hold hostage v phr həʊld ˈhɒstɪdʒ	keep someone as a prisoner so that the other side will do what the enemy demands	The workers were kidnapped and held hostage in a secret location for 10 days.
unforgivable adj ˌʌnfəˈɡɪvəbəl	an unforgivable action is so bad or cruel that you cannot forgive the person who did it	I really find it unforgiveable that my best friend stole my boyfriend.
one step ahead idm wʌn step əˈhed	already doing what needs to be done	You've already made cakes for the party? You're always one step ahead!
outsmart v aʊtˈsmɑːt	to gain an advantage over someone using tricks or your intelligence	The older kids outsmart the young ones when trading cards.
dire adj daɪə	extremely serious or terrible	warnings of dire consequences that often don’t come true
on your guard adj phr ɒn jə ɡɑːd	to be paying attention to what is happening in order to avoid danger, being tricked etc	These men are dangerous so you’ll need to be on your guard.
mugger n ˈmʌɡə	someone who attacks people in a public place and robs them	A mugger took my mum's phone from her when she was walking home last night.
fire off phr v faɪə ɒf	send quickly and without much thought	I was so angry I fired off an email to my boss. The next day I regretted it.
sheer adj ʃɪə	used to emphasize that something is very heavy, large etc	The sheer size of the country makes communications difficult.
instantaneous adj ˌɪnstənˈteɪniəs	happening immediately	modern methods of instantaneous communication
scam n skæm	a clever but dishonest way to get money	He got involved in a credit card scam.
sharp-witted adj ˌʃɑːpˈwɪtəd, ˌʃɑːpˈwɪtɪd	able to think and react very quickly	I've never been sharp-witted, so busy cities with lots of people frighten me a bit.
body scan n phr ˈbɒdi skæn	a scan with a special machine that produces a picture of something outside your body, for security purposes	The last time I went through security at an airport, I had to have a body scan.
biometric adj ˌbaɪəʊˈmetrɪk	relating to technology that can be used to measure things such as people’s eyes or fingerprints. These measurements can be kept on computer and then used to check someone’s identity, for example when they show a passport at an airport	biometric data
CCTV camera n phr ˌsiː siː tiː ˈviː ˈkæmərə	security cameras that help police find criminals	I don't mind CCTVs cameras -- the only people who should worry about them are criminals.
fencing n ˈfensɪŋ	fences or the pieces of wood, metal etc used to make them	The lord put fencing all around his land to keep trespassers out.
phone tap n phr fəʊn tæp	an act of secretly listening to someone's telephone, using electronic equipment	Governments sometimes put a phone tap on people who they believe are criminals.
swipe card n phr swaɪp kɑːd	a special plastic card that you slide through a machine in order to get into a building or open a door	This swipe card gives me access to my office.
intimidating adj ɪˈtɪmədeɪtɪŋ, ɪˈtɪmɪdeɪtɪŋ	making you feel worried and not confident	Some people find interview situations very intimidating.
pick up phr v pɪk ʌp	to learn something by watching or listening to other people	I find it very difficult to pick up languages, it takes me lots of practice.

Descubre

Crear Tarjetas

Acerca de Nosotros

Explore Tarjetas

Comparta este Set de Tarjetas de Aprendizaje

Tarjetas de Aprendizaje relacionadas

Tema 5

Cómo estudiar sus tarjetas

Rango de Cartas a estudiar

108 Cartas en este set