北京大学外国语学院培训中心

2004年考博英语功力提高班资料

Basic Vocabulary for the Examination

Abandon The match was abandoned because of bad weather.

He abandoned himself to despair.

abide We have to abide by the rules of the game. (abide  observe  discover  adapt)

abnormal    Normal people might have behaved abnormally in this situation.

If your _____lively pets become passive, they might be ill.

(traditionally  rarely  normally  continually)

Abolish   Should the death penalty be abolished?

abort    They aborted the mission for lack of money.

You have to keep ______ with the times.  (breast   abreast  chest  chestful)

absent. Several students were absent from the lecture.

During the absence of the manager, he was in charge of the company.

absorb   He was absorbed in a book and didn't hear you call.

abundant   The rivers and forests of the New World were abundant in fish and game

access   In many schools, students don't have sufficient access to the library.

accident   Last time I ran across her by accident.

accompany   I must ask you to accompany me to the police station.

His words are never in _____with his deeds. (situation  accordance   according   fit)

The best method to _____ this goal is to unite as many sympathetic people as possible.

A. accompany    B. accomplish     C. accumulate      D. accommodate

account   He asked no one's permission or advice; he did it on his own account.

When you make a decision, you must take everything into account.

Give us an account of what happened.

He has been asked to _______ his absence. ( describe  tell  relate  account for)

On no account must this switch be touched.

According to the weather forecast, which is usually accurate, it will rain this afternoon.

A. exact     B. precise    C. perfect    D. accurate

accuse   He was accused _____ stealing the money. ( of for in at)

accustom   She is ______to living in comfort.  (accustomed    happy  sick   confident)

acquaint   I'm sure Betsy is the girl whom you will be glad to get acquainted with.

acquire    Abstract art is an acquired taste.

act   I shall certainly act on your advice.

adapt   To our delight, she quickly adapted herself to the situation.

Some adult novels have been adapted for young readers.

addition   Aunt Mary gave us sandwiches for our picnic and a bag of cookies in addition

adjust   You can't see through a telescope unless it is adjusted correctly to your sight.

admit   This is a universal truth which admits of no exception.

advisable    Do you think it advisable to wait?

If the examinee finds an item to which an answer is not known, it may be _______ to leave it blank and go on with the next.

A. valuable   B. advisable     C. considerable    D. probable

advance   You should have booked a room in advance.

advantage   Let us try to use our intellect to the greatest advantage.

The great advantage we have over them is that they are weak and sentimental.

Mr. Smith had taken _______of his position.  (advantage benefit interest profit)

He traveled and lectured throughout the country to ______ education and professional skills so that women could enter the public world.  (prosecute   acquire   advocate   proclaim)

afford   I can’t afford to lose my job.

affect   Their opinion will not affect my decision.

We were deeply affected by the news of his death.

His is a highly affected style of writing.

agree   I don't agree to what he has just said.

We must agree to differ on it.

agreeable   I found him an agreeable company.

agreement   I'm in agreement with Mr. Moore. 

ahead That boy is far ahead _____everyone else in the class.

aid   The old man couldn’t anything without the aid of hearing.

aim    My remarks were not aimed at you.

air   What changes they will make nobody knows, but there is something in the air.

The channel came on the air every morning at seven.

all   I should like to rent a house, modern, comfortable and above all in a quiet environment.

There are twenty in all.

Bob didn't think he could go to the party because he had too much homework but he went after all.

allow   Passengers are not allowed to smoke in here.

It will take you half an hour to get to the station, _________ traffic delays.  

(allowing for   admitting   accepting  permitting)

alternative   Have you got an alternative suggestion?

Caught in the act, he had no alternative but to confess.

amateur   Although he is only an amateur photographer, he is one of the best.

ambitious   These young men were ambitious for success and money.

They made ambitious plans to complete the project ahead of the schedule.

Amount His debt now amounts to 1,000 pounds.

All these years of hard work amounted, to their great disappointment, to nothing.

angle   Try looking at this affair from a different angle.

analysis    Close analysis of sales figures shows clear regional variations.

In the final analysis I think our sympathy lies with the heroine of the play.

answer    I cannot answer for the consequences.

What they have just done answers precisely to our need.

The doctor came at once in answer to my phone call.

anticipate   A good general can anticipate what the enemy will do.

anything   The hotel is anything but satisfactory.

apart   Apart from his nose, he is quite good-looking.

Apart from the injuries to his face and hands, he broke both legs.

The employers and the unions are still miles apart.

apologize   Bob apologized to Mary for having kept her waiting.

appeal   I appeal to him for help.

Her sense of humor appeals to him.

I don’t find small children appealing.

Appetite he has an appetite for hard work.

apply   Please apply to the secretary for further information.

The rules of safe driving apply to everyone.

The manager was told when he was _____ that his was a pressure job.  

(appointed   pointed   assigned   disappointed)

approach   This is a new approach to language teaching.

argue   There are strong arguments for and against capital punishment.

approve   Many people don't approve of the plan.

the doctor ______ what he thought: she was indeed pregnant.

A. assured   B. confirmed     C. approved    D. agreed

arise The company's losses this year arise almost entirely from the new taxes.

arrange I have arranged for a car to pick you up at the station.

arrive   We lost the train by about a minute; it was drawing out just as we arrived on the platform.

arouse   He was aroused from his nap by the doorbell.

Her books and pamphlets have aroused the nation’s sympathy to this family.

A completely new situation will ______ when the examination system comes into existence.

A. arise      B. rise       C. raise     D. arouse

arrest   An unusual painting arrested his attention.

artificial/artistic Her painting is a great ______ creation.

ashamed   Ashamed of having acted so rashly, David apologized to Amy for having accused him.

assemble   They spent a whole month assembling materials.

He worked on the assembly line at the local car factory.

associate   Whisky is always associated with Scotland.

I don’t like you associating with such people.

assume   I am assuming that the present situation is going to continue.

assure   I can assure you of my support.

I _____ you that the goods will be delivered next week.

A. insist     B. confirm    C. assure     D. ensure

attach   There was a note attached to the parcel.

attack   This is an attack on the government’s policies.

attain   To attain your ambition in early life may not be a good thing.

attempt   They made no attempt at escaping.

attend   He has some important business to attend to.

attitude   What's your attitude toward this idea?

attribute   Jim attributes his success to hard work.

How large a proportion of the sales of stores in or near resort areas can be ____ to tourist spending?

(attributed   applied  contributed  attached)

There are only two books _____ for your paper.  (valuable  available  open  acceptable)

There were no tickets ______ for Friday’s performance.

A. preferable    B. considerable      C. possible    D. available

avenge   She avenged her father’s murder.

average   On the average, there are twenty boys present every day.

avoid   You should avoid driving in the center of the town during the rush hour.

aware   Are you aware of the difficulties that lie ahead?

back   There is a garden at the back of the house.

He took a room in the back of the house.

If you take this decision you will certainly have the President at your back.

I appealed to my father for help, but he turned his back on me.

Don't speak ill of others behind their backs.

I am glad to see the back of him.

badly   He was badly hurt in the back.

balance   She cycled too fast round the corner, lost her balance and fell off.

ban   She was banned from driving for six months.  (promoted protected forbidden eliminated)

bargain   The unions bargained with the management for a shorter working week.

bark   If you borrow money from him, you are barking up the wrong tree.

Her bark is worse than her bite.

He must not allow this unusual barrier to stop him from fighting against the enemy.

(interior   obstacle   interruption   interference) 2001

base   The film was based on a novel by Dickens.

basis   On the basis of our sales forecasts we may begin to make a profit next year.

China has been following the foreign policy to develop relations with other countries on the _____ of the five principles of peaceful co-existence.

A. basis     B. bases     C. ground   D. foundation

beat   I shall never beat John at tennis!  We are clearly not in the same class.

The policemen are on their beat.

become    What has become of him worried me a lot.

That black dress with the diamond just becomes you.

Scientists say it may be five or ten years _____ it is possible to test this medicine on human patients.

A. when     B. after     C. before    D. since

begin   The concert began with a piece by an unknown composer.

behalf   I'm writing on behalf of my mother, to express her thanks for your gift.

______ all the staff, I would like to wish you a happy retirement.

A. Instead of   B. In place of    C. On behalf    D. On account of

behave   She behaves more like a friend than a mother.

Behind   He arrived twenty minutes _____ time and the bus has already left.  

(behind  before  earlier  back )

believe   Believe it or not, we were kept waiting in the rain for two hours.

If I hadn’t seen him doing it I would never have believed it of him.

belong   He has never belonged to a trade union.

He doesn’t feel he belongs. (He doesn’t have the sense of belonging.)

bend   His head was bent over the book.

He is bent on winning at all costs.

The country road has many breath-taking _______.  (curls    bends   crosses  circles)

benefit   More and more students are benefiting from this modem type of instruction.

I want you to live and learn from the benefit of people.

beside   He was beside himself with rage when he saw the mess.

She had no relations besides an aged aunt.

better   At last the patient has taken a turn for the better.

I have never known anyone get the better of him in an argument.

between   You’d have a good view of the sea except for the block of flats in between.

This is just between you and me.

birth   He was a Sweden by birth, a German by education.

The father was present at the birth of the child.

bit   The reward goes to those who have done their bit for the country.

bite   I tried to sell him my old car, but he would bite.

I haven’t had a bite all morning.

You can’t blame all this on me.

A bad workman blames his tools.

He is the last one to _____for the accident.  (excuse  accuse   blame   punish)

board   All told me that you are going on board this afternoon.

He paid 40 pounds for board and lodging.

boast   You should not boast of your success.

body   The governing body of the school is/are concerned about it.

He scarcely has enough money to keep body and soul together.

bold   The headline is in bold type.

brain   You need brains to become a university professor.

I refuse to be brainwashed by advertisers into buying something I don’t need.

brake    The government is determined to put a brake on the public spending.

Ignorance acts as a brake to progress.

break   The prisoner broke away from his guards.

The telephone system has broken down because of the storm.

Please don’t break in on our conversation.

The two countries have broken off diplomatic relations.

She’s just broken up with her boyfriend.

It is a breakthrough in cancer research.

As the president arrived, the crowd broke ______ applause.  ( out off in into)

breath   Teddy overtook her, a little out of breath.

breed   Familiarity breeds contempt.

brief   It is a long letter, but in brief, he says "No".

bound   This area is developing by leaps and bounds.

We are bound for London.

The weather is bound to get better tomorrow.  

(would unnecessarily   would simply  would certainly    would alternatively)

There are no bounds to his ambition.

The missing man was found ______and unconscious in the trunk.

A. wrapped   B. fixed     C. fastened     D. bound

bring   The scandal may bring down the government.

We are going to discuss the matter brought forward from the last meeting.

The economic innovations have brought about great changes in social life.

bush    A bird in hand is worth two in bush.

busy   He was busy day and night with conferences.

but   The car stopped at the last gate but one in the street.

But for my brother's help I would not have finished the work.

buy   He bought it for very little money.

Unless he drops the charge we’ll have to buy him off.

call   This situation_____________ for prompt action.   (calls in calls at calls on calls for)

They have called off their engagement.

candle   You must take a rest. You are burning the candle at both ends.

capable He may be quick at understanding, but he is not capable of remembering capacity.

care   They left the child in a friend’s care.

Do you care for a cup of coffee?

Before you decide on a vocation, it might be a good idea to consult a few good friends.

(career     holiday    plan    research)

carry   He tends to get carried away when watching his neighbors quarreling.

Carry on with your work when I am away.

His determination carried him through.

cart   I think you have put the cart before the horse.

case   In any case I shall return in a day or two.

He doesn't dare to leave the house in case he is (should be ) recognized.

In no case should you do anything that will harm your health.

cash    I have no cash on me ----- may I pay by cheque?

castle   You are not to build castles in the air and idle your time away.

cautious   She is cautious of telling secrets.

center   She centered her attention on the problem.

Children like to be the center of attention.

certain   We are certain of winning the game.

I can't say for certain when he will arrive.

chance   I met him by chance on Fifth Avenue.

change   I am tired of looking at television every night. Let's go to a movie for a change.

charge They charged him with murder.

I wonder why they ____ you so much money for such a book..

A. charged     B. cost     C. asked      D. required

You have to pay a(n) premium for express delivery.

(extra tip   extra bonus   extra charge   extra price)

not all persons arrested and ____ with a crime are guilty, and the main function of criminal courts is to determine who is guilty under the law.  (sentenced  accused   persecuted   charged)

Since the situation is changing, let’s take some _____ measures to deal with it.

A. available      B. changeable    C. flexible    D. considerable

In 1923 I was in charge of the trade union work of the Communist Party.

Can you take charge of this class please, Miss Jones?

How much did they charge for that?

cherish   They cherished the sweet memory of the years in Venice.

He cherished the illusion that she’s in love with him.

choice   She summed up the situation in a few choice phrases.

First prize in the competition will be a meal at the restaurant of your choice.

choose   There is not much to choose between A and B.

Poor people are no choosers.

Chronic    Many observers believe that country will remain in a state of chaos if it fails to solve its chronic food shortage problem.  ( transient  severe   starving   serial)

  This local evening paper has a ______ of twenty-five thousand.

(number    contribution   circulation   celebration)

classic/classical  This novel may well become a classic.

Mozart and Haydn are classical composers.

No one came to _______ for the horse, so the farmer decided to sell it.

(ask  claim   proclaim  exclaim)

clear   You are now clear of all suspicion.

Try to keep clear of trouble.

It is supposed to clear up tomorrow.

cling   She slung to the hope that he was still alive.

clock   People with very important jobs sometimes have to work the around/against the clock.

close The ceremony was brought to a close by the singing of the national anthem.

Listen closely and look closely, you’ll find it out.

clue The only clue to the identity of the murderer was a half-smoked cigarette.

A good employer gives hints to his or her employees without interfering with their creativity.

(freedom    assistance    clues   funds)

combine   Hydrogen combines with Oxygen to form water.

Circumstances have combined to ruin our plans fro the holiday.

comment   I'm afraid I can't comment on your work just yet.

Very few experts could ______ completely new solutions to the world’s economic problems.

A. come to     B. come up with     C. come round    D. come through

commit   I cannot commit myself to any further expense; my means are stretched to the utmost as it is.

common   Their views have nothing in common with Marxist dialectical materialism

company   You may know a friend by the company he keeps.

I’ll stay here and keep you company.

Comparable/comparative

compare   Compare this with that, and you will see which is the better.

Poets have compared sleep to death.

She is lovely beyond compare.

comparison  This one costs more but is really cheaper by comparison.

I have done little this year in comparison with what I did last year.

compatible   We should drive our car at a speed compatible with safety.

compel   We cannot compel you to do it, but we think you should.

He courage compels universal admiration. (inspire)

Next year, Susan has to take three compulsory courses.

(formal    voluntary   practical    required)

compete   Several companies are competing against each other for the contract.

compensate   Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health.

complain   It's no use complaining about the cold.

comply   You must comply with the rules of the game.

compose The committee was composed mainly of teachers and parents.

comprehensive She has a comprehensive grasp of the subject.

conceive   Most people couldn't conceive of living without a telephone.

concentrate  Please concentrate on what you are doing.

concern   His work is concerned with the preparation of documents for exports.

Where the children are concerned, they should not be burdened with homework.

Don’t interfere in what doesn’t concern you.

A good doctor should always concern himself about a patient's health.

Corruption has become a public concern.

conclusion   In conclusion, I should like to thank all those who have worked so hard to bring about this result.

condemn   He was found guilty of murder and condemned to death.

condition   You may borrow the book on ________that you do not lend it to anyone else.

(occasion  condition  chance  principle)

confess   He confessed to me that he had just been converted to some strange religion.

confidence   I'll tell you in strict confidence; you must never speak of it to anyone about it.

We hoped that you should have confidence in each other again.

confident   He feels confident of passing the exam.

confine   I wish you would confine yourself to the matter under discussion.

confirm   What you have told me about Tom confirms me that he is to blame.

Conform   If you are a member of a club, you have to ___ to the rules of that club.

(conform   appeal   refer   access)

confront   One should never lose heart when confronted with temporary difficulties.

congratulate  He congratulated me on having got engaged.

connection   He asked me many questions in connection with life in Britain.

conscious   She was not conscious of his presence in the room.

consent   The owner wouldn't consent to our making any structural change in the flat.

consequence We hadn't enough money to pay our bus fare, and in consequence we had to walk.

In consequence of your bad work I am forced to dismiss you.

consideration  The plan is at present under consideration by the Minister of Education.

He received five hundred dollars in consideration of his services.

Before we come to a decision we must make sure we have taken into consideration all the relevant facts.

Considerate/considerable  It was very considerate of you to send me a Christmas card.

consist   The atmosphere consists of certain gases mixed together in definite proportions.

Happiness consists in appreciating what you have.

The ___ part thought it risky to adopt the new financial policy.

A. consistent   B. comprehensive   C. confidential     D. conservative.

consult   I consulted my lawyer about the matter and I shall act on his advice.

contact   Students must be brought into contact with now ideas.

contempt   I feel nothing but contempt for people who treat children so cruelly.

content   While in Europe, the tourists enjoyed to their heart's content the weather, the food and the theatre.

I am not content with beautiful dreams; I want beautiful realities.

contend   I would contend that unemployment is our most serious social evil.

Our journey was slow because the train stopped ______at different villages.

A. gradually       B. continuously       C. constantly      D. continually

contrary   Contrary to my expectations, there was no need to be uneasy about the results of the match.

contrast   In this book the writer contrasts good with evil.

In contrast to/with his brother, hi was always considerate in his treatment of others.

contribute   Like the law, censorship contributes to the common good.

The two men have ______ a lot to the relationship between the two countries.

A. distributed    B. contributed     C. attributed     D. retrieved

contradiction  His actions are in direct contradiction to his words.

control   It was a long time before they got the flood water under control.

convenience  He wrote Lester that he would like to have a talk with him at his convenience.

convey   Words cannot convey how delighted I am.

Please convey my good wishes to your mother.

It is very difficult to ___ the exact meaning of an idiom in a foreign language.

A. transfer   B. exchange    C. convey     D. convert

convince   You can't convince me of the necessity of that course of action.

cope   Poor Mary!  She has so much to cope with.

corner   Alice sat in the corner of the room listening to the radio.

They have bought the green house on the corner.

correspond   We have been corresponding with each other for years.

This word in the English version corresponds to that phrase in the French one.

cost   We are determined to obtain our rights at all costs.

count    Her opinion counts because of her experience.

Knowledge without common sense counts for little.

Don’t count on a salary increase this year.

Don’t count chickens before they are hatched.

You can always _____ on him.  ( believe  depended  count   confide)

couple   You have to stay here a couple of hours.

course   It was a matter of course that she should be asked to take the chair.

You needn't ask him to come; he'll come as a matter of course.

In the course of their investigation they made a discovery that helped to solve a six-year-old mystery.

I will consider the matter and let you know my answer in due course.

credit   Why don't you make arrangements to buy the car on credit?

His improved performance does credit to his trainer.

critical   If you really understood the difficulties facing the government, you wouldn't be so critical of its spending reductions.

Although modern dances have strong attraction for young people, the older generation sometimes _____ on such pleasures.

A. frown     B. regard      c. criticize    D. object

cross   Don’t be cross with her; she is such a helpless mother.

cure   This medicine should cure you of your cold.

After the big project was accomplished. The employer_____ the number of men working for him.

A. cut off   B. cut short   C. cut out      D. cut back

Don’t ____ while I’m talking.  (cut off   cut down  cut out   cut in

They were speaking ______ at each other at the international conference.

( sword daggers  spear  stick)

The ____ to the house caused by the storm took several days to repair.

A. destruction    B. damage    C. harm     D. ruin

dark   You always look on the dark side of things.

He was a bit of a dark horse: he was earning a fortune, but nobody knew.

danger   Smoking is a danger to health.

date   The police have not found the runaway to date. (so far)

Much of the information in that book is now out of date.

day   one of these days he will realize what a fool he’s been.

I had one of those days: my train was late and I lost my wallet.

dead   Soldiers huddled together in the _______ of the winter. (dead   death   dying  die)

deal   I need a book dealing ____pollution problems.

debt   I always try to avoid being _____debt to anyone.

decide   After seeing all the candidates we decide on this one.

She decided not to go alone.

He made a New 1. He made a New Year ___ to give up smoking.

A. decision     B. conclusion    C. resolution   D. solution

decline   Steel production has been on the decline in these countries.

deep    They dived deep into the ocean.

She was deeply interested in classical music.

Though the doctors tried everything they couldn’t save him from the deep ____wound.

(shot   punch   pinch   stab)

degree   She has also affected but to a lesser degree.

I agree with you to some/a certain degree.

By degrees their friendship grew into love.

delight   The Queen appeared on the balcony, to the delight of all the onlookers.

He delights in annoying me.

The naughty boy takes a great delight in pulling the dog's tail.

demand   You demand too much of him ; he is not really equal to the task.

Demand for fish this month exceeds supply.

That book is very much in demand, it is a bestseller.

This sort of work demands great patience.

deny   There is_______denying the fact that the Internet has changed the world.

A. none    B. nobody    C. not     D. no

They denied her the opportunity to see her father.

He gave to his friends what he denied to his family.

He denied any knowledge of their plans.

Jennie never ______ to help her classmates.

A.  refuses     B. denies     C. declines    D. rejects

dependent   Bill is dependent on his parents for support.

With the constant change of the conditions, the outcome is not always ____.  

  (favorable   reasonable   dependable  predictable)

deprive   The Indians were _________ of equal educational opportunities.

(reminded   deprived   prevented   stopped)

derive   Thousands of English words are derived from Latin.

desirable   It is a desirable apartment.

despair   Your son is the despair of all his teachers.

After repeated failures, he gave up the attempt in despair.

despite   Despite her great age, she was very graceful indeed.

detail   It is worthwhile dealing with this in detail.

He refused to go into detail (s) about his plans.

develop   The argument developed into a bitter quarrel.

Her husband in interested in designing electronic _____.  

(management   safety   devices  routine)

devote   She is devoted to her children.

It is a teacher’s devotion to her task.

die   She died of an illness; and he died a beggar.

The storms are dying down.

The noise of the car died away in the distance.

The members of the family had all died off.

This species has died out.

diet   I mustn't have chocolate ----I'm on a diet.

differ   Steel and cast iron differ from carbon content.

difficulty   He often extended selfless help to families in difficulties.

diligent   They are very diligent in their studies.

discharge   I move that he be discharged for his serious mistake.

The sewers discharge (their contents) into the sea.

disorder    Badly beaten, the intruders fell back in disorder.

display   We were amazed by the rich variety of commodities on display.

Her writings display natural talents.

dispose   n autumn, a gardener burns leaves to ________them. 

(dispose  dispose of  disperse  dispense)

distance   I made out three figures moving in the distance.

She always kept him at a distance. (keep one’s distance form sb.)

distinct   Mice are distinct form rats.

Long sentences are distinctive of Henry James’s later style.

distinguish  He can't distinguish between a genuine antique and a reproduction.

The light is so dim that I cannot distinguish one object from another.

diverse   There are people from diverse cultures at the party.

(similar   distinctive  different  separate)

distract   Children are so easily distracted.

TV is a welcome distraction after a hard day’

divide   The novel (was) divided into three chapters.

do   I' want them to do away with this barbarous custom.

If you want to lose weight, here are some do’s and don’ts.

Tom said that he didn't want to have anything to do with the new boy.

domestic   There are three domestic flights from Beijing to Shanghai.

Donate   The television station is supported by ____ from foundations and other sources.

(pensions   accounts   donations    advertisements)

doubt   Don't worry; he will come back without doubt.

The truth of the story is in doubt.

No doubt he means to help, but in fact he just gets in the way.

draw   They drew up the contract and presented it to the management.

The train drew in/into the station.

What conclusions did you draw from your research？

drop   She got a scholarship to Cambridge but dropped out a year later.

due   All our achievements are due to her efforts.

duty   He goes on duty at 8 a. m. and comes off duty at five p. m.

We are in the line of duty, so you can call me later. 

eager   He was eager for work, for he could not imagine life without it.

ear   She has no ear for music.

May I have a word in your ear?

earth   What on earth do you mean?

ease   His few belongings make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease.

He soon put his humble visitors at ease.

economic/economical/economy   It is an economy to buy good shoes: they cost more, but they last much longer than cheap ones.

effect   The acid has no effect on the metal.

Since 1975 the forty hour work week has been in effect.

The new regulation does not go into effect until the first of March.

A sentence of ten years' imprisonment on a person of eighty is in effect a life sentence.

He is not likely to give effect to his threat.

We tried again and again, but to no effect.

A rumor was spread around to the effect that the firm was in financial difficulties.

effort   I will make every effort to arrive on time.

It is hard, but it’s worth the effort.

____ preparations were being made for the Prime Minister’s official visit to the four foreign countries.  (Wise    Elaborate     Optional      Neutral)

emerge   Did anything emerge from your discussion?

emphasis   Too little emphasis was placed on the safety regulations.

encourage   You must encourage him in his efforts.

Don’t encourage bad habits in a child.

enable   This pass enables me to travel half-price on trains.

The conference will enable greater international co-operations.

end   Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end.

I must warn you that my patience is almost at an end.

I've warned you no end of times not to touch that machine.

I hope that everything will turn out all right in the end.

He had approached every friend and acquaintance for help in vain, and now he was at his wit's end.

We ended the diner up with fruit and coffee.

When the reception came to an end, they were reluctant to leave the hall.

The argument between the two men ended in a fight.

The government is determined to put an end to terrorism.

engage   If you engage in local politics, you cannot expect to have much time for your family.

enter   How many people entered for the game?

They entered into negotiations with their business rivals.

The magazine has entered on its second issue.

entitle   He's entitled to a pension, but he won't dream of retiring yet.

equal   An hour is equal to sixty minutes.

Bill is quite equal to ( the job of) running the office.

equip   The soldiers were equipped with the latest weapons.

Even  the fact that the earth’s surface heats ____ provides a convenient way to divide it into temperature regions.  (infrequently   irregularly   unsteadily   unevenly)

event   She had a terrible accident, but at all events she wasn't killed.

I may not go to Europe, but in any event, I will visit you during the summer.

In the event that our team wins, there will be a celebration.

Here is what you must do in the event of my death.

It was nasty of him to go around telling _____ that he knows weren’t true.

A. tales      B. events     C. fiction    D. affairs

except, except for  There is not much we can do for him, except giving him our sympathy.

Nothing remains for us to do, except to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

The house is in perfect condition, ________ a few scratches on one of the doors.

(except  besides  but  except for)

exception   Most grandmothers tend to spoil their grandchildren. There are very few exceptions to this rule.

The exception proves the rule.

They have the _____right to do the advertisements for this company.

(exclusive  inclusive  extraordinary  excluding)

John’s mindless exterior concealed a warm and kindhearted nature.  

(appearance   personality   outlook   temper

evidence   There wasn’t enough evidence to prove him guilty.

excess   The money they took with them was considerably in excess of what they needed.

He drinks to excess.

exchange   Dc you mean to say you exchanged that lovely car for this?

exclusive   The ship had a crew of fifty-seven exclusive of officers.

excuse There is no excuse for such behavior.

exert   My wife has been exerting a lot of pressure on me to change my job.

Susan ________ much effort all year to earn good marks. ( paid spent exerted caused)

existence   The Republican party came into existence in 1854.

On the local market, _____ fruits and vegetables are now commonly sold.

(exotic   enough    limited   famous)

So far as is known, the original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are no longer in existence.

expect   He has been trying hard all the time to live up to what his parents expect of him.

I was expecting a present from her, so I was disappointed I didn’t receive one.

The sergeant expected obedience from his men.

expense   He became a brilliant scholar but only at the expense of his health.

I’ve only recently explored Shakespeare with profit and pleasure.

(acted  studied   followed   evaluated)

Expose exposure  Why did you expose him to danger?

They were exposed to every kind of danger - flood, famine, disease and war.

Corruption in the running of the city’s largest bank was _____ in the local newspaper.

A. exposed    B. discovered    C. detected    D. found

expression   I feel a sense of satisfaction and gratitude beyond expression.

She gave full expression to her sadness.

extent   They are discriminated against to a greater or lesser _______in our country.(extent extension extreme extend )

extreme   I consider such conduct despicable to the extreme.

eye The manager knew of the unpunctuality of some of the employees, but closed his eyes to it.

In my mind's eye I can still see my old home, with the roses over the door.

I did not see the accident. It was all over within the twinkling of an eye.

Mr. Brown told John to keep an eye on the store while he was out. .

In your father’s eyes you are still a child.

In the experiment we kept a watchful eye _____ the developments and recorded every detail.

A. in      B. at      C. for     D. on

face   His argument appears quite convincing on the face of it.

He remained calm even in the face of such obvious danger.

I told the boys that they were wrong but they laughed to my face.

You’ve been caught cheating ----- now you must face the music.

He must _______ up to the fact that he is no longer young.

A. live      B. face       C. bring     D. come

Facilitate   The exhibition is designed to facilitate further cooperation between Chinese TV industry and overseas TV industries. (establish  promote   guarantee  maximize)

The colors in these artificial flowers are guaranteed not to come out.  

(disappear  vanish   fade   blend)

fail   If you fail in this attempt, don't count on me for help.

She didn’t fail to keep her word.

faith   They must comply in good faith with these just demands.

I’ve lost faith in that fellow.

You cannot expect your friends to trust you if you don't keep faith with them.

faithful.   Even though he was often cruel to his dog, it remained faithful to him.

fall   Mr. Coons fell into the habit of having a drink before dinner.

My income falls short of my expenditure by five hundred pounds.

The output in the motor industry always tends to ______ during summer months.

A. fall through       B. fall off        C. fall back       D. fall behind

familiar   I am not familiar with his novels and not very keen on reading them.

fancy   I don't know why I have such a fancy for this little cafe.

She took a fancy to the house as soon as she saw it.

far   His work is far better than that of any printer in the city.

His pronunciation is far from (being) perfect.

Far from praising him, we criticized him for what he had done.

fashion    Long skirts for women are no longer in fashion.

Her letters were always heavily underlined, after/in the fashion of her mother.

fault    I have no fault to find with what you've done.

She is generous to a fault.

fatigue   She was fatigued after work.

Are you in favor of women taking part in politics?

A high-school diploma is in your favor when you apply for a job.

The international situation is favorable to us.

Because of adverse weather conditions, the travelers stopped the camping.

(local   unfamiliar    good    unfavorable)

He left an hour earlier for fear of missing his train.

Knowing he had many enemies, he went about in fear of his life.

Panic swept through the swimmers as they caught sight of a huge shark approaching menacingly.

(Tension    Excitement    Fear   Nervousness)

Mass production is _____ only in an economy with a highly developed technology.

A. feasible   B. permissible    C. allowable   D. receivable

Their mothers can't afford to feed them on meat and fish every day.

I'm fed up with talking to you. You never listen to me.

I was so angry that I felt like throwing something at him.

After Tom passed his driving test he filled in/out an application for his driving license.

The children hid in the house and ate their fill.

Jim is a nice boy but he'll never set the world on fire.

The doctor told Mr. Smith that he must watch his diet if he doesn't want to play with fire.

figure   I can’t figure out why he quit his job.

file   We have all your particulars on file.

They went out in single file.

On first sight the house appeared to be empty.

For the first time in her life Jennie gained a clear idea of how vast the world is.

I have in the first place to apologize for slight damage to your MS.

Hearing aids are designed to fit in the ear.

The information does not fit in with what I was told yesterday.

The manager is not fit for his position.

flat   The market has been flat today.

flock   Birds of a feather flock together.

The price of vegetables ____ according to the weather.

A. waves    B. vibrates    C. swings      D. fluctuates

Public attention at the moment is focused on the problem of industrial relations.

I'm not very fond of dancing.

That traffic regulation hasn't been in force very long.

The new constitution went into force July 1, 1867.

They occupied by force the whole territory of the country.

But we didn't want the war. It was forced on us.

fortunate   We are fortunate for having sufficient supplies of fuel for the winter.

free   He offered to supply me with another watch free of charge.

I have been freed from all trouble and responsibility.

front   At that moment two girls passed in front of us.

furnish   The company will furnish each contestant with a free ticket.

Look forward and consider the advantage of a larger house.

fuss   Don’t make so much fuss over the children.

general   In Europe in general the numbers of traveling families are declining.

Michael found it difficult to get his British jokes _____ to American audience.

A. around     B. across     C. over      D. down

glimpse   He caught a glimpse of her face as she ran past.

You are not going about the job in the right way.

Have you thought of going in for teaching?

He blew out the candle at one go.

good    Milk would be good for her health.

The students finished their school work in good time.

He says he's leaving the country for good.

grant   George took for granted all that his parents did for him.

grateful   I am grateful to you for being so patient with him.

ground   He was excused on the ground(s) of his illness.

Our hopes fell to the ground.

guard   You must be on your guard against swindlers.

You must guard against any tendency to take your privileges for granted.

His seemingly easy question caught her off guard.

guilty    He was found guilty of a great many crimes.

habit   He is in the habit of scratching his head when he is puzzled.

We must break the child of his habit of biting his nails.

The children got into the bad habit of switching the TV as soon as they came in from school.

halt   The car came to a halt just in time to prevent an accident.

hand   I haven't my book at hand, but I'll show it to you later.

What surprised me was the amount of work still done by hand.

The criminals and the police are hand in glove in this swindle.

I still have 10 pounds in hand after paying the bill.

The fate of the people is in their hands.

During those hard times the peasants lived form hand to mouth.

When he was young, he always _______ around and did not care about what was happening around him.  (hanging   loiter    walking   thinking)

head   A mounted policeman rode at the head of the procession.

We set sail at dawn and ____________ New York.  

( headed for  made up for    sent for  answered for)

hear   Dc you mean to say you have never heard of Beethoven?

heart   He's sometimes bad-tempered but he's a good fellow at heart.

Every artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public.

Everyone learnt the poem by heart.

I wish with all my heart that we had never embarked upon this task.

heel   The thief ran off with an angry crowd at his heels.

Famine often follows on the heels of war

Courageous people think quickly and act without hesitation.  

(delay  anxiety   complaint  consideration)

hinder   The crowd hindered him from leaving.

hint   The calm sea gave no hint of the storm that was coming.

hit   She hit on a good title for her new novel.

Her new film is quite a hit.

The rent increase will hit the pockets of the poor.

hold   She held back, not knowing how to break the terrible news.

I think he is holding something back; he knows more that he admits.

She always holds to her convictions.

The forthcoming talks hold out the hope of real arms reduction.

Road works on the highway are holding up traffic.

There was something wrong with the traffic signal. Our bus was ______ for nearly half an hour.

A. held on      B. held back      C. held out     D. held up

historic/historical  We have no historical evidence for it.

This is a historic occasion.

holiday   Mr. Smith is on holiday at present.

He became very weak after this heart-attack, so he had to ask for a sick______.

(holiday  vacation   leave  pretext)

home   Are you quite at home in Advanced Mathematics?

honest   I think he is quite honest about his intentions.

honor   We shall have a whole holiday in honor of our Patron's birthday.

I promise on my honor never to do such a thing again.

hope   Like Bill, I hope for something better.

All our hopes were shattered/raised by the announcement.

I called in the hope of finding her at home.

horror   The captain realized to his horror/in horror that the Titanic was sinking rapidly.

horse You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

hurry   You make mistakes if you do things in a hurry.

identical   This copy is identical with/to the ones you bought last week.

identify   Wealth cannot be identified with happiness.

I found it hard to identify with any of the characters in the film.

idle   Many people were idle during the depression.

On Sundays they had nothing to do, and they idled away the hours watching TV.

ignorance   I made that statement in ignorance of the true facts of the case.

ignorant   How can we agree to such an idea when you are ignorant of the basic facts?

When faced with doubts from some advisers on the attempted invasion, Kennedy ignored them.

(stood up for    refused to consider    failed to understand   put up with)

If only I were rich!  Only if I am rich, I can do what I want.

imagine   Would you ever have imagined him becoming a politician?

She imagined walking into the office and telling everyone what she thought of them.

impact    This book has made a great impact on its readers.

impose   Occupation does not give them the right to _________ their will on the Iranian people.

( emphasizing   imposing    falling    intending)

impress   He impressed on me the importance of the work.

impression   He made an excellent impression on us.

I was under the impression that you were coming tomorrow.

improve   Dick made good marks the first year, but he thought he could improve on them.

He is improving in health.

improvement  There has been an improvement in the weather.

This year’s car is an improvement on the last year’s model.

We are in for trouble.

He know the ins and outs of the problem.

Privatization is thought to be beneficial in that it promotes competition.

Incentive   The fun of playing the game was a greater incentive than the prize.

(excitement   initiative   motive   entertainment)

include   The waiter's tip is included in the bill.

inclusive   There were fifty people present, inclusive of the officials.

independent  As you must have seen from my work, I'm perfectly independent of him.

indifferent He is not only indifferent to other people, he is often extremely rude to them as well.

He is indifferent ______ hardships and dangers.

A. of     B, at      C. in      D. to

indispensable  A good dictionary is indispensable for learning a foreign language.

A major goal of the state travel agency is to ______ more people to visit its country at the turn of the century.  (reduce   expect    arouse     induce)

inferior   This car is inferior to the one I bought last year.

inform   He returned to the room and informed me of his decision.

He is a(n) _____ man in medical science.  (informing  informed  informational  information)

As a good photographer, you must develop an awareness of the world around you and the people who ____ it. (integrate    inherit   innovate   inhabit)

Should either of these situations occur, wrong control actions might be taken and a potential accident sequence initiated.  (imported   installed   started   interviewed)

The industry of the little ants is wonderful to behold!

innocent   He is innocent of the crime.

The author of the book has shown his remarkably keen _____ into human nature.

(intellect  insight   perception   understanding)

insist   I insist on your telling me the truth.

inspire    Her books inspired hope, loyalty and enthusiasm.

Genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.

instead   The soldiers came back on horseback instead of on foot.

instruct   I was instructed of drawing once upon a time.

insure   The company insured his property  for 10,000 pounds.

An insurance company will insure your house against fire.

No doubt, a trade mark pertains to a firm’s_____ assets.

A. visible    B. physical    C. intangible    D. actual

intend   I intended these flowers for your mother, but as she is away I'd be glad if you would accept them.

intent   He is intent on passing his examination, but I am doubtful of his chances.

I have no intension of coming to this place again!

Sometimes, the messages are conveyed through deliberate, conscious gestures; other times, our bodies talk without our even knowing.  (definite   interactive   delicate   intentional) 1998

interest   Truth is in the interests of the people.

interfere /intervene  If you interfere in /with other people's affairs, you will regret it.

The first step before making any decision to ____ is to determine exactly who did the killing.

(intervene  intensify   interact   integrate)

interval   Rain fell at intervals throughout the night.

invest   He invested a lot of money in shipping.

involve   Two or three people were involved in the accident.

jealous   George is jealous of his younger sister.

Jack   All work no play makes Jack a dull boy.

He is a jack of all trades and he just doesn’t care to know them well.

jump   Alice would jump at the chance of going to Egypt.

I know I was in your room when you came back, but don’t jump to conclusions.

The teacher jumped on him for giving in untidy homework.

junior   He is junior to many other people who work here.

He ___ in court that he had seen the prisoner run out of the bank after it had been robbed.

(testified   witnessed   justified  identified)

keen   I am not keen on sweets.

keep   I can't understand you keeping a thing like that to yourself.

Please keep to the point --- we are running out of time.

I can’t keep up with all the changes in computer science.

If you want to fulfill your dream, you have to keep ______it.  (to  /    up  on)

Kill   The hunters have almost exterminated many of the larger animals while farmers destroyed many smaller animals. (killed   reduced   wounded  trapped)

knowledge   To the best of my knowledge, he did very well in his previous job.

lack   They lacked the money to send him to university.

What he lacked in experience he makes up for in enthusiasm.

large   The dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.

By and large, the company has been good to me.

last   And last but not least there is the question of adequate funding.

He who laughs last laughs longest.

In Britain, the best season of the year is probably _______ spring.

A. later    B. last     C. latter    D. late

launch   The company is launching a new model.

She is the one that laid out the town.

He was laid off for his ill performance.

lean   Don't lean on/against that shelf? You'll regret it.

least   Mary is right, and so are you, at least to some extent.

He was not in the least angry with me.

leisure   You can take the books with you and read them at your leisure.

length   After a long journey they arrived at length in Naples.

I would go to any length to help a person in distress.

liable   People who walk on the grass are liable to a fine of 5 dollars.

In principle, a person whose conduct was caused by mental disorder should not be liable to criminal ________. (identification   punishment   investigation    commitment)

He is liable for all the damage done by the workmen.

They think the older and more experienced people were not an ____but a liability.

(asset  award assistance  advantage)

lie   The only advantage of such a device lies in its ability to change the direction of an input force.

life   Columbus decided in early life to go to sea.

You take your life in your hands simply crossing the road these days.

They interview people from all walks of life.

The football match was televised ______ from the workers’ stadium.

A. alive   B. live      C. life      D. lively

Mary succeeded in living ______ her extraordinary reputation.  (up to   up    down   on)

Light   Please analyze it in the light of the principles discussed.

Recent research has shed/cast/thrown new light on the causes of the disease.

Beijing Television-Station Tower really looks magnificent at night when it’s illuminated.

(decorated   illustrated    lit up  studied carefully)

line   His actions were not in line with his beliefs.

He is a bit of a snob ---- won’t speak to the likes of me.

The temperatures are somewhat lower than the average temperature in May.

(rather   very   a little  less)

long   Tom longed for his mother's return.

He didn't speak for long, but he spoke very much to the point.

I promise you shall see her again before long.

In the short term we expect to lose money on this book but in the long run we hope to make large profits. ,

look   I didn’t like the way he looked me up and down.

The committee wouldn’t look at my proposal.

He was looked down on because of his humble background.

We must decide to look over the house before we rent it.

We are so much looking forward to seeing you again.

We are looking to you for help.

Passers-by just looked on as a man was viciously attacked.

loss   I don't know what I can do about it. I'm completely at a loss.

Her departure was a heavy loss to her orchestra.

major   He majored in physics at Beijing University.

majority A/the majority of people were in favor of the proposal.

I can’t make out what she wants.

The ship made for the open sea.

What are we to make of his behavior?

Nothing can make up for the loss of a life.

He has made it up with her.

I could just _____ a figure in the darkness. (make up  make out  make for  make)

marvel   I marveled at the maturity of such a young child.

She chose cushions of a color that ____ her carpet.

A. match     B. pair    C. help    D. agree

matter   He appears to be strong and healthy, but, as a matter of fact he suffers from a very weak heart.

He is in some ways _____ and in some ways rather childish.

A. fashionable   B. silly     C. emotional    D. mature

means By all means try the medicine if you think it will do you any good.   

She regarded her marriage merely as a means to an end.

memory   The monument was erected in memory of the people who devoted their lives to the country.

mend   The doctor told the patient that he was definitely on the mend and could get up soon.

A frequently cited example of the endangered species is the panda.  

(worried  neglected  reduced   mentioned)

mercy    They were lost at sea, at the mercy of wind and weather.

mess   All the things I had packed so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess.

mind   Please bear in mind what I have just said.

The story you have just told brings to mind a strange thing that once happened to me.

minute   I want to see him the minute he arrive.

Our boss needs a minute description about the affair.

mistake Where is my umbrella? Somebody must have taken it away by mistake.

mood   I am not in the ______ for joking.  ( sentiment emotion  need  mood)

more   The heart is no more intelligent than the stomach, for they are both controlled by the brain.

most   Japanese cameras are, for the most part, of excellent quality.

You'll get 65, at the most, for that bike. '

He wishes to make the most of his opportunity.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the matter be discussed after lunch.

much   Despite all his talent, he is not much of an actor.

name . Tasmania is named _________its discoverer, A. J. Tasman.

A. after      B. with        C. by       D. from

nature   Some people are quick-tempered by nature.

No matter what the source may be, electricity is identical in nature.

In ancient Greece, the Olympic games were in the nature of a national event with a strong religious color.

need I don’t live in luxury, but I enough to satisfy my needs.

If need be (if necessary), I can do extra work at the weekend.

Needless to say, he kept his promise.

nerve   My children are always getting on my nerves.

nod    Homer sometimes nods.

He nodded an agreement/welcome to me.

none   The stranger was none other than my old friend.

None but the best is good enough for my child.

nothing    I got this bicycle for nothing; a friend just gave it to me.

It is a well-paid job, to say nothing of the short hours.

notice   We have to leave for America at short notice.

The office will close at five from May 1^st until further notice.

No one took the slightest notice of him.

number A (large) number of problems have arisen.

The number of books stolen from the library is large.

object    I object to punishing a whole group for one person's fault.

objection   Mother's only objection to our going out was that it was too late.

observe   You’ve got to ______ the laws of the land.

occasion   The debate had to be postponed, on occasion of the illness of one of the principal speakers.

occupy   Having retired from business, he now occupies himself with his garden.

occur   Has it ever occurred to you that those twins are quite different from each other in many ways?

once   He would put an end to that sort of thing once and for all.

Once in a while we go to a restaurant.

She certainly won’t marry again ----- once bitten, twice shy.

operate   They can only cure him of his illness if they operate on him.

opinion   Some of us are of the opinion that cars contribute to air pollution in cities.

The boss has a high/low/bad/good opinion of her.

In my opinion, population expansion has become the great obstacle to economic progress.

oppose    I had no idea that they were opposed to my visit.

We found ourselves in opposition to several colleagues on this issue.

opposite    His political position is opposite to ours.

order    He has all his suits made on order.

He left early in order that he should/would/might arrive on time.

The failure of electricity put all the telephone in the legion _____.

A. out of order    B. out of tune    C. out of question   D. out of action

originate   Her book originated from a short story.

(derives   flows    comes     was stemmed)

this is the sort of case in which judges must exercise the arbitrary power described a moment ago.

(avail    use   have   display)

other than   She has no close friends other than him.

Young adults _____ older people are more likely to prefer pop songs.

A. other than    B. more than     C. less than    D. rather than

outskirts    They mostly liven on the outskirts of a town.

owe   He owed his success to luck more than to capacity.

own   Do you mean you have left her to do that on her own?

He’d like a car of his own.

Nobody owned up to the theft.

pace   I could scarcely keep pace with the new discoveries in biology.

pack What he said is a pack of lies.

The stadium was packed with chanting fans.

pain   She went to great pains to see that all her guests were provided with whatever they needed.

Great pains have been taken to ensure the safety of the passengers.

part   She'll never part with her precious possessions.

For my part, I don’t mind where we eat.

His success was due in part to luck.

We all have a part to play in the fight against crime.

partial   The referee was accused of being partial towards the home team.

Steel is an alloy composed ______ of iron and carbon.

(primarily traditionally carefully partially)

participate I longed to have the opportunity of participating in the strike activities.

particular   She is very particular about what she wears.

Many adult students, in particular, have an immediate need for spoken language skills.

Ms. Wang was very _____ about the plates she used for the party.

A. distinct     B. particular    C. unique    D. notable

passion   When I was about twelve, I suddenly developed a great passion for writing poetry.

Her mother passed away last year.

When I was about 12, I suddenly developed a great passion ____ writing poetry.

A. for     B. on     C. in       D. at

He speak French well enough to pass for a Frenchman.

patient   I know he is slow at understanding, but you have to be patient with him.

Who is going to _______ the damage? (answer to   answer  pay   pay for)

Are you paying in cash or by cheque.

Please don't mention it to my husband, but I paid 10 dollars for this hat.

They were constantly in need of money; sometimes they had to rob Peter to pay Paul.

The government gets a(n) ____ from taxes.

A. income    B. revenue   C. fund   D. payment

peace   We hope that our country will always be in peace with all other countries.

peculiar   That way of speaking is peculiar to people in this small part of the country.

penalty   What is the penalty for speeding?

perform    He performs beautifully on the piano.

permit   Weather permitting, I’ll come tomorrow.

We do not permit smoking in the office.

The situation doesn’t permit of any delay.

persist   It should be obvious to you that if you persist in bothering him, he will get angry with you.

person   I wish you were here now so that I might thank you in person.

Pessimistic  I am sorry for the ____ tone of your letter, but I feel sure that things not so bad with you as you say.   (apologetic   threatening   pessimistic  grateful)

pick   It is easy to pick holes in his argument.

She was picked out from thousands of applicants for the job.

Her health soon picked up after a few days.

place    I hope you will leave all the books in the library in place.

She couldn’t attend the meeting so her assistant took her place.

pleasure   He seems to take (a) great pleasure in doing such things.

I shall be very _____ if you could do me a favor.

A. pleasing     B. pleasant     C. grateful     D. thanking

point    She was just on the point of going away when Betty came in.

As I was in a hurry I asked him to come to the point at once.

There's no point in arguing further.

He made an excellent speech, and everything he said was to the point.

It is very rude to point at people in the street.

If/when it came to the point, would you sacrifice your job for your principles?

popular    A game that is very popular among/with these young swimmers is the underwater tricycle race.

position   Let us suppose that you are in the position of a parent.

practice   It is important to keep in practice.

If you don’t play, you will get out of practice.

We've made our plans, and now we must bring them into practice.

Practice makes perfect.

prefer   She prefers tea to coffee.

prepare   We stood side by side washing, preparing for breakfast.

presence   He signed his name in the presence of two witnesses.

The child showed great _______of mind by grabbing the falling baby.

( courage  calmness  presence  bravery)

present    Let's leave things as they are for the present, even though we may have a change later on.

preside   The chairman presided  at/over the meeting last Friday.

prevail    Virtue will prevail over evil.

prevent   It is impossible to prevent them from quarrelling with each other.

previous   He said that they had paid him a visit on the previous night.

pride    The old man took pride in the success of his son.

She may pride herself on her abilities, but she's not capable of bringing up children.

principle   Not only are the proposals impracticable; they are wrong in principle.

Many people are opposed to the sale of arms on principle.

prior   Prior to the Revolution War, the United States was an English colony.

private    Matters like this are best discussed in private.

The editor considered the author’s analysis in his article to be penetrating.

( profound   extensive   conclusive  valuable)

progress   The movement has been in progress for several years.

prohibit   He threw himself in front of the door and prohibited us from leaving.

prompt   The accident prompted her to renew her insurance.

She gave him a ________ reply.  ( quick  rapid  fast  prompt)

The crisis put his courage and skill to the test/the proof.

proportion   The size of the furniture should be in proportion to the size of the room.

The _______ of finding jobs this year are not so good. (expectation  promises future  prospects)

protect    This warm coat will protect you from the cold.

proud    This piece of work is nothing to be proud of.

provide    He has provided for every emergency.

provided   I will agree to go provided/providing that my expenses are paid.

public   Bill is a man unaccustomed to speaking in public.

purpose   Accidentally or on purpose, many of the poisonous substances are discharged into streams and lakes.

Better say nothing than nothing to the purpose.

The cinema she used to visit had been pulled down.

The train has pulled in/out. The driver pulled up at the traffic lights.

put   She’s put a tidy sum for her retirement.

They decided to put aside their differences.

She help her put the toys away.

She is putting radical proposals for the economic reform.

We had to put off our wedding until September.

We can put you up for the night.

I don’t know how she can put up with him/his cruelty to her.

qualify   She is well-qualified for typing and very efficient at her work.

question    No one can call in question his integrity.

She is so talented that her success is only a question of time.

Since no additional fund is available, the extension of the building is out of the question.

His honesty is beyond question: nobody can doubt it.

The job in question is available for three months only.

rain   I was caught in the rain yesterday.

raise/rise  to raise funds; to raise a family; to raise a question

Recent studies have posed the question as to whether there is a link between film violence and real violence.  (supposed   poised    aroused    raised)

random    The specimens to be analyzed were taken at random.

range    His speech ranged over a number of topics.

The temperature ranges between 0 C°and 30C°.

The price of beer ______ from 50 cents to $4 per liter during the summer season.

A. ranged     B. altered     C. differed        D. separated

rate   I think we should leave her alone for the moment at any rate.

reach   All these were within the reach of the ordinary men.

Put that bottle of weed-killer out the reach of the children.

He reached for his gun.

react   How did he react to he news?

The people will react against the political system that oppresses them.

ready   At the moment my car is being made ready for a long journey.

reality He thought her perfect, but in reality she was selfish and vain.

reason   Their demands are beyond all reason.

The scheme failed by reason of bad organization.

I tried to reason with him, but he was very rude to me.

The teacher asked the students to discuss the ______ of the American Civil War.

A. reason   B. occasions    C. event     D. cause

I hear that John has _____ a new position at the travel agency.

A. received   B. expected     C. except     D. accepted

red   A large number of American radio stations operate in the red.

It takes weeks to get through the red tape.

reduce   They increased the profits by reducing the costs.

The president was reduced to begging.

refer   That is why Marxists refer to their type of movement as scientific socialism.We referred the proposal to the board of directors.

This has no reference to what we were discussing.

reflect   I need time to reflect on your offer.

On further reflection, I saw that she might be right, after all.

regard   Motion means change of position of an object in/with regard to the position of some other object or objects.

I have little information as regards his past.

She said nothing regarding your request.

Please give my sincere regards to all the members of your family.

Some people act regardless of what will happen afterwards.

They helped solve the problems in high ______ to the living conditions of the people.

(attention  regard  intention  stress)

relation   In relation to the complaint you have made there is nothing we can do to improve the quality of these goods.

During the 1840’s, Jane was a leader in the movement for the _____ for prison conditions in the U.S.       A. relation    B. refusal     C. reform     D. revival

relevant   His age isn't relevant to whether he is a good teacher.

relief    Much to my relief, the exam was postponed.

relieve   So I asked to be relieved of my job, and returned to London.

Weeping is a good way to relieve one’s feelings.

We feel much _______ to hear you are safe.  (lifted relieved relieving overtaken)

Reluctant   Today black children in South Africa are still reluctant to study subjects from which they were effectively barred for so long. (anxious   curious  opposed   unwilling)

rely   He might be good at his job, but you can't rely on him.

remark    Several people remarked on the fine quality of the work.

In the light of your remarks, we rejected her offer.

remedy   The doctor soon found a remedy for the boy's illness.

remind   The teacher has repeatedly reminded him of it.

I remember seeing him years ago, gut cannot _____ where it was.

A. remind    B. recognize     C. recall        D. memorize

He was removed form his position as chairman.

repair   This machine is in good repair now.

The vase was under/beyond repair.

From here you can see the bridge, ____ construction.

A. under      B. on      C. in     D. during

reply. You must reply to his letter.

rescue   A rich sponsor came to our rescue with a generous donation.

You have rescued him from bankruptcy.

resort   It was after the failure of this attempt that they resorted to force.

respect   With respect to your requests, we regret that we are unable to assist you in this matter.

In this respect the film is a failure.

Teams of rescue have been sent out ____ to look for the missing members of the crew.

(respectfully   respectively   respectably  respectedly)

The situation is the same for protons and neutrons ____ the size of the atomic nucleus.

A. with respect to     B. with respect for     C. with the respect of    D. with respect in

respond   The class failed to respond to the teacher's new methods.

In response to your inquiries, we regret to inform you that we cannot help you in this matter. .

responsible  Don't blame him for this; I am responsible for what has happened.

rest    His decision to sail rested on his belief that the world was round.

restrain   The police had difficulty in restraining the crowd from rushing onto the football field.

restrict   Urban families are restricted to (having) one child.

result   The use of machinery results in a rise in production.

I was in the bath, as the result that I didn't hear the telephone.

Do you buy retail or wholesale?

The police are trying to get back the stolen statue.   (detain    retrieve   track    detect)

return   I wish I could do something in return for the kindness I have received from him.

The judge at the show decided to ____ her a blue ribbon for her cake.

A. award    B. reward     C. loan     D. collect

rid   Such planes have to use special cooling equipment to help get rid of the heat.

right    I will never give up the struggle, for I know I am in the right.

He is quite within his rights to demand an enquiry.

What gives you the right to(do) that.

His name doesn’t ring a bell.

rise   Either war gives rise to revolution or revolution prevents war.

The price of vegetables is _______ the rise.  ( in at on to )

risk   He saved my life at the risk of losing his own.

He was ready to run(take) the risk of being taken prisoner by the enemy.

The future of the whole company is at risk.

They rose up against foreign invaders.

He had no roof over his head.

root   The government is determined to root out corruption.

Her works are firmly rooted in reality.

rule   We must rule out the possibility of miscalculation.

Who will rule the roost in the fierce competition?

I’ve been on the run all day, and I am exhausted.

I ran across/into my old friend in Paris last week.

We are running out of time.

sake   He bought a house in the country for the sake of his wife's health.

sale   I am sorry this painting is not for sale.

Copies of this book are on sale at all the principal booksellers'.

satisfy   I'm not satisfied with your work.

scale   Synthetic rubbers are now being produced on a large scale.

schedule   Despite set-backs, I think we shall manage to complete the work on schedule.

A series of debates between the lecturers was scheduled for the next weekend.

She and I were in the same boat: we both failed in the exam.

It turns out that her aunt and my cousin are one and the same (person).

It goes without saying that I will help you.

He had to go to the prison for a month, to say nothing of the fine.

Say you have an accident: who would look after you.

Well that is foolish, I must say!

scope   There is still some scope for improvement.

scratch   He threw away everything he had written and started the novel again from scratch.

search   They started off in search of the missing girl.

He searched (through) the drawers for the missing papers.

season   Peaches are not in season at the time of year.

I’d love to go with a seasoned traveler.

secret   For twenty years the socialists carried on their propaganda in secret.

I feel secure about my future.

Seeing that he is ill, he is unlikely to come.

If you don’t believe it is raining, go and see for yourself.

I’ll have to see about getting the roof mended.

We all went to the airport to see her off.

Her colleagues see her as the future prime minister.

Will you ________ the arrangements for the next committee meeting?

( see to  look for  search for  look to )

send   The blow sent him flying.

Mom is ill and I have to send for a doctor.

senior   Bob is three years senior to me.

sense   In a sense you are right in refusing to join that club.

When I came to my senses, I was lying on the floor.

Can you make sense of the poem?

What you say makes no sense.

sensitive    You should not be so sensitive about/to criticism.

Photographic paper is highly sensitive to light.

I the theatre, the actors are very ____ to the reactions of the audience.

A. sensible    B. sensitive    C. emotional    D. positive

When her longed-for party was started, she would always be a little _______.

(emotional   sentimental   sensible    sensitive)

sequence   They are dealing with events in historical sequence.

First come, first served.

I must set about packing now.

Her clear and elegant prose sets apart from most other journalists.

Let’s set aside my personal feelings.

She set out/forth at dawn.

He is set on going to university.

settle    You should settle your affairs before you leave.

When are you going to marry and settle down.

She is severe with/on her children.

Your beautiful handwriting puts my untidy scrawl to shame.

shape   I am having trouble giving shape to my ideas in the essay.

You’ll never be in shape unless you eat less and take more exercise.

The plan is beginning to take shape in my mind.

share    Everyone shared in his happiness.

He would share his last pound with me.

shelter   They were _______ from the rain under the tree.  

( sheltered  stopped  prevented deprived)

He has led a sheltered life in the countryside.If I win a prize, I'll share it with you.

short   All along he has been striving not to fall short of his parents' expectations.

Things couldn’t be worse financially: in short, we are bankrupt.

Becoming a doctor requires years of training ----- there are really no short cuts.

He never allowed his children to go short of anything necessary for their education.

His real name was Thomas, but he was called Tom for short.

The country is short in known deposits of coal and iron.

The interviewer cut short his guest in mid-sentence.

He naturally took the side with Bernard in this controversy.

sight   In the torchlight, he caught sight of a figure whom he immediately recognized as Bill.

At the sight of the police they ran away.

I know Mr. Jones by sight; I know who he is but I have never spoken to him.

Similar  Gold is similar in color to brass.

slim   The chances of success are slim.

slip She let slip a chance to go abroad.

A slip of the tongue might cause you to lose your job.

smell   The dish smells of garlic.

spare The hotel staff spared no pains to ensure that our stay was as enjoyable as possible.

Can you spare me a few minutes?

Spare the rod and spoil the child.

speak   His enemies never spoke ill of him.

Actions speak louder than words.

The new law has been put into effect, so to speak.

You are free to speak your mind.

It is time to speak up for those who are suffering injustice.

My watch ______ ten o’clock.  It’s never late.  I must be off.

A. tells     B. says     C. speaks     D. talks

specialize   She is going to specialize in psychology.

As college teachers, they enjoy talking about their own specialties.

(problems    experiences   interests   fields)

spend   I have spent all my energy on this.

spill You’ve got no time crying over the spilt milk.

spirit   The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

I went back and found them in high/low spirits.

spite   In spite of the bad storm John delivered his papers on time.

spot    The news of important events is often broadcast ______ over television.

(at the spot   on the spot   for the spot    in the spot)

A large company was the ____ of the football.

A. secretary    B. senator    C. correspondent    D. sponsor

stand   He felt rather difficult to take a stand against the opinion of the majority.

It was brave of her to stand up to the bullies.

stick   Please stick the stamps to the envelope and post it.

The stamps won't stick to the envelope.

He was determined to stick to the job until the new cutter worked properly.

The image of the dead child’s face stuck in mind for ages.

stock   The sugar is out of stock?

We regret to inform you that the materials you ordered are _____.

A. out of work      B. out of stock    C. out of reach     D. out of practice

The stocks are so small that you have to _____ them to get them on.

A. spread     B. extend     C. lengthen    D. stretch

strict   Our teacher is very strict with us. You mustn't be late for class.

subject   They subjected the two suspects to a long and thorough interrogation.

We are subject to the law of the land.

submit   The representatives submitted many important problems to the committee for discussion.

substitute   We substitute honey for sugar.

Buying in bulk enables one to make ______ savings.

A. substitutive     B. substantial     C. substandard     D. substructual

suffer    She often suffers from colds. We suffered pains.

We suffered great losses in the financial crisis.

suitable     The story is not suitable for young children.

sum   In sum, theory must be combined with practice. '

Success is a sum of mistakes.

superior   She works well with those superior to her in the firm.

support   The author gave an example in support of his argument.

suppose   You are supposed to pay the bill by Friday.

sure   I'm not sure of/about the exact date.

I don't know for sure.

Before we leave the station we had better make sure of the train for the return journey.

The old man was very sad that his son has not been able to  _____ the disaster.

(endure  overcome   survive   put up with)

suspect   I haven't accused him of anything; but I suspected him of having taken It.

suspicious   I am always suspicious of anyone who wants to sell me something on the

sympathetic  We are sympathetic to the idea, but we doubt whether the time is ripe to put it into force.

sympathize  We sympathize with him in his sufferings to a great extent.

sympathy   Quite a number of people are in sympathy with you on that point.

table   Children must learn to behave at table.

Providing first-class service is one of the tactics that the airline adopts to attract passengers.

(methods   attitudes   thoughts    solutions)

She can’t take criticism.

I took you to be/for an honest man.

I take it that you won’t be coming to Sophie’s party.

I was taken aback by her rudeness.

Your daughter doesn’t take after you at all.

She took me in completely with her story.

She took on greater responsibilities when she was promoted.

When she fell ill her daughter took over the business (from her).

She has taken up a job as a teacher.

Her husband used to ____ alcohol.  ( enjoying   take   take to   addict)

taste   The soup tastes of onion.

She always dresses simply, but with/in good taste.

Finding the company and the entertainment not to our taste, we left after about half an hour.

tell   The twins are so much alike and it is difficult to tell one from the other.

As always, I had to fight the _____ to take what she willingly offered.

A. fascination    B. attraction     C. attention    D. temptation

term   The work is not very profitable in terms of cash, but I am getting valuable experience from it.

We must aim for world peace in the short/long term.

tailor The tailor makes a man.

Women tend to live longer than men.

All things considered, we are doing quite well.

Foe one thing I have no money, and for another I’m too busy.

The thing is, can we afford a holiday?

As things stand, we won’t be able to finish the job.

think   Whatever made you think of such a thing?

You should think twice about employing some you’ve never met.

I couldn’t think of letting you take the blame.

thought   On second thoughts, I am inclined to agree with you.

through   I shall be pleased when we are through with this business. '

time    Time and tide wait for no man.

Electricity was at one time thought of as a kind of fluid.

That's old news; lots of things have happened since then. You're behind the times.

Dump the books in the corner for the time being; we'll put them away later.

We got there in time for the concert.

In no time will china be the first to use nuclear Weapons.

He behaves very strangely at times.The headmaster saw the girls one at a time in her study.

Someone tipped off the police about the robbery.

top   He put his books on top of hers.

When he had his money and finished his dinner, he felt on top of the world.

total   The cost of various repairs amounts in total to just over a hundred pounds.

touch   When you are in London, you might get in touch with a friend of mine.

They hardly touched on the matter.

trace   Her fear of water can traced back to a childhood accident.

trade he traded in his car for a new model.

He became a carpenter ____ trade when he was 16.  ( for in at on )

My boss has always attended to the ____ of important business himself.

A. transaction    B. solution    C. translation   D. stimulation

He grew very angry when he realized how he had been ____ out of his money.

A. tricked    B. played    C. deceived    D. robbed

true   Hamlet's exclamation 'Frailty, thy name is woman' is not true to the sex as a whole .

trust   I wouldn't trust my money to a person like him.

I don't place much trust in his promises.

You could always ______ him to settle an argument, no matter what was being discussed.

A. believe in    B. call on      C. trust in     D. count on

truth   In truth, moral decay hastened the decline of the Roman Empire.

turn   We came to an arrangement whereby the two of us took the young lady out by turns.

He picked up all the books in turn and examined them.

I didn’t need my umbrella, as it/things turned out.

She turned a deaf ear to our warnings.

He was someone to whom you can turn in difficult times.

We arranged to meet at the cinema at 7:30, but she failed to turn up.

He tried to join the army and was __________ because of poor health.

(turned in  turned down  turned out   turned to)

typical   The mountain scenery is typical of Scotland.

Everything will ____ depend on what is said at the meeting with the directors next week.

A. recently    B. ultimately    C. repeatedly    D. lately

Speech is the ____ ability possessed only by human being.  

(average   unique  collective   single)

use   She always kept a small stock of tinned foods, for use in an emergency.

The methods with which we are so familiar were not in use in those days.

We were not used to living in luxury.

He’ll be able to put his experience to good use in the new job.

These maps might be of some use to you on your trip.

He has used her well.

vain   All our efforts were in vain.

variety   He left for a variety of reasons.

We all need variety in our diet.

victim   He soon fell victim to her charms.

view   There was not a house in view.

In view of the weather, we will cancel the meeting.

(We adopted the new method with a view to raising our efficiency)

virtue   It was only by virtue of his indomitable will-power that he finally succeeded.

Virtue is its own reward.

This company of soldiers had ______ no women among them, so you could imagine what they joked about.  ( virtually   virtuously   virtual    actual)

It’s time you woke up to the fact that you are not very popular.

warn .  He gave us a warning against placing confidence in people we did not know.

watch . The customs officials were on (the) watch for smuggled whisky.

His argument doesn’t hole water.

way   I cannot get the door open; that chair is in the way.

All the preparations are well under way.

He went from Chicago to New York by way of Washington.By the way, have you heard that George is emigrating to Australia?

In no way can teaching in school be separated from practice.

In a way his health is much improved, but he is still not really well.

We must not give way to their demands.

You can’t have everything your own way.

He has done nothing out the way yet.

The bridge ________ and the tank fell into the river.  ( gave way  gave to  gave in  gave up)

Without proper maintenance, the costly imported plants will be ____ out there sooner than expected.

A. worn        B. destroyed      C. damaged     D. exhausted

Now about half of the women who work in social welfare are part-time, as compared to 38% in the private sector.   (guarantee   farewell   well-off    well-being)

What if it rains when we can’t get under shelter.

whole We must consider these matters as a whole.On the whole, our stay there was quite enjoyable.

Many kinds of ____ animals are disappearing or have already disappeared from the earth.

A. brave     B. untamed    C. unfriendly     D. wild

will   John did it at his will.

I was forced to sign the agreement against my will.

wish   Was a sunny and warm day all that one could wish for in winter? .

with   With five hungry children seated round the table, the food disappeared in no time.

Witness   You may never experience an earthquake or a volcanic eruption in your life, but you will ____ changes in the land. (witness define  adapt adopt)

John is smart, polite, and well-behaved. In a word/in other words, he is admirable.

You’ll find that she’s as good as her word.

We’ll all take a vacation in the mountains as soon as I finish working ___ this project.

(on   with  in  about)

worry Annie, worried at the thought of being persuaded to buy something she didn't need, left the shop hurriedly.

I hope it is a change for better/worse.

worst   At ( the) worst you will be delayed for only one hour.

worth   Any teacher _______ his salt knows that.  ( worthy   worth   valuable  value)

The book is worth reading.

wrong   Two wrongs don’t make a right.

yield   They are not the kind of people to yield to threats.