CAE Reading and Use of English Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:
A nicest В biggest C best D richest

To Sell or not to Sell?

You may think selling your house is easy but everyone wants to get the 0 best deal. Unfortunately, the housing market is 1 _______ to highs and
lows, which could prevent your 2 _______ the price you want. However, displaying your house at its best could persuade 3 _______ buyers it’s
worth paying more for than a similar one nearby. Here are some simple steps you can take that might 4 _______ a sale.

De-clutter and throw away or store superfluous stuff. It may have sentimental value for you but to a buyer it’s junk. Tidy shelves and work
surfaces. 5 _______ most buyers will renovate a house as soon as they move in, it is worth 6 _______ up the place by painting, replacing worn
carpets and so on. The look you want is neat but lived in — comfortable and cosy but suggesting that there is still 7 _______ for a purchaser to
put their own 8 _______ on the house. It’s your home and you love it but the trick is to make others love it, too!

1 A liable B subject C acceptable D part

2 A succeeding B winning C achieving D managing

3 A developing В unrealised C potential D capable

4 A clinch В fix C verify D stick

5 A But В Despite C However D Although

6 A doing В getting C making D working

7 A space В room C place D capacity

 8 A idea B brand C character D stamp

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 2

For questions 9-16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at
the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet

Example: (0) OF

The unhappiness of phones

Some people claim we would all feel much happier if, instead 0 of constantly checking for emails and texts, we turned off our smartphones
completely and concentrated 9 _____ those people physically present. Such messages are a big distraction and 10 _____ people may be
unaware of it, they can cause stress and unhappiness. Thinking about 11 _____ instead of concentrating makes us less productive at work and
can also lead to our having unsatisfying and incomplete personal relationships. If we are 12 _____ careful, we will lose the knack of enjoying the
warmth of human company, preferring to 13 _____ our attention taken by messages from those far away. Some people say the art of forming
real relationships and keeping them going seems to be 14 _____ threat from the march of technology. The good news, however, is that 15 _____
small changes to the way in which we use our phones can be very effective and that it is not 16 _____ late to recognise the danger and do
something about it. After all, we all want to be happy!

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 3

For questions 17-24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the
same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: (0) APPEALING

My favourite place
 This may be a surprising choice as it’s not comfortable or obviously 0 appealing I’m sure many people gravitate towards 0 APPEAL
the 17 _______ of Venice or the beauty of Sydney but the place that does it for me is a remote valley in Iceland. Far from 17 GRAND
anything man-made, it was created by a violent natural catastrophe. It would have been a challenging place to live under any 18 ERUPT
circumstances but thousands of years ago a volcanic 18 _______ under a glacier caused a flood that carved out a huge 19 TOWER
canyon. 19 _______ walls of rock on either side protect the valley from the 20 _______ of the ferocious Arctic winds. Here a 20 STRONG
forest has grown up in a 21 _______ area of calm. I find it has its own 22 _______ identity, which some may find 23 _______ or 21 SHELTER
even threatening. However, it draws me back time after time. I stay in the campsite and it gives me a new perspective on my 22 ATMOSPHERE
everyday life. It makes me appreciate the formidable power and 24 _______ force of nature! 23 PLEASE
24 ESCAPE

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 4

For questions 25-30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change
the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).

0 It’s impossible that you saw John last night — he’s in the USA!
HAVE
John’s in the USA, so you can’t have seen him last night.

25 I am confident that he will be successful in his career.

CHANCES
I am confident _______________ in his career.

26 If you feel stressed, breathing slowly should calm you down.

MAKE
Breathing slowly _______________ if you feel stressed.

27 I am really bad at remembering people’s names when I meet them.

MEMORY
I _______________ people’s names when I meet them.

28 He lost his job because he was inefficient.

GROUNDS
He lost his job _______________ his inefficiency.
29 I’m sorry that I didn’t help him.
REGRET
I _______________ him.

30 I couldn’t go away for the weekend because I didn’t have enough money.
PREVENTED
I was _______________ for the weekend by lack of money.

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 5

You are going to read a magazine article about an expat coming back home. For questions 31-36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you
think fits best according to the text.

Madrid, my home sweet home

It took a long time, but expat Isabel Eva Bohrer is finally ready to call Madrid her home

“Back home!” Whenever I board and disembark a plane, I make a point of texting my family about the status of my travels. The Iberia flight from
Munich, where I grew up, to Madrid, where I had been living for two years, had been on time. “That’s a surprise”‘, I thought — the Spanish
airline is notorious for its delays and strikes. Yet when I hit the ‘send’ button of my phone, I was caught even more profoundly by surprise. For
the first time, I had referred to Madrid as my home.

As expats, we are bound to reflect on the notion of home at one point or another. Where is home? For many expats, the concept isn’t black or
white. Home involves numerous gray areas, including family and friends, memories, language, religion, lifestyle, culture and more. Having lived
abroad in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Switzerland and France, among others, I knew what it was like not to feel at home. In the
United States, not having a Social Security Number made me an outsider, causing numerous inconveniences, such as not being able to get a
phone contract with certain providers. In Brazil, not speaking the language perfectly had made me uneasy as I sensed that people talked behind
my back.

In Spain, my blonde hair and fair skin clearly marks me as not a native. And yet, over the course of two years, I have managed to feel at home in
the Spanish capital. My unpretentious apartment in the barrio de Salamanca — as opposed to the waterproof tent I had lived in while working
on an organic farm in the Argentine Patagonia — allowed me to unload my baggage, both physically and mentally. Instead of having to gather
wood for the night’s fires, as I had done when hiking in the South American mountains, I could settle down and focus on my professional goals as
a writer.
But the feeling of home transcends the mere fact of having a somewhat permanent place to live. It is a mental sensation of equilibrium that is
achieved over time. For me, feeling at home in Madrid has been a slow progressing relationship. The city initially made my acquaintance as a
child: I had attended several summer camps to improve my language skills. At age 16, I completed an internship at an architecture firm in the
north of the city. And at age 22, the capital and I hit a home run: I came back for good, moving in to my current piso (apartment). Slowly but
surely, I learned to live the Spanish lifestyle. Dealing with cantamafanas (literally translated as “those who sing tomorrow”) is the quotidian
routine here.

As a natural optimist, I continue to believe in all the positive aspects of living in Madrid. If sports ignite your spirit, Spaniards will welcome you to
cheer along — the third-straight crowning of the Spanish football team at Euro 2012 was unprecedented. Unparalleled, too, is the nightlife,
which will enthral flamenco lovers and clubbing addicts alike. At 8 a.m. you can watch the sun rise with chocolate con churros. In fact, the
culinary joys never seem to sleep in Spain. There are tapas bars open at all hours, too many to enumerate. For the best bacalao (cod fish) in
town, try Casa Labra, and the Bar Los Caracoles near the Rastro flea market for some Spanish escargot.

From the azure sky, my glance returned to the SMS on my phone: “Glad to hear you arrived safely,” my family had texted back. Though they
referred to that particular Munich-Madrid flight, I read the message as a more universal interpretation of the expat lifestyle. As expats, we
undergo a period of ambiguity, in which we always feel like those who have just arrived. But if you give your new destination a chance, it can
eventually become your home.

31 What is most unexpected for the writer?

A the early arrival of a plane that is usually late
В something she subconsciously includes in a message
C a difficult question she is asked by her family
D the respect other travellers give her

32 Feeling comfortable in another country isn’t easy if

A you are not accepted by the local people
В you are always moving on
C you are out of touch with your family
D you have some official problems

33 The writer compares her accommodation in Madrid and Patagonia to focus on

A expenses
В practicalities
C health problems
D ethical issues

34 What does the writer say about feeling at home in Madrid?

A It didn’t happen quickly
В It depended on finding a good place to live
C It was a result of becoming proficient in Spanish
D It required an acceptance of a slower lifestyle

35 According to the writer, which aspect of Spanish culture gives both traditional and modern experiences?
A sport
В food
C shopping
D nightlife

36 The writer believes that expats are often

A disappointed by their new life
В insecure in the first few months
C anxious about their decision to move
D unlucky in their choice of destination

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 6

You are going to read four commentaries on working abroad as a volunteer. For questions 37-40, choose from the reviews A-D. The extracts may
be chosen more than once.

Volunteering for work abroad

Four commentators write about the increase in ‘voluntourism’ and people doing volunteer work abroad.

A
There are many so-called ‘voluntourism’ agencies that specialise in arranging trips for well-meaning students and other people who want to do
voluntary work abroad. These agencies charge the volunteers a fee but the volunteers themselves are unpaid. Most of these paying volunteers
do have a sincere desire to do good. But how much good they actually do may depend on the extent to which the trips are organised with the
needs of the target communities in mind, rather than those of the volunteers. For example, on average, volunteers only stay two weeks, which is
not enough time for them to make their mark on the community they work with. It is easy to criticise this system and the hypocrisy of an
industry that sells the experience of helping others while developing its own interests. Ultimately, however, voluntourism creates important
links to sources of funding for needy communities. These links could be impossible to make without the physical presence of volunteers.

B
Over the years, many students have chosen to do voluntary work overseas but now this has become far more complicated.The reason may be
the growth of ‘voluntourism’ agencies which are driven by an underlying commercial agenda. This is not the only complication, however.
The relationship between different countries is complex and many emerging market countries are booming. Some are arguably better run than
so-called developed countries and, consequently, the view that help is a one-way gift is old-fashioned. In this case, agencies do have a part to
play. Voluntourism should be seen as a two-way exchange which is as good for the giver as the receiver. The volunteers themselves probably
remain convinced of their ability to change the world but what is actually more valuable for them is the way the experience of listening to and
learning from other cultures can bring about a change in attitude.

C
It is said that volunteering enables students to become more concerned global citizens and then potentially push for policy change. Ultimately,
this may be the biggest benefit of doing voluntary work, rather than what any idealistic volunteer dreams they can achieve during their trip,
which is usually far beyond what is possible. What volunteers often underestimate, however, is the fact that new ideas put into practice in the
developing world can also have relevance back home. The spread of such ideas can be an important outcome of the growth of volunteering in
general. Of course, this type of ‘reverse innovation’ is not what was imagined years ago but it is a sign of shifting times and changing attitudes.

D
The impact of volunteering on those who choose to do it can be very different. Volunteers may arrive in a critical frame of mind, unprepared to
try and understand the local way of life. This may be because their underlying assumption is that it needs changing. Their aim is, then, to do this,
although it is actually impossible. Volunteering may not always be a positive experience and there may be negative aspects, so volunteers need
to have the right attitude. Many who react negatively are simply disappointed because of their unfulfilled expectations of what was realistically
achievable. They have not understood that in the end, volunteering is as much about what they can learn and share as what they can change. Of
course, this doesn’t mean idealistic students and others should simply stay at home but they should revise their expectations. If volunteering
were sold as a learning experience, this would be more useful and more honest.

Which commentator …
37 expresses a different view from the others about the real value of volunteering?
38 has a similar opinion to Commentator В about the benefits of the experience to the volunteer?
39 shares Commentator D’s concerns about what volunteers feel they are able to do?
40 holds a similar opinion to Commentator C about changes in modern attitudes to volunteering?
CAE Reading and Use of English Part 7

You are going to read an article about an advertising technique. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the
paragraphs A-G the one which fits each gap (41-46). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

Windows of opportunity

Retail street theatre was all the rage in the 1920s. ‘Audiences’ would throng the pavement outside Selfridge’s store in London just to gawp at the
display beyond acres of plate glass. As a show, it made any production of Chekhov seem action-packed by comparison. Yet Gordon Selfridge,
who came to these shores from the US and opened on Oxford Street exactly 100 years ago, was at the cutting edge of what Dr Rebecca Scragg
from the history of art department at Warwick University calls ‘a mini-revolution’ in the art of window dressing.

41 …

“As Britain struggled to regain economic stability after the war, the importance of the new mass commerce to the country’s recovery was
recognised,” says Rebecca. “Finally understood was the need to use the display windows to full advantage as an advertising medium to attract
trade. The new style of window dressing that came into its own after the armistice took inspiration from the theatre and the fine and decorative
arts. It involved flamboyant design and drew huge crowds.”

42 …

In the course of her research, Scragg spent some time in the British Library studying the growing number of trade journals that sprang up
between 1921 and 1924 to meet the market made up from this new breed of professional. “I saw a picture in one of them of the Annual General
Meeting of the British Association of Display Men,” she says, “and there were only two women there”. The 1920s saw a big growth in major
department stores in the main cities and they would all have had a budget for window dressing.

43 …

An elegant mannequin is positioned at the centre of a huge garland, sporting an off-the-shoulder number and an enormous headdress that
might have been worn by an empress in ancient Egypt. At her feet are swathes of ruffled material and positioned around her any number of
adornments.

44 …

Over eighty years on, and the economy is once again in recession. Retailers complain about falling sales. But are they doing enough to seduce
the passing customer? Scragg thinks not. “There are many high street chains and independent shops whose windows are, by the standards of
the 1920s, unimaginative,” she maintains. “They’re passed over for more profitable but often less aesthetically pleasing forms of advertising,
such as the Internet.”

45 …

“I’m not making any claims that this is great or fine art” Scragg says. “My interest is in Britain finding new ways of creating visual expression.”
Scragg is about to submit a paper on her research into the aesthetics of window dressing to one of the leading journals in her field.

46 …

So, although retail theatre may have been in its infancy, retail as leisure or therapy for a mass market was still a long way in the future.

A Some of the photographic evidence unearthed by Scragg after her trawl through the trade journals is quite spectacular. One EJ Labussier, an
employee of Selfridge’s, won the Drapers Record trophy for his imaginative use of organdie, a slightly stiff fabric that was particularly popular
with the dressmakers of the day.

В “Selfridge’s remains an exception,” she concedes, “even if it’s difficult today to imagine the store coming up with a spectacular Rococo setting
to display something as mundane as a collection of white handkerchiefs.” No doubt it brought sighs, even gasps, from those with their noses
almost pressed up against the window but could it really be taken too seriously?

C Scragg describes herself as “a historian of art and visual culture with an interest in the reception of art”. “This interest in window displays
evolved from my PhD on British art in the 1920s,” she says. “I started by looking at exhibitions in shops and that led on to the way that the shops
themselves were moving into new forms of design.”

D One of the illustrations she will include is a 1920s photograph of a bus proceeding towards Selfridge’s with an advertisement for ‘self-denial
week’ on the side. For many of those in the crowds on the pavement, self-denial was a given. They couldn’t afford to spend.

E The big department store continues to uphold the tradition of presenting lavish and eye-catching window displays today and uses the best
artists and designers to create and dress them. Advances in technology have meant that the displays grow ever more spectacular.

F “He was trying to aestheticise retailing,” she explains. “The Brits were so far behind the Americans, the French and the Germans in this respect
that it was another decade before they fully realised its importance.”
G “There was always a great concern for symmetry and harmony,” Scragg observes. “And a whole industry grew up around the stands and
backdrops, the ironmongery and architecture, needed to display these things.” The displays were extravagant and bold, taking a great deal of
time and imagination to perfect. The glamour attracted attention and lifted people’s spirits at a difficult time.

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 8

You are going to read about items from science fiction that became real. For questions 47-56, choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The
sections may be chosen more than once.

Which science fiction work …

47 had a purpose other than pure entertainment?
48 presented a concept that is familiar today but through a different process?
49 was written by an author who has more famous fictional creations?
50 features machines that threaten to cause the downfall of man?
51 shows us a device that would have enormous significance for us if it really existed?
52 was created by a writer whose name will never be forgotten?
53 was given a title that might be better understood by people today than when it was written?
54 revolves around a character who uses a particular device to escape from the reality of a situation?
55 delighted people over a period of many years?
56 foresaw something that is controversial today?

We’ve seen it all before!

Just how many of the technological advances we take for granted today were actually predicted in science fiction years ago? Karen Smith checks
out four influential works.

A
R.U.R
Originally a word that appeared solely in science fiction, the term ‘robot’ has now become commonplace as developments in technology have
allowed scientists to design ever more complex machines that can perform tasks to assist us at work or home. But how did the word originate
and when? To answer this, we have to go back nearly 100 years to a play written in 1920 by a Czech playwright, Karel Capek, called R. U.
R — Rossum’s Universal Robots. The word is a derivation from the Czech robota, meaning ‘forced labour’, or rab, meaning ‘slave’. Capek’s robots
are biological machines which are uncannily similar to what we today refer to as ‘clones’ or ‘androids’ but are assembled from various parts
rather than being genetically ‘grown.’ The play eerily predicts problems that concern people today regarding machines that can think
independently. Rossum’s robots plan a rebellion against their creator, a man who in his own words, wants to ‘play God’. The famous science
fiction writer Isaac Asimov was unimpressed by the literary value of Capek’s play but believed it had enormous significance because it introduced
the word robot to the world.

В
Ralph 124C41+
If you’re a science fiction aficionado, you’ll definitely have heard of Hugo Gernsback. Considered by many to be the founding father of science
fiction back in 1926 with the publication of his magazine Amazing Stories, his name has been immortalised in the annual science fiction awards,
the ‘Hugos’. However, the quality of his writing is questionable and his stories are more highly regarded for their content rather than plot or
character development. Gernsback was deeply interested in the world of electronics and, believing that science-fiction should inspire future
scientists, he filled his stories with ideas for numerous new gadgets and electronic devices. An extraordinary number of his predictions have
actually come true. Today we have television, televised phone calls, sliding doors and remote controls, to name only a few, and the precursors of
many of these can be found in just one novel: Ralph 124C41+.The mystifying title is itself a prediction of language used in text talk today: ‘one to
foresee for all (1+)’! Gernsback’s prophetic stories included other predictions which currently remain unfulfilled, such as complete weather
control, thought records and aircabs. Watch this space!

C
From the London Town of 1904
Mark Twain is a familiar name to most of us as the author of magnificent books such as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer . He is less well-
known, however, for his science fiction but to avid readers of that genre, he is considered one of the best writers of all time. It is also quite
possible that he predicted one of the most influential scientific inventions the world has ever seen — something that we all use and rely on every
day: the Internet! It is in a little-known short story called From the London Town of 1904 that a character invents a device called a
‘telectroscope’. This is a machine that uses telephone line links across the world to enable him to see and hear what is going on in any place on
the globe at a given time. How familiar does that sound? The character, while on death row for a murder that he did not commit, uses his
machine to ‘call up’ different places in the world and the narrator of the story comments that although in a prison cell, the man is ‘almost as free
as the birds.’

D
Star Trek
These days mobile phones have become such an integral part of our daily lives that we would be lost without them but there was a time when
we had to communicate using landlines or — horror of horrors — by writing letters! Viewers watching the birth of a new TV science fiction series
in the 1960s would have been amazed at the thought that the ‘communicator’ used by Star Trek’s Captain Kirk would one day become an
everyday form of communication available to us all. Kirk’s ‘communicator’ was a small device he used to flip open and, in retrospect, it seems
surprisingly similar to a mobile phone that became popular in the late 90s. The long-running series also featured several other devices that have
since moved from fiction to the real world. However, the famous Star Trek ‘Transporter’, through which people can immediately materialise in
different places, still remains the Holy Grail for many in the world of science. Now, that really would make a difference to our lives. ‘Beam us up,
Scottie,’ please?

Vocabulary

Part 1

Highs, lows (n) — high and low points of something. Can be used separately. Everybody’s life has its highs and lows, good and bad periods.
Persuade (v) — make someone do something; convince. The policeman couldn’t be persuaded to let us off with a warning.
De-clutter (v) — make less cluttered — filled with (usually unnecessary) objects.
Superfluous (adj) — exceeding the necessary minimum, over-the-top. Some customers might get turned off by the superfluous decorations.

Part 2

Claim (v) — state, say to be true. She claims that she know every big celebrity in this city.
Distraction (n) — something that takes your attention away. You should avoid looking at various distractions while driving.
Unaware (adj) — not knowing; not conscious of. I was unaware that you two know each other.
Knack (of) (n) — a certain skill or ability. Peter has a very special knack of persuading people.

Part 3

Gravitate (v) — to be influenced by or drawn to something; attracted to. Young people often gravitate to whatever is fashionable right now.
Carve (v) — to cut something into pieces or to give shape. I like to carve wood into figurines of animals.

Ferocious (adj) — fierce or cruel like an animal. The ferocious indigenous people of this land are wary of strangers.
Identity (n) — identification of oneself; individuality.
Draw back (phr v) — (here) make to come back.
Formidable (adj) — inspiring feat or respect because of great size or strength. Mike Tyson was a formidable opponent for any professional boxer,
no matter his skill or experience.

Part 5

Disembark (v) — get off a ship or an aircraft. Attention to passengers: please be careful when you disembark the ship.
Notorious (adj) — well-known for bad reasons, infamous. This teacher is notorious for flunking students he doesn’t like.
Strike (n) — an organised protest of workers against the employer. The protesters refuse to work until their demands are fulfilled.
Profoundly (adv) — deeply, intensely.
Bound to (adj) — supposed to, should. They are bound to arrive by tomorrow’s evening.
Reflect on (v) — to think or mediate about something. I took a minute to reflect on the situation we’re facing.
Inconvenience (n) — something difficult or causing trouble. The minor inconveniences we had to experience were nothing compared to the utter
joy the trip brought to all of us.
Unpretentious (adj) — not claiming to be important or remarkable. Most self-made men tend to drive unpretentious cars despite their huge
wealth.
Transcend (v) — exceed, go through or beyond. This masterpiece transcends time and remains one of the greatest piece of art.

Home run (n) — a home run is a figure of speech coming from baseball that means ‘great success’. Hiring that new employee we really hit a
home run — he transformed the company in two years’ time.
Quotidian (adj) — happening every day. Her quotidian routine includes gym and swimming pool.
Ignite (v) — to set on fire. To trigger or awaken. One way to ignite woman’s passion for you is to explicitly ignore her.
Unprecedented (adj) — never occurring before, unparalleled. The popularity of the book was unprecedented — it became a national best-seller
almost overnight!
Enthral (v) — to enchant, captivate.
Ambiguity (n) — having possibility of being interpreted in two different way.

Part 6

Well-meaning (adj) — with good intentions, with goodwill. He used to be a well-meaning young man, but after his wife left him be became
depressed and angry.
Hypocrisy (n) — practice of having double standards. Doing things that you tell other people not to do.
Complication (n) — something that makes matters complex, difficult. His illness has one complication that might eventually lead to serious
consequences.
Convinced (adj) — sure of something. My mother is convinced that I should focus on my studies rather than my career in sports.
Underestimate (v) — to think of something as insufficiently good/dangerous/serious etc. We underestimated the other team and came
unprepared — that is why we lost the game!
Relevance (n) — relation to something. Your ideas have no relevance to what we’re discussing — we are talking about cars and you keep telling
us of your bicycle.
Attitude (n) — person’s general views on a topic. What is your attitude to people who choose not to have children?

Part 7
Retail (adj) — sold in small volumes as opposed to wholesale, where sales take place in bulk. Retails sales went down 20% after the story of
inferior quality products got published by the press.
All the rage — the latest most popular or fashionable thing at the moment. The Beatles were all the rage in the sixties.
Gawp at (v) — to stare in a stupid way at something, to gape. When I was fourteen I would spend days gawping at foxy girls at school.
Armistice (n) — a truce, an agreement to have a short period of peace during war.
Inspiration (n) — something that elevates you spiritually, makes you want to do something creative or unusual. Women were the usual
inspiration for most artists.
Flamboyant (adj) — extravagant, loud and tending to show-off. Flamboyant teens are popular with girls of their age.
Breed (n) — group of animals in a species;(fig) a type or a kind. In this day and age non-commercial musicians are a dying breed.
Garland (n) — a wreath of flowers or leaves worn around neck.
Adornment (n) — something worn for decoration.
Recession (n) — a temporary decline in economy. The recession of 2008 forced employers to lay-off many people, which resulted in a spike of
unemployment.
Seduce (v) — to win someone over, to attract (in a sexual way). Seducing a married man should be regarded as crime.
Infancy (n) — childhood, can be used figuratively. The industry of car manufacturing in China is still in its infancy.
Unearth (v) — dig out, discover, make known.
Stiff (adj) — inflexible, rigid; difficult to change. Fishing rods are usually made of strong, stiff material.
Spectacular (adj) — interesting to watch, grand in appearance. We got two free tickets to Dan’s spectacular show.
Exhibition (n) — public display of art, music, movies, cats — practically anything. Electronic Entertainment Expo takes place every year and
showcases the latest advances of computer industry.
Mundane (adj) — ordinary and boring, everyday; banal. Doing the same mundane work for years can have negative long-term effect on your
personality.
Proceed (v) — to continue, to carry on. Proceed with your task as if nothing has happened.
Self-denial (n) — limiting oneself, not allowing yourself to eat, buy, or do something you want to because it isn’t healthy, you can’t afford it or
for other reasons.
Lavish (adj) — abundant, generous, extravagant. Gatsby would give lavish parties every other day in his grand mansion overlooking the sea.
Bold (adj) — daring and brave.

Part 8

Predict (v) — to know that something would happen beforehand; to foretell, foresee. Meteorologists attempt to predict natural disasters to
lower the negative impact they entail.
Solely (adv) — only, alone. The microwave should be used solely by the employees and nobody else.
Commonplace (adj) — dull, obvious; trite; usual. These cars are commonplace in my town. They are probably ubiquitous all over the world.
Eerie (adj) — mysteriously scary, weird. The family across the road has an eerie atmosphere surrounding them.
Rebellion (n) — organised resistance; uprising. Peasant rebellions were commonplace during the Middle Ages.
Aficionado (n) — ardent, passionate supporter of something.
Precursor (n) — something or someone who precedes. It’s hard to believe that huge, brick-like mobile phones of the nineties were precursors of
the modern slim smartphones.
Prophetic (adj) — containing a prophecy, predictive.
Avid (adj) — keen or enthusiastic. Many UK citizens are avid supporters of their home football teams.