Conversation 1

Question 1

intense
adj

Answer 1

serious and often involving a lot of action in the short period of time
e.g. There is intense competition for the top jobs.

Question 2

mode
n

Answer 2

A particular way of feeling or behaving
e.g. As soon as this week is over, I will be in holiday mode.

Question 3

freshers’ year
n

Answer 3

The first year at university
e.g. My freshers’ year was just one long party!

Question 4

to be someone’s scene /cup of tea
idiom

Answer 4

what somebody likes or is interested in
e.g. An evening at the opera isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Was it really your scene?
Was it your a cup of tea?

Question 5

to socialise
v (i)

Answer 5

to meet and spend time with people in a friendly way, in order to enjoy yourself
e.g. I enjoy socialising with the other students.

Question 6

** daunting**
adj

Answer 6

making somebody feel nervous and less confident about doing something; likely to make somebody feel this way
e.g. Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.

Question 7

lock in
phr v

Answer 7

to be fixed in one position or state and unable to change
e.g. I thought everyone would’ve arrived before me and made all the friends and that was locked in. I’ll be there on my own.

Question 8

a fresh start

Answer 8

an opportunity to begin something again
e.g. When I moved to the city, it was a fresh start for me.

Question 9

to be in the same boat
idiom

Answer 9

to be in the same situation, usually a difficult one
e.g. You may think it’s just you, but we are all in the same boat.

Question 10

Oh my word

Answer 10

phrase used to express surprise or disbelief; more polite than ‘Oh my God’
e.g. Oh my word. That is a big umbrella!

Question 11

to work out
phr v

Answer 11

to develop in a successful
e.g. Things have worked out quite well for us.
How is the new monitoring procedure working out?
Let’s hope this new job works out well for him.

Question 12

to come in
phr v

Answer 12

to start
e.g. When the new laws came in about smoking, the whole bar scene changed here.

Question 13

flaw
n

Answer 13

A weakness in somebody’s character or habit that someone may find annoying
e.g. His flaw was that he trusted the people around him.

Question 14

all in all

Answer 14

When everything is considered
e.g. All in all, it has been a great success.

Question 15

to fight for
phr v

Answer 15

to try very hard to get something or to achieve something
e.g. We fought for years before we got the recognition we deserved.

Question 16

whilst
conj

Answer 16

at the same time as something else is happening
e.g. In the UK, it is illegal to drive whilst holding a mobile phone.

Question 17

social circle
n

Answer 17

A group of people who are connected socially, and who often socialise together
e.g. When I went to uni, I soon had a complete new social circle.

Question 18

entirely
adv

Answer 18

in every way, possible; completely
e.g. The experience was entirely new to me.

Question 19

like-minded
adj

Answer 19

having similar ideas and interest
e.g. I find it hard to spend time with people that aren’t like-minded.

Question 20

ongoing
adj

Answer 20

continuing to exist or develop
e.g. Training is part of our ongoing career development program.

Question 21

lads
n

Answer 21

A young man who enjoys a lot of things thought to be typical of young men, such as drinking, alcohol, sex and sport
e.g. Tony was a bit of a lad — always had an eye for the women.

Question 22

niche
n

Answer 22

interesting to only a small number of people
e.g. Croquet is quite a sport and very few people have even heard of it.

Question 23

inclusive
adj

Answer 23

to try to include many different types of people and treat them all fairly and equally
e.g. Our aim is to create a fairer, more inclusive society.

Question 24

introvert
n

Answer 24

A quiet person who is more interested in their own thoughts, and feelings than in spending time with other people
e.g. You could describe him as a bit of an introvert.

Question 25

**extroverted** *adj*

Answer 25

lively and confidence, and enjoying being with other people e.g. His teacher always described him as being quite extroverted.

Question 26

**to be one’s idea of hell** *idiom*

Answer 26

an experience or situation that people would fear or hate most e.g. I couldn’t ever go to a jungle; that’s my idea of hell. Tell me about your idea of hell.

Question 27

**dreadful** *adj*

Answer 27

very bad or unpleasant e.g. The weather this week has been dreadful!

Question 28

**to mould** *v*

Answer 28

to strongly influence the way somebody’s character or opinions develop e.g. That experience moulded her into a more outgoing person.

Question 29

**to be oneself**

Answer 29

to not be influenced by the opinions or expectations of other people e.g. Sometimes you just need to learn to be yourself and not worry about what other people think.

Question 30

**to not take (any) rubbish** *idiom*

Answer 30

to defend oneself when being teased or bullied by others e.g. I’m just not going to take any more of your rubbish!

Question 31

**to reminisce** *v* /ˌrem.ɪˈnɪs/

Answer 31

To think, talk or write about a happy time in your past e.g. We spent hours last night reminiscing about the past.

Question 32

**to go down the … path** *idiom*

Answer 32

to choose a particular direction in life e.g. After learning to play the guitar, he decided to go down the live music path.

Question 33

**to be behind in life** *idiom*

Answer 33

when an other person seems to be at a more advance stage in their life, despite being the same age or from the same background e.g. Jack never really cared much about his studies, and now he’s behind most of his friends in life.

Question 34

**to stay on** *phr v*

Answer 34

to continue, studying, working, etc. somewhere for longer than expected or after other people have left e.g. She failed her exam, and had to stay on at school for another year.

Question 35

**to find one’s feet** *idiom*

Answer 35

to become able to act independently and with confidence e.g. I only recently started working here, so I’m still finding my feet.

Question 36

**chaos years**

Answer 36

appeared in a persons life (usually 18 to 30 years old) when there are a lot of changes and instability, or where a person is more focused on having fun than developing their career or life e.g. My early 20s were certainly the chaos years — I just used to party all the time and not care about the future.

Question 37

**tame** *adj*

Answer 37

not very interesting or exciting e.g. You’re fine life here pretty tame in New York.

Question 38

**occasionally** *adv*

Answer 38

sometimes, but not often e.g. We occasionally meet for a drink after work.