No.71

Question 1

Most people have an intuitive sense of right and wrong.

Answer 1

based on feelings rather than facts or proof

Question 2

The new director has introduced a series of changes against little opposition from the supine staff.

Answer 2

If you are supine, you are weak and willing to accept the control of others

Question 3

Al-Asiri’s brother Abdullah undertook a suicide mission in 2009 carrying a bomb in his rectum. The blast injured the Saudi security chief Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.

Answer 3

the lowest end of the bowels, down which solid waste travels before leaving the body through the anus

Question 4

Ruth runs a tight ship and has no time for shirkers.

Answer 4

to control a business or other organization firmly and effectively

Question 5

He celebrated his birthday at a glitzy party in Beverly Hills.

Answer 5

having a fashionable appearance intended to attract attention

Question 6

The film is full of allusions to Hitchcock.

Answer 6

something that is said or written that is intended to make you think of a particular thing or person

Question 7

Herv? Pierre Gourdel was seized on his way to join a hiking party at a rented chalet.

Answer 7

a small wooden house found in mountain areas, especially in Switzerland, or a house built in a similar style, especially as used by people on holiday

Question 8

The account, which sent the MPs flirtatious and flattering messages, used a picture linked to an attractive Swedish model.

Answer 8

behaving as if you are sexually attracted to someone, usually not in a serious way

Question 9

Our aim is to rid this government of corruption.

Answer 9

to cause someone or something to be free of an unpleasant or harmful thing or person

Question 10

In a harsh economic climate, raises for teachers have become a lightning rod for criticism.

Answer 10

someone or something that takes all the blame for a situation, although other people or things are responsible too

Question 11

The police combed the whole area for evidence.

Answer 11

to search a place or an area very carefully in order to find something

Question 12

They got a pay rise in March which was backdated to January.

Answer 12

to make something, especially a pay increase, effective from an earlier time

Question 13

The management’s decision to ignore the safety warnings demonstrated a remarkable lapse of judgment.

Answer 13

a temporary failure

Question 14

a cardinal rule/error/sin

Answer 14

of great importance; main

Question 15

Unlike many other politicians, he refuses to indulge in cheap jibes at other people’s expense.

Answer 15

an insulting remark that is intended to make someone look stupid

Question 16

My sister loves paisley.

Answer 16

a colourful pattern of curved shapes, usually on cloth

Question 17

We’ll have to see how things pan out.

Answer 17

to develop in a particular way or in a successful way

Question 18

The contract contained a restrictive covenant against building on the land.

Answer 18

a formal agreement between two or more people; a promise

Question 19

an apt comment/description

Answer 19

suitable or right for a particular situation

Question 20

Duck your head or you’ll bang it on the doorframe.

Answer 20

to move your head or the top part of your body quickly down, especially to avoid being hit

Question 21

The pseudoscientific and pernicious notion that African peoples were racially inferior was widespread and even commonplace.

Answer 21

科学に似ているが虚偽の仮説に基づいた研究の

Question 22

The amount required to redeem the mortgage was ?358?587.

Answer 22

to carry out a promise or pay back a debt

Question 23

A contrite Mr Cameron issued the apology during his trip to New York yesterday, where he has been holding meetings at the UN.

Answer 23

feeling very sorry and guilty for something bad that you have done

Question 24

The defeat was the nadir of her career.

Answer 24

the worst moment, or the moment of least hope and least achievement

Question 25

Smoking is a particular bugbear of his.

Answer 25

a particular thing that annoys or upsets you

Question 26

The protesters included such absurd and discredited figures as Lee Jasper, formerly an adviser to Ken Livingstone, then mayor of London, till he left office in a scandal about cronyism.

Answer 26

when someone important gives jobs to friends rather than to independent people who have the necessary skills and experience

Question 27

Most women go through UK the menopause/ US menopause between the ages of 45 and 55.

Answer 27

the time in a woman's life when she gradually stops having periods (= blood flow from her womb each month)

Question 28

I have to say I'm not exactly enamoured with/of this part of the country.

Answer 28

liking a lot

Question 29

It was suspected that the police had colluded with the witnesses.

Answer 29

to act together secretly or illegally in order to deceive or cheat someone

Question 30

The wedding was a low-key affair, with fewer than thirty people attending.

Answer 30

describes an event that is quiet and without a great show of excitement

Question 31

The intense heat from the fire had caused the factory roof to buckle.

Answer 31

to bend or become bent, often as a result of force, heat or weakness

Question 32

I overheard a very funny conversation on the bus this morning.

Answer 32

to hear what other people are saying without intending to and without their knowledge

Question 33

As young ladies we were expected to act/behave with proper decorum.

Answer 33

behaviour that is controlled, calm and polite

Question 34

The President remains obdurate on the question of tax cuts.

Answer 34

extremely determined to act in a particular way and not to change despite what anyone else says

Question 35

Put your papers down and stop fiddling!

Answer 35

to move things about or touch things with no particular purpose

Question 36

He was released from prison with/on the proviso that he doesn't leave the country.

Answer 36

a statement in an agreement, saying that a particular thing must happen before another can

Question 37

She's a very accomplished pianist/painter/horsewoman.

Answer 37

skilled

Question 38

His behaviour amounted to serious professional misconduct.

Answer 38

to be the same as something, or to have the same effect as something

Question 39

Industrial activity has muddied the river.

Answer 39

to put mud (= wet sticky earth) into something or cover something with mud

Question 40

The organization insists that it is apolitical and does not identify with any one particular party.

Answer 40

not interested in or connected with politics, or not connected to any political party

Question 41

The critics panned the film version of the novel.

Answer 41

to criticize something severely

Question 42

Her play was a biting/cruel satire on life in the 80s.

Answer 42

a way of criticizing people or ideas in a humorous way, or a piece of writing or play which uses this style

Question 43

After much soul-searching, he decided it was wrong to vote in the elections.

Answer 43

deep and careful attention to private thoughts, especially about a moral problem

Question 44

After police baton-charged the crowd yesterday and fired tear gas in the most severe crackdown in Hong Kong under Chinese rule, protesters fanned out across the harbour. About 3,000 people blocked a main road in Kowloon.

Answer 44

If a group of people fan out, they move in different directions from a single point.

Question 45

The caretaker ran out and saw off the boys who had been damaging the fence.

Answer 45

to send away an attacker or unwanted person, usually forcefully

Question 46

The news of his marriage was a bolt from the blue.

Answer 46

something completely unexpected that surprises you very much

Question 47

The ending will blow you away.

Answer 47

to surprise or please someone very much

Question 48

The car's lightweight chassis is made from aluminium sheets.

Answer 48

the frame of a vehicle, usually including the wheels and engine, onto which the metal covering is fixed

Question 49

The coach issued a diktat that all team members must attend early-morning practice.

Answer 49

an order which must be obeyed, or when you give such an order

Question 50

You should lodge a copy of the letter with your solicitor.

Answer 50

to put something in a safe place

Question 51

His anguish at the outcome of the court case was very clear.

Answer 51

extreme unhappiness caused by physical or mental suffering

Question 52

The protest degenerated into an orgy of looting and shooting.

Answer 52

a period when there is too much of something, usually a bad or harmful activity

Question 53

Just water these plants twice a week, and likewise the ones in the bedroom.

Answer 53

in the same way

Question 54

If the government is seen to condone violence , the bloodshed will never stop.

Answer 54

to accept or allow behaviour that is wrong

Question 55

Typically these are arranged by the insurer representing the innocent party but are paid for by the at-fault insurer.

Answer 55

加害者側の

Question 56

Many hours of meticulous preparation have gone into writing the book.

Answer 56

very careful and with great attention to every detail

Question 57

Journalists received a stern warning not to go anywhere near the battleship.

Answer 57

severe, or showing disapproval

Question 58

Her parents eventually relented and let her go to the party.

Answer 58

to act in a less severe way towards someone and allow something that you had refused to allow before

Question 59

Her career has been on the up and up since she moved into sales.

Answer 59

improving all the time

Question 60

The research, part-funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), found that statins could cause small increases in weight and blood sugar, raising the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Answer 60

a drug that reduces the level of cholesterol (= substance containing a lot of fat in your blood that can cause heart disease)

Question 61

We could hear the sound of a lawnmower purring in the back garden.

Answer 61

to make a quiet continuous soft sound

Question 62

The motion was accepted/passed/defeated/rejected .

Answer 62

suggestion made, discussed and voted on at a meeting

Question 63

What's on telly tonight?

Answer 63

television

Question 64

They have no presumptive right to prevent others from either participating in or visiting an exhibition that they disapprove of.

Answer 64

仮定の

Question 65

The government has come down on the side of military action.

Answer 65

to decide that you support a particular person or side in an argument, etc.

Question 66

He erred in agreeing to her appointment.

Answer 66

to make a mistake or to do something wrong

Question 67

adipose tissue (= fat)

Answer 67

of animal fat

Question 68

Any change in plan would be construed as indecision.

Answer 68

to understand the meaning, especially of other people's actions and statements, in a particular way

Question 69

When I lifted the log, there were lots of beetles skittering about/around under it.

Answer 69

(especially of a small animal, bird or insect) to move very quickly and lightly

Question 70

We live on top of a hill and so we get excellent radio reception.

Answer 70

the degree to which radio or television sounds and pictures are clear

Question 71

I always get the jitters the morning before an exam.

Answer 71

a feeling of nervousness which you experience before something important happens

Question 72

The central bank has pulled off one of the biggest financial rescues of recent years.

Answer 72

to succeed in doing something difficult or unexpected

Question 73

The gold medal continues to elude her.

Answer 73

If something that you want eludes you, you do not succeed in achieving it

Question 74

He is trying to promote a less stuffy image of the Conservatives.

Answer 74

old-fashioned, formal and boring

Question 75

He gave her an ultimatum - she could either stop seeing Peter and come back to him or it was divorce.

Answer 75

a threat in which a person or group of people are warned that if they do not do a particular thing, something unpleasant will happen to them. It is usually the last and most extreme in a series of actions taken to bring about a particular result

Question 76

It seemed fated that we would get married.

Answer 76

not able to be avoided because planned by a power that controls events

Question 77

He rakes in over ?100 000 a year.

Answer 77

to earn or get a large amount of money

Question 78

Victorian schoolteachers regularly meted out physical punishment to their pupils.

Answer 78

to give or order a punishment or make someone receive cruel or unfair treatment

Question 79

There is a paucity of information on the ingredients of many cosmetics.

Answer 79

when there is too little of something

Question 80

There is also a 90-member benefactors’ scheme (starting at ?600 a year and stretching to ?10,000 and beyond) and a corporate scheme which the museum wants to extend.

Answer 80

someone who gives money to help an organization, society or person

Question 81

They've decided to hold off on buying a car until they're both working.

Answer 81

to not do something immediately

Question 82

a small, bespectacled man in a drab suit

Answer 82

wearing glasses

Question 83

If three people in four no longer support the government, isn't this an untenable situation?

Answer 83

describes a situation that cannot continue as it is

Question 84

Anyone wishing to dissent from the motion should now raise their hand.

Answer 84

to disagree with other people about something

Question 85

Rachel sailed through with a distinction in all exam papers.

Answer 85

to succeed very easily in something, especially a test or examination

Question 86

The very idea is preposterous!

Answer 86

very silly or stupid

Question 87

He picked up the baby and gently rocked her to sleep .

Answer 87

to (cause someone or something to) move backwards and forwards or from side to side in a regular way

Question 88

Their resolute opposition to new working methods was difficult to overcome.

Answer 88

determined in character, action or ideas

Question 89

From what I was able to glean, the news isn't good.

Answer 89

to collect information in small amounts and often with difficulty

Question 90

But the message that foreigners should not interfere in Chinese internal affairs rings hollow.

Answer 90

If something someone says rings hollow, it does not sound true or sincere.

Question 91

Certainly in our society teachers don't enjoy the respect that is accorded to doctors and lawyers.

Answer 91

to treat someone specially, usually by showing respect

Question 92

Her probity and integrity are beyond question.

Answer 92

complete honesty

Question 93

She spends her evenings poring over textbooks.

Answer 93

to look at and study something, usually a book or document, carefully

Question 94

She implored her parents not to send her away to school.

Answer 94

to ask someone to do or not do something in a very sincere, emotional and determined way

Question 95

Lead and tin are malleable metals.

Answer 95

describes a substance that is easily changed into a new shape

Question 96

The cuts in government funding have had a pernicious effect on local health services.

Answer 96

having a very harmful effect or influence

Question 97

The officers were forced to backtrack on their statements.

Answer 97

to say that you did not mean something you said earlier or say that you have changed your opinion

Question 98

Bannings, like book-burnings, are corrosive of culture. They are an act of militant philistinism.

Answer 98

実利主義，俗物根性

Question 99

We were all bunched up at the back of the room.

Answer 99

to move close together to form a tight group

Question 100

Liz Truss has got the pip. The environment secretary has come out fighting in defence of the British apple, which has been shaken to the core by foreign invaders and the threat from convenience desserts.

Answer 100

one of the small seeds of a fruit such as an apple or an orange