Speaking Session 11

Research suggests

research indicates or shows that something is probably true

reducing inequality

making differences between groups of people smaller

is key to

is extremely important for achieving something

sustainable

able to continue for a long time without causing serious problems or damage

income inequality

the difference between how much money different people or groups earn

gain independence from

become independent from someone or something

spend a greater percentage of your budget on

use a larger proportion of your available money for something

more than halve

decrease by more than 50 percent

take a different route

choose a different way or approach

preventative measures

actions taken to stop something bad from happening

establish a programme

officially create or start a programme

death rates fell

the number or proportion of people dying decreased

access rose dramatically

people’s ability or opportunity to use or obtain something increased significantly

be discriminated against

be treated unfairly because you belong to a particular group

an annual award

a prize or recognition given every year

a wheelchair user

a person who uses a wheelchair

employ people

give people jobs or have people working for you

make a bigger impact

have a stronger or more significant effect

carer

a person who regularly looks after someone who needs help

make ends meet

have enough money to pay for basic necessities

debt

money that you have borrowed and have to pay back

cut spending

reduce the amount of money you spend

increase taxes

make people pay more tax

pay something back

return money that you borrowed

investment

money put into something with the expectation of future benefits

recession

a period when the economy becomes smaller or contracts

be in power

have control of the government and the authority to make decisions or laws

bureaucracy

a system of official rules and procedures

booming

growing or becoming successful very quickly

opposition

political parties that are not currently in government

tackle a problem

address a difficult problem directly and try to solve it

boost

increase or improve something

punishment

a consequence such as a fine or prison sentence for doing something wrong

corruption

the abuse of power for personal gain

supply and demand

the amount of something available and the amount people want or need

shortage

a situation where there is not enough of something

relay information

pass information from one person or place to another

relay a message

pass a message on to someone

through no fault of their own

through circumstances for which they are not responsible

specifically

particularly or precisely

prevent

stop something bad from happening

make something seem

cause something to appear a certain way

snag

a small problem or difficulty

setback

a problem that delays or prevents progress

be overwhelmed by

feel unable to cope because there is too much to deal with

be bushed

be extremely tired

time-consuming

taking a lot of time

put effort into something

use time and energy to achieve something

maintain something

keep something at the same level or continue doing it

make progress

improve or move forward

express yourself

communicate your thoughts and feelings

in total

altogether

give up

stop trying to do something

be consistent

do something regularly and continue doing it

be comfortable with something

feel relaxed or confident about something

polyglot

a person who speaks several languages

access to free education

the opportunity to receive education without paying for it

scrutinize

examine something very carefully

grammar point

a particular aspect or rule of grammar

cognitively demanding

requiring a lot of mental effort

mentally exhausting

making you very tired mentally

mumble

speak unclearly so that it is difficult to understand the words

barely hear something

hear something only with difficulty

background music

music playing behind speech or other sounds

make something the past

cause something to no longer exist or happen

gender equality

equal rights and opportunities for people of different genders

decent jobs

jobs that provide reasonable pay and acceptable working conditions

affordable

cheap enough for people to be able to pay for something

universal basic income

regular money given to every citizen without conditions

minimum wage

the lowest amount an employer is legally allowed to pay a worker

tax rate

the percentage of income or money that must be paid as tax

high-end consumption

spending on expensive luxury goods and services

mispricing

manipulating prices between parts of the same company to reduce tax

multinational

a company that operates in several different countries

make a loss

spend or lose more money than you earn

pay no tax

pay zero money in taxes

light entertainment

entertainment that requires little mental effort

require mental resources

require concentration or mental effort