PRACTICE TEST 1

vehement (adj)

dữ dội, mãnh liệt

ex: Both men were vehement in their denial of the charges against them.

unequivocal (adj)

Rõ ràng, không mập mờ

bring off

To accomplish (plan, deal, victory..)

self-righteous (adj)

Tự cho mình là đúng

uninitiated (adj)

chưa có kiến thức, không có kinh nghiệm

→to the uninitiated (đối với những người không có kinh nghiệm)

off the beaten track

1. Nơi xa xôi, hẻo lánh

2. (một ý tưởng) Không đi theo lối mòn

set aside

để dành

mob (n)

đám đông (cuồng nộ)

ex: angry mob, mob violence

throng (n)

a crowd or large group of people

ex: throngs of tourists

inadvertent (adj)

not intentional

=> inadvertently (adv) = accidentally/by accident >< on purpose

incongruous (adj)

appearing strange or wrong within a particular situation (lạc lõng)

ex: Such a modern office building looks incongruous in the quaint little town.

=> congruence (n)

=> congruent (adj)

congruent (adj)

similar to or in agreement with something, so that the two things can both exist or can be combined without problems:

Our goals are congruent; there is no conflict.

clique (n)

a small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group:

+ clique of Our golf club is run by a very unfriendly clique of people.

+ There's a clique at work that never talks/who never talk to anyone else.

dearth (n)

an amount or supply that is not large enough:

dearth of a dearth of new homes in the region

= lack of sth

omen (n)

something that is considered to be a sign of how a future event will take place:

+ good omen, bad omen

EX: He could see an omen of danger.

extortionate (adj)

giá đắt đỏ, giá cắt cổ

ex: The price of books nowadays is extortionate.

= exorbitant (adj)

on the pretext

using a false reason to do something

• He left early on the pretext of a headache.

• pretext (n): a pretended reason for doing something that is used to hide the real reason

a lapse of concentration

ensue (v)

diễn ra tiếp theo (to happen after something else)

ex: After his outburst, a long silence ensued.

eventuate (v)

dẫn tới một kết quả

→ eventually (adv)

supervene (v)

to happen, especially unexpectedly, and have a powerful effect on the existing situation

transpire (v)

1. tiết lộ: it was transpired that …

2. xảy ra: important events transpired last week

3. thoát hơi nước (cây)

derogatory (adj)

showing a critical attitude and lack of respect for somebody (xúc phạm)

ex: derogatory remarks/comments

abdication (n)

→ abdicate (v): từ bỏ vị trí / thoái vị

prerogative

a right or advantage belonging to a particular person or group because of their importance or social position (đặc quyền, quyền hạn)

ex: the royal prerogative

as plain as the nose on one’s face (idm)

very obvious, clear

ex: The solution of the problem is as plain as the nose on your face.

~ as clear as the nose on one’s face

deal a blow

1. to shock somebody/something very much

2. to be very harmful to somebody/something

ex: Breaking his leg dealt a blow to his chances of becoming a professional footballer.

on the tip of one’s tongue (idm)

nhớ mang máng

abashed (adj)

embarrassed/ashamed/confused

→ abash (v): make sb feel embarrassed/ashamed/confused (~disconcerted)

every dog has its day

said to emphasize that everyone is successful or happy at some time in their life

cut one’s teeth on sth (phr)

bắt đầu học hỏi, trải nghiệm

ex: an actor who cut her teeth on television

in harmony (collo)

hài hòa

"The two countries are living in harmony"

"The choir sang the last verse in harmony"

be on a par with sth

at the same level, standard, or equal to someone or something else. (ngang hàng)

The new software is on a par with the old version.

on good terms

~ get on well

bend sb’s ears (idm)

to talk to someone for a long time, especially about a problem, or to ask for something

ex: He was fed up with people bending his ears about staying on at school.

= harp on (PV)

be fed up with sb/sth (collo)

If you are fed up with something, you are bored, annoyed, or disappointed because you have experienced it for too long:

I'm fed up with my job.

(for) all intents and purposes (idm)

"For all intents and purposes": something is true in nearly every important way, even if there are minor differences

chop and change (idm)

to keep changing your ideas, opinions, activities, or job:

After six months of chopping and changing, we've decided to go back to our old system.

flake out (PV)

to suddenly go to sleep or feel weak because you are extremely tired:

I got home and flaked out on the sofa.

to not do what you are expected or have promised to do:

flake out on I'm tired of relying on other people - they keep flaking out on me.

seize up (PV)

bị kẹt

vd: engines seize up/ a body part seizes up (you cannot move it easily and it’s often painful to do that)

run off (PV)

leave suddenly, make copies, chase someone away, or describe liquid draining away

settle up with (PV)

pay sb the money you owe them

ex: If you pay the restaurant bill with your credit card, I will settle up with you later.

pay off (PV)

1. repay a debt in full

2. achieve a successful or profitable result after effort.

catch on (PV)

(of a practice or fashion) become popular, fashionable:

"The idea of linking pay to performance has caught on"

to understand:

ex: He soon catches on (to what we say).

scale back (sth)

to reduce sth in size, production or amount

ex: Sid will have to scale back his plans.

flesh out (PV)

to add more information or details to a plan, an argument, etc.

• These points were fleshed out in the later parts of the speech.

jazz up (PV)

to make something more interesting, exciting or attractive

• Jazz up the room with some new furniture.

ladle out

to give money or goods in a (too) generous way to a lot of people: (phân phát)

In those days doctors ladled out antibiotics to patients.

= distribute (to give something out to several people, or to spread or supply something)

= give out

wind down (PV)

to end gradually or in stages, or to cause something to do this: (hạ nhiệt)

The government intends to wind the scheme down in the spring.

shrug off (PV)

to treat something as if it is not important (coi nhẹ, xem thường)

• Shrugging off her injury, she played on.

be bowled over (phr)

bị làm cho kinh ngạc, sửng sốt

ex: I was completely bowled over by their warm reception.

be at liberty to do sth (phr)

có quyền tự do, được phép làm gì đó

ex: I am not at liberty to tell you anything of his private life.

more like + number

→ khoảng … (ước lượng con số)

in full swing

đang ở giai đoạn sôi nổi, cao trào

ex: The party was in full swing when I arrived,

strike a chord with sb

đánh trúng tâm lí, tạo sự đồng cảm

ex: The singer’s emotional performance really struck a chord with young audiences.

= resonate with sb (creates a strong emotional, personal, or intellectual connection, making it feel deeply understood or aligned with one’s own experiences or beliefs)

resonate with sb

creates a strong emotional, personal, or intellectual connection, making it feel deeply understood or aligned with one’s own experiences or beliefs:

“The story resonated with me.”

hit home

To be fully understood by or strongly affect or resonate with someone

The full horror of the war hit home when we started seeing pictures of the wounded soldiers on TV.

call the tune

to be the person who controls or organizes a situation (nắm quyền quyết định cái gì)

Ex: Although many people contribute ideas, the executive producer ultimately calls the tune in major creative decisions.

face the music

chịu trách nhiệm cho việc mình gây ra

set the tone

tạo bầu không khí

intricate (adj)

= sophisticated (adj)

tỉ mỉ, phức tạp

vigorous (adj)

full of energy

ex: a vigorous debate

lacklustre (adj)

mờ nhạt, thiếu năng lượng, vô vị

ex: Critics heavily panned the band’s lacklustre performance, noting it completely lacked their usual explosive energy.

dissonant (adj)

(of sounds or musical notes) sounding strange or unpleasant:

a dissonant combination of sounds

~ jarring (adj)

lethargic (adj)

having little energy; feeling unwilling and unable to do anything: (uể oải)

I was feeling tired and lethargic.

pragmatic (adj)

based on practical judgments rather than principles: (thực tế, thực dụng)

• pragmatic approach: In business, the pragmatic approach to problems is often more successful than an idealistic one.

euphoric (adj)

extremely happy and excited:

a euphoric mood

swan song

tác phẩm, buổi biểu diễn cuối cùng của một nghệ sĩ (trước khi họ giải nghệ/qua đời/…)

play second fiddle to sb

đóng vai phụ, giữ vai trò thứ yếu, lép vế trước ai đó

ex: The brilliant strategist’s sudden resignation stemmed from his absolute refusal to play second fiddle to a CEO who shamelessly took all the credit.

as fit as fiddle

~ as right as rain (idm)

healthy

as clear as whistle (idm)

describe something that is very clear, obvious, or easy to perceive
ex: “The instructions were as clear as a whistle, so everyone understood what to do.”

blow the whistle on sb/sth (idm)

to bring something to the attention of other people in order to stop something bad from happening:

The company stopped using certain chemicals only after some workers blew the whistle on it.

blow one’s own trumpet

boast or talk proudly about your own achievements, often in a way that may seem self-important.

piercing

Tiếng sắc, vang mạnh

jarring (adj)

different from surrounding or usual things, or disagreeing with others, and therefore surprising or upsetting:

ex: a jarring cry/chord

peter out (phr)

giảm dần, yếu đi

vd: The instant the funds petered out, they had to abandon the scheme.

cushion the blow (idm)

make a situation less serious

ex: It was your encouragement that helped to cushion the blow after such a heavy loss.

make amends for sth

compensate for sth

splash out on sth

vun tiền, chi một số tiền lớn cho cái gì…

be abreast of sth

trong trạng thái bắt kịp, ngang hàng

ex: Businessmen had to work hard to be abreast of developments.

(khác) Keep abreast of

keep abreast of

Cố gắng, liên tục cập nhật để không bị tụt lùi

replenish (v)

làm đầy, bổ sung

principal (adj)

chính, chủ yếu

ex: Water plays a principal role in supporting life.

expendable (adj)

có thể hủy diệt, hi sinh cho mục đích gì đó

eke out a living

Chật vật kiếm sống, xoay xở qua ngày với số tiền ít ỏi.

He managed to eke out a living (= live with very little money) as a waiter.

touch and go (idm)

Tình thế bấp bênh, không chắc kết quả

ex: It’s still touch and go whether the project will be given the go-ahead

give the go-ahead (idm)

cấp phép, bật đèn xanh cho phép làm gì đó.

ex: It’s still touch and go whether the project will be given the go-ahead.

be descended from

to be related to a particular person or group of people who lived in the past:

Her father is descended from Greek royalty.

breathe a word

reveal sth

with a view to + V-ing

banal (adj)

tầm thường, vô vị

= mediocre (adj)

disseminate (v)

gieo rắc, truyền bá

→ dissemination (n)

popular (adj)

nổi tiếng, được nhiều người yêu thích

(khác) common (adj)

analogy (n)

similarity

by the same token

= similarly (ex: Travelling helps you broaden your horizon. By the same token (= similarly, besides, …), reading can also help you change your perspective.

optimal (adj)

tối ưu

fad

trào lưu nhất thời

conservatory (n)

1. a room with glass walls and a glass roof, usually connected to a house, used for growing plants or for relaxing in

2. nhạc viện

abridged (adj)

made shorter by having some details or less important information removed:

An abridged edition of her novel came out last year.

>< unabridged (adj)

Fall out

to become loose and drop

Ex: His hair is falling out.