CAMBRIDGE IELTS 20 - TEST 1 - PASSAGE 3

stressed

tense, strained, under strain #relaxed

anxious

worried, nervous, concerned, uneasy #assured

weigh up

assess, evaluate, consider

stressful

demanding, nerve-racking, strenuous #relaxing

circumstance

situation, condition, contexts

colleague

coworker, partner, teammate

neuroscientist

a researcher of the nervous system, brain scientist, neurologist

investigate

examine, study, research explore #ignore

operate

function, work, perform

vary

differ, alter, shift #remain the same

hectic

busy, frantic, fast-paced #relaxed, easygoing

life-threatening

dangerous, deadly, fatal #safe

incident

event, occurrence, case

attend

deal with, handle, manage #ignore

rescue

save, free, recover #endanger

up and down

high and low, peak and valley, fluctuation

present

offer, provide, introduce #concealed

setting

environment, context, background

under pressure

a state of feeling stress or anxiety due to demanding expectations or situations

perceive

recognize, notice, identify #overlook

threat

danger, risk, peril #safety

act as

serve as, function as, operate as

trigger

activate, cause, start #stop, halt

reaction

response, reply, feedback #indifference, apathy

convey

communicate, deliver, transmit #conceal

arrive at

reach, come to, conclude

estimate

evaluate, value, assess #know, measure exactly

likelihood

probability, chance, possibility #impossibility

adverse

negative, bad, unfavorable #favorable, positive, beneficial

victim

sufferer, injured party, target

fraud

wrongful or criminal deception, scam, swindle, trick

optimistic

hopeful, positive, confident #pessimistic

ignore

pay no attention to, disregard, overlook #acknowledge

embrace

accept, welcome, take up #reject

pattern

model, style, way

emerge

appear, occur, come out #vanish

hyper-vigilant

excessively cautious, extremely alert, highly watchful #inattentive, oblivious

alter

change, modify, adjust #maintain

in response

as a reaction, as a result

observe

see, witness, perceive

judge

evaluate, assess, rate #ignore

panel

a group of people with skills or specialist knowledge who have been chosen to give advice or opinions on a particular subject

cortisol

a hormone released in response to stress

spike

increase sharply, rise rapidly, surge #drop, decrease

alarming

worrying, frightening, concerning

physiological

relating to the way in which the bodies of living things work

warning

alert, caution, alarm #reassurance

reveal

show, display, demonstrate #hide, conceal

switch

change, shift, adjustment #consistency

sudden

unexpected, abrupt, hasty #expected

neural

relating to nerves or the nervous system

express

show, indicate, manifest #conceal

prehistoric

ancient, primitive, early #modern

ancestor

forefather, predecessor, antecedent #descendant

benefit from

gain from, profit from, took advantage of #suffer from

hazard

danger, risk, threat #safety

wasteful

inefficient, excessive, extravagant #efficient

be on high alert

heightened awareness, intense vigilance, watchfulness #inattentiveness

clinical depression

a serious medical condition causing persistent sadness

absorb

take in, receive, digest #reject

rapidly

quickly, swiftly, promptly #slowly

tense up

become anxious, grow nervous, get uptight #loosen up

observe

see, witness, notice #miss

feed

post, update, content

uplifting

inspiring, encouraging, positive #discouraging

complaint

grievance, criticism, objection #praise, compliment

queue

waiting line, row

in turn

as a result, consequently, subsequently

constantly

continually, repeatedly, all the time #occasionally

tackle

deal with, address, handle

demanding

difficult, tough, challenging #easy, simple

conduct

carry out, perform, implement

evolution

the gradual development of species over time through natural selection

famished

extremely hungry, starving #well-fed

predator

an animal that hunt and eat other animals #prey

pulse

the number of times the heart beats in a minute

sweat

the moisture exuded through the pores of the skin, especially as a response to heat or stress

enlarge

get larger, magnify, expand #shrink

pupil

the circular, black area in the center of the eye that gets larger and smaller and lets in light

likelihood

probability, chance, possibility #certainty

alarming

frightening, worrying, disturbing #reassuring

spread

disseminate, circulate, diffuse #contain

collective

shared, joint, communal #separate

justified

having a good reason for something #unjustified

stressful

demanding, nerve-racking, strenuous #relaxing

disaster

catastrophe, tragedy calamity #blessing

crash

collapse, failure, breakdown #triumph

exaggerate

to make something seem larger, better, worse or more important than it really is (=overstate)

reliable

dependable, trustworthy, unfailing #unreliable

temporarily

for a short time, momentarily, for the time being #permanently

enhance

increase, boost, improve #reduce, lessen

take in

absorb, accept, notice #ignore

across the globe

around the world, worldwide, globally #locally

stocks

shares, equities, securities

hold on

keep, stay, retain #give up

contagious

(of a disease) able to be caught by touching someone with the disease or something the person has touched or worn

induce

prompt, encourage, stimulate #discourage, deter

frame

structure, shape, form #distort

conscientious

responsible, careful, attentive #careless

agent

a person who acts for or represents another