Hong Kong DSE English Reading Vocabulary Practice

Level 1 Unit 1: Leisure & Entertainment

Movie and Entertainment Terminology

• Action fi lm (n): A film featuring physical stunts and chases.

• Adventure fi lm (n): A film involving excitement and often distant settings.

• Animation/cartoon (n): A film made of hand-drawn or computer-generated images.

• Antagonist (n): The character who opposes the protagonist; the villain.

• Blockbuster (n): A very popular or successful movie or book.

• Bollywood movie (n): A film produced in India's Hindi-language film industry.

• Box offi ce (n): The place where tickets are sold; also refers to the commercial success of a film.

• Cast (n): The collection of actors performing in a production.

• Casting (n): The process of selecting actors for roles.

• Character (n): A person in a story or film.

• Cinematographer (n): The person responsible for the motion-picture photography.

• Comedy (n): A performance or film intended to be humorous.

• Coming soon (phr): Indicating a release in the near future.

• Computer-generated imagery (CGI) (n): Special visual effects created using computer software.

• Costume (n): Clothing worn by performers to represent a character.

• Critic (n): A professional who reviews and analyzes performances or art.

• Delivery (n): The manner in which an actor speaks lines.

• Director (n): The person in charge of directing the actors and the technical crew.

• Disaster fi lm (n): A genre focusing on large-scale catastrophes.

• Distributor (n): A company that handles the release and marketing of films.

• Documentary (n): A film providing a factual record or report.

• Drama (n): A serious narrative work.

• Fantasy fi lm (n): A film featuring magical or supernatural elements.

• Film festival (n): An organized presentation of films in one or more venues.

• Film genre (n): The category or style of a film.

• Film review (n): A critical evaluation of a film.

• The Golden Globe Award (n): An American accolade for excellence in film and television.

• Historical fi lm (n): A film set in a specific historical period.

• Hollywood (n): The center of the American film industry in Los Angeles.

• Horror fi lm (n): A film designed to scare or shock the audience.

• Image Maximum (IMAX) (n): A high-resolution film format and theater projection system.

• Lead(ing) actor/actress (n): The primary performer in a film or play.

• (To put on) make up (phr): Applying cosmetics for a performance.

• Martial arts fi lm (n): A film focused on combat sports and fighting techniques.

• Musical (n): A production combining songs, spoken dialogue, and dance.

• Plot/story (n): The sequence of events in a narrative.

• Plot twist (phr): An unexpected change in the direction or outcome of a story.

• Premiere (n): The first public performance or showing.

• Producer (n): The person overseeing the financial and administrative aspects of a production.

• Props (n): Objects used on stage or in a film.

• Protagonist (n): The main character of a story.

• Romance (n): A genre focusing on love and emotional relationships.

• Romantic comedy (n): A film combining romance and humor.

• Sci-fi fi lm (n): Science fiction film.

• Screenplay (n): The written script for a film.

• Screenwriter (n): The author of a screenplay.

• Setting (n): The time and place of a story.

• Soap opera (n): A serial drama focusing on domestic lives.

• Studio (n): A production facility for film or audio.

• Stunt man/woman (n): A performer who manages dangerous physical acts.

• Subtitle (n): Text on screen translating or transcribing dialogue.

• Supporting actor/actress (n): A secondary performer.

• Suspense (n): Excitement or anxiety regarding an outcome.

• The Oscars (Academy Awards) (n): Prestigious honors for filmmaking achievement.

• Thriller (n): A genre characterized by excitement and high stakes.

• Tragedy (n): A serious work with an unhappy ending.

• Trailer (n): A promotional preview of a film.

• Villain (n): The evil character in a story.

• Visual effects (n): Manipulated imagery added during post-production.

• Voice actor (n): A performer providing voices for animations or narrations.

• Voice-over (n): Recorded narration not accompanied by an image of the speaker.

• War fi lm (n): A film focusing on historical or fictional combat.

Common Hobbies and Activities

• Ball game, board game, bridge, chess, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese chess, cookery, drawing, fi ne art, fi shing, gardening, handicraft, hiking, karaoke, knitting, model building, painting (v), photography, rock climbing, sailing, sketching, stamp collecting, street dancing, travelling.

Major World Actors and Public Figures

• Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Chow Yun-Fat, Christian Bale, Donnie Yen (Yen Ji-Dan), George Clooney, Gong Li, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Jet Li (Li Lian-Jie), Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Maggie Cheung (Cheung Man-Yuk), Mark Wahlberg, Meryl Streep, Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Bullock, Stephen Chow (Chow Sing-Chi), Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Tony Leung (Leung Chiu-Wai), Will Smith, Zhang Zi-Yi.

Hong Kong Performance Venues

• Academic Community Hall, AsiaWorld-Expo, Fringe Club, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong Coliseum, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong Stadium, Ko Shan Theatre, Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre (KITEC), Kwai Tsing Theatre, Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre, North District Town Hall, Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre, Sha Tin Town Hall, Sheung Wan Civic Centre, Tai Po Civic Centre, Tsuen Wan Town Hall, Tuen Mun Town Hall, Youth Square, Yuen Long Theatre.

Music and Media Terms

• A cappella, advertisement, album, artiste, backing singer, Canto-pop, classical music, circle, concert, drama, dressing room, gig, gossip.

• Hip-hop music, J-pop, jazz, K-pop, launch (v), live (adv), paparazzo, perform (v), pressure, privacy, privilege, product endorsement, product placement, (the) public, rap, recommend (v), report (v), response, rock music, rumour, singer, soul music, sponsor, stage, stall, status, symphony orchestra, upper circle.

Useful Vocabulary with Model Sentences

• Act (v/n): The famous movie star will act as a pirate; the next act in the performance features acrobats.

• Advertise (v): The company will advertise using Neymar as a spokesperson.

• Agent/Agency (n): The travel agent helped Kim; the models from this agency are successful.

• Appeal (v/n/adj): The film appeals to teenagers; the book series has great appeal; the silk dresses look appealing.

• Brand (n/v), Brand loyalty, Celebrity branding: Bottles are branded with the name; users have strong brand loyalty to Apple; celebrity branding uses famous people to promote products.

• Broadcast (v/n/broadcaster): This radio station broadcasts programmes; CNN has correspondents working as broadcasters.

• Cast (v/n): David was cast as the villain; the director finalized the cast.

• Comedy/Comedian (n): Peter likes comedy; Jim Carrey is a famous comedian.

• Education/Direct (v/n): Plans to invite a veteran to direct; Steven Spielberg is a director.

• Drama/Dramatic (n/adj): Susan's passion is drama; things took a dramatic turn.

• Entertain (v/entertainment/industry): Clowns entertain the audience; Paul knows about the entertainment industry.

• Fame (n/famed): Fame and fortune come at a price; this actor is famed for realistic skills.

• Film (n/v/industry): Watch a film at the cinema; daily life was filmed for TV.

• Glamorise/Glamour/Glamorous: Media glamorises lives; Angelina showed star glamour; magazines talk about glamorous lives.

• Icon/Iconic (n/adj): The Beatles are icons; the Bank of China tower is iconic.

• Idolise/Idol (v/n): Fans idolised the singer; teenagers regard actors as idols.

• Perform (v/performance/performer): Black Eyed Peas will perform; Mary's performance earned an award; Peter is a performer.

• Photograph (v/n/photographer/photography/photogenic): Photograph the cast; take a photograph; John is photogenic.

• Plot/Plot twist (n/phr): A good plot is crucial; the twist was a surprise.

• Portray/Portrayal (v/n): Portrayed her character with detail; portrayal of Henry III was praised.

• Projector/Projectionist (n): The classroom has a projector; the projectionist projects films.

• Publicise/Publicity (v/n): Publicise findings soon; film received huge publicity.

• Publish (v/n/publisher/publishing): Magazine publishes stories; newspaper resumed publication.

• Rumour (n/phr/v): Rumours are circulating; rumour going around that he is married; it is rumoured that a sequel is planned.

• Scandal (n/scandalise/scandalous): Involved in a scandal; public were scandalised; scandalous incident.

• Showbiz/Show business (n): Wants to get into showbiz; agent is important in show business.

• Star (n/v/adj/stardom): Star lacks privacy; Tom starred in 100 films; star treatment; shot to stardom.

• Voice actor/Voice-over (n): Works as a voice actor; voice-over explains the storyline.

Level 1 Unit 2: Successful People and Amazing Deeds

Famous Personalities and Achievements

• Ang Lee: Film director and screenwriter; first Asian to win an Oscar for Best Director.

• Angela Merkel: First woman Chancellor of Germany.

• Angelina Jolie: Actress and Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR.

• Abraham Lincoln: 16th US President; responsible for ending slavery.

• Adele (Adele Adkins): British singer-songwriter.

• Albert Einstein: Physicist and Nobel Prize winner.

• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Writer of Sherlock Holmes and medical doctor.

• Barack Obama: 44th US President; first African American president.

• Beyoncé (Beyoncé Knowles): American singer and actress.

• Bill Gates: IT entrepreneur, chairperson of Microsoft, and philanthropist.

• Brad Pitt: Actor and film producer.

• Bruce Lee (Lee Siu-Lung): Legendary martial arts actor.

• Christopher Columbus: Explorer credited with discovering the Americas.

• Cristiano Ronaldo: Portuguese footballer.

• David Beckham: English footballer.

• Donnie Yen Ji-Dan: Actor, fight choreographer, and director.

• Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi): Leader of the Indian independence movement.

• Sir Isaac Newton: Physicist, mathematician, and astronomer.

• J.K. Rowling: Author of Harry Potter.

• Jeremy Lin: Professional basketball player.

• Jet Li (Li Lian-Jie): Martial arts film actor.

• Kate Winslet: Oscar-winning actress.

• Lee Lai-shan: First Olympic gold medalist from Hong Kong (windsurfing).

• Leonardo da Vinci: Polymath; painter (Mona Lisa), sculptor, and mathematician.

• Lionel Messi: Argentine footballer.

• Liu Xiang: 110 metre hurdler; Olympic gold medalist.

• Ludwig van Beethoven: Legendary composer.

• Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk: Award-winning actress (Cannes, Berlin, Golden Horse).

• Margaret Thatcher: First woman and longest-serving UK Prime Minister.

• Mark Zuckerberg: Founder of Facebook.

• Michael Jordan: Basketball player and businessman.

• Nelson Mandela: South Africa's first black president, elected in democratic elections.

• Neymar: Brazilian footballer.

• Richard Branson: Founder of Virgin Group and philanthropist.

• Roald Dahl: Author of children's novels and short stories.

• Stephen Hawking: Theoretical physicist known for work on black holes.

• Steve Jobs: CEO of Apple Inc.; IT entrepreneur.

• Stephen King: Celebrated novelist and short story writer.

• Steven Spielberg: Director of Jaws, Jurassic Park, and E.T.

• (Dr) Sun Yat-sen: Chinese revolutionary, "Father of Modern China."

• Mother Teresa: Humanitarian and founder of Missionaries of Charity; Nobel Peace Prize winner.

• Thomas Edison: Prolific inventor and scientist.

• Vladimir Putin: President of the Russian Federation.

• Walt Disney: Co-founder of The Walt Disney Company.

• Warren Buffett: Investor and philanthropist.

• William Shakespeare: Historical playwright and poet.

• Winston Churchill: UK Prime Minister during WWII; Nobel Prize-winning writer.

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Prodigious composer.

• Xi Jinping: President of the People's Republic of China.

Professions and Descriptors

• Occupations: Activist, actor, astronomer, athlete, businessman, conductor, conservationist, entrepreneur, film producer, footballer, hurdler, inventor, investor, lecturer, mathematician, naturalist, novelist, orator, paramedic, philanthropist, physicist, pianist, playwright, politician, president, professor, rapper, record holder, rescuer, researcher, scientist, screenwriter, surgeon, writer.

• Verbs of Action: Abolish, authority, breakthrough, champion (v), circumnavigate, explore, feat, fundraising, innovation, pioneer (v), record-breaking, revolution, scale (v).

• Adjectives for Excellence: Ambitious, athletic, authoritative, brainy, condescending, considerate, charismatic, devoted, innovative, insightful, notable, persistent, selfless, sharp, shrewd, tactful, tenacious, thoughtful, unique, visionary.

Idioms and Proverbs

• Burn the midnight oil: To work late into the night.

• From rags to riches: Rising from poverty to great wealth.

• Go after one's dream: To pursue one's ambitions.

• Take one's breath away: To be extremely impressive or beautiful.

• Tackle something head-on: To deal with a problem directly.

• Rome wasn't built in a day: Important work takes time to complete.

• All roads lead to Rome: There are multiple ways to reach the same goal.

• Ahead of the pack: More successful than competitors.

• Fight an uphill battle: To struggle against difficult odds.

• Good Samaritan: A person who helps others in need.

Concepts of Success

• Accomplish/Accomplishment: Doubling profits was accomplished; winning the piano competition was a great accomplishment.

• Achieve/Achievement: Achievement and good deeds are remembered.

• Ambition/Ambitious: Rachel's ambition is to be a surgeon; May is ambitious.

• Aspire/Aspiration: Aspires to be a pianist; aspirations to make the world better.

• Business/Businesslike: Hard hit by the financial crisis; boss is businesslike.

• Capability/Capable: Shown the capability to do work well; students are capable of surfing the web.

• Challenge (n/v/adj): Loves the challenge of math equations; being a CEO is challenging.

• Charisma (n/charismatic): She has enough charisma; charismatic speaker.

• Charity (n/charitable): Donated savings to charity; Mr. Matthews is charitable.

• Commit to/Commitment: Committed to combating crime; commitment to improve welfare.

• Communicate/Communication: Internet enables us to communicate; high-speed communication.

• Devote to/Devotion: Devoted most of his time; devotion to work; devoted carer.

• Enterprise/Entrepreneur/ship/ial: Company taken over by an enterprise; Li Ka Shing is an entrepreneur; taught values of entrepreneurship.

• Enthusiasm/Enthusiast/Enthusiastic: Enthusiasm contributes to success; Grace is an environmental enthusiast.

• Found/Founder: Mr. Harrison founded our school; Steve Jobs is a founder of Apple.

• Innovate/Innovation/Innovative: Keen to innovate; manager brought innovations; innovative computer system.

• Intelligence/Intelligent: High level of intelligence; top of the class because she is intelligent.

• Lead/Leader/Leadership: Lead the nation out of poverty; leadership skills are crucial for team management.

• Legend/Legendary: Regarded as a legend; legendary king of rock and roll.

• Motivate/Motivation/Self-motivated: Motivated to study; provided motivation; Peter is self-motivated.

• Perfectionist: Sally is a perfectionist regarding details.

• Philanthropist/Philanthropic: Mr. Thompson is a philanthropist; Po Leung Kuk is a philanthropic organisation.

• Pioneer (n/v/adj): Dr. Philips is a pioneer in research; pioneered space travel; pioneering concept.

• Politicise/Politics/Politician/Political: Issue was politicised; being a politician requires patience; political culture.

• Popularise/Popularity/Popular: Popularising environmental issues; Spiderman is a popular superhero.

• Profession/Professional/ism: Teaching profession; professional services; professionalism evident in ethical standards.

• Prominent/Prominence: Bank is prominent; gained prominence after winning an award.

• Respect/Respectable/Respectful: Respect our parents; respectable citizen; respectful attitude.

• Risk (n/v), Risk one's neck, Risky: High risk of lung cancer; risked his neck to save his daughter; risky business.

• Specialise/Specialisation/Specialised: Specialises in making paper; specialisation helps efficiency; highly specialised care.

• Succeed/Success/Successful: Succeeded in winning; success requires hard work; successful chef.

• Vision/Visionary: Need a vision to achieve goals; visionary proposal providing a long-term solution.

• Wisdom/Wise/Wisely: Wisdom results from experience; advice was wise; handle the situation wisely.

Level 1 Unit 3: Study, School Life & Work

School Personnel and Roles

• Assistant principal, alumni, career counsellor, cheerleader, class monitor, classmate/schoolmate, discipline master/mistress, Education Bureau, graduate, janitor/caretaker, lecturer, librarian, Native-speaking English Teacher (NET), prefect, principal/headmaster/headmistress, professor, school board of directors, social worker, teacher, tutor, vice-principal, volunteer worker.

School Facilities

• Art room, basketball court, canteen, changing room, classroom, computer lab, general/school office, gymnasium, laboratory (biology/chemistry/physics/science), lecture theatre, library, Multimedia Learning Centre (MMLC), music room, needlework room, covered playground, principal room, school/assembly hall, sickroom, staff room, student activity centre, swimming pool, tuck shop.

Academic Subjects

• Biology; Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (BAFS); Chemistry; Chinese History; Chinese Literature; Civic Education; Design and Applied Technology; Economics; Ethics and Religious Studies; Geography; Health Management and Social Care; Home Economics; History; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Integrated Humanities; Liberal Studies; Life and Society; Literature in English; Music; Mathematics; Physical Education (PE); Physics; Putonghua; Combined Science; Integrated Science; Technology and Living; Tourism and Hospitality Studies; Visual Arts.

Extracurricular Activities and Clubs

• Campus TV, Chess Club, Cookery Club, Culture Exchange Programme, Debating Team, Drama Club, Girl Guides, Field trip, Graduation ceremony, Inter-school sports day, Morning assembly, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Red Cross, School choir, School dance, Scouts, Science Club, Singing contest, Sports day, St. John Ambulance, Student Union, Swimming gala, Talent show, Workshop.

School Life Issues and Youth Problems

• Addicted, anti-social, bully, challenge to authority, cigarette, comfort (v), compensated dating, counselling centre, cyberbullying, depression, discipline, drug abuse, drug trafficking, gang fight, go astray, guidance, illegal, juvenile delinquency, mood swings, outcast, peer pressure, Police Superintendent’s Discretion, rebellious, rehabilitation centre, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-image, sensitive, street fight, tackle, therapy, unlawful, withdrawal symptoms, youth culture, zero tolerance.

Terms of Interaction and Guidance

• Abuse (n/v/abuser/abusive): Child abuse cases; should not abuse power; drug abusers; abusive father.

• Addict (n/addiction/addicted/addictive): Online game addict; drug addiction destroys lives; addicted to football games; computer games are addictive.

• Adolescence/Adolescent: Stressful time for students; campaign targets adolescents.

• Advice/Advise: Sought advice from the principal; advised me not to spend too much time on games.

• Assign/Assignment: Assigned the task; scientist shared experiences at assembly.

• Bully (n/v/bullying): Bully forces others; Mary bullied her cousin; bullying should be tackled promptly.

• Cheerleader/Cheerleading: Cheerleaders practiced the routine; cheerleading encourages teams.

• Counsel (n/v/counsellor/centre): Follow lawyer's counsel; counselled students on subjects; visit the counselling centre for help.

• Debate (n/v/debater): Represented school in debates; debating what to perform; John is a good debater.

• Depress (v/depression/depressed/depressing): School closure depressed parents; Kate does not suffer from depression; school crimes are depressing.

• Discipline (n/v/master/mistress/disciplined/disciplinary): Discipline in classrooms; teacher responsible for disciplining; athletes lead disciplined lives; threatened disciplinary action.

• Educate (v/education/educated/educational): Educate children on values; government spends on education; kelvin is well-educated; show was educational.

• Gang/Gang fi ght: Teen gangs hang out in parks; arrested for involvement in gang fight.

• Graduate (n/undergraduate/v/graduation): David is a graduate; brother is an undergraduate; graduation ceremony next week.

• Lecture (n/v/lecturer): Give a lecture on banking; professor lectured on the crisis; Ms Choi is an experienced lecturer.

• Peer/Peer group: Simon values peer opinions; teenagers keen to be accepted by peer group.

• Pressure (n/v), Peer pressure: Pressure yourself to relax; parents pressure students to study; power of peer pressure.

• Rebel (v/rebellion/rebellious): Farmers rebelled against taxes; corruption caused rebellion; teenagers are rebellious.

• Stress (n/v/stressed/stressful): Under great stress during exams; extra work stressed Amy; city life is stressful.

• Studies/Study: Conducted studies on genetic codes; Mary and Peter study at the same school.

• Suicide (commit/attempted/suicidal): Why people commit suicide; attempted suicide shocked friends; Steve felt suicidal.

• Supervise/Supervision: Master will supervise the class; employees are under Tom’s supervision.

• Therapy/Therapist: Patient undergoing therapy; hired a therapist to treat injury.

• Tolerance (n/tolerate/zero tolerance/toleration/tolerant): Little tolerance of bad manners; found her temper hard to tolerate; zero tolerance policy; company is tolerant of staff views.

• Tutor (n/v), Tutorial centre: Hired a tutor for exams; Sally tutors primary students; students head to tutorial centres.

• Victim/Victimise: Raise money for victims; Charlie was victimised for his appearance.

Level 1 Unit 4: Sport

Common Sports and Activities

• General: Aerobics, badminton, basketball, bowling, boxing, cricket, cycling, diving, fencing, football (soccer), American football, golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, ice hockey, ice-skating, jogging, judo, karate, kayaking, kick-boxing, marathon, relay, rock climbing, roller-skating, rowing, rugby, skiing, sprinting, squash, sumo wrestling, swimming (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly), table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, weight-lifting, windsurfing, yoga.

• Athletics events: Discus, high jump, javelin, long jump, shot-put.

• Extreme and Action sports: Bungee jumping, freestyle BMX, hang-gliding, motocross, mountaineering, rallycross, scuba diving, skateboarding, skydiving, skysurfing.

• Traditional: Tai chi.

World Class Clubs and Teams

• Football (Soccer): A.C. Milan, AFC Ajax, Arsenal, Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Celtic, Chelsea, Everton, Internazionale (Milano), Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven, Real Madrid.

• Basketball (NBA): Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Yankees, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs.

Sports Competitions

• Asian Games, Australian Open, China National Games, Commonwealth Games, East Asian Games, FIFA World Cup, FINA World Championships, FA Cup, French Open, J-League, Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Premier League, Super Bowl, Tour de France, UEFA Champions League, Universiade, US Open, Wimbledon Championships, Winter Olympics.

Individual Athletes and Sporting Figures

• Basketball: Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Yao Ming.

• Football: Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney.

• Tennis: Andy Murray, Li Na, Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Venus Williams.

• Other sports: Ian Thorpe (swimming), Lee Chong Wei (badminton), Sarah Lee Wai Sze (cycling), Lin Dan (badminton), Michelle Sung Wie (golf), Tiger Woods (golf), Tom Daley (diving), Wu Minxia (diving).

Sporting Venues

• Arena, badminton court, basketball court, golf course, gymnasium, stadium, swimming pool, tennis court.

• Specific venues: Beijing National Aquatics Centre (The Water Cube), Beijing National Indoor Stadium, Beijing National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest), Beijing Shooting Range Hall, Hong Kong Coliseum, Hong Kong Stadium, Mong Kok Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Taipei Arena, Wembley Stadium.

Sporting Equipment

• Backboard, football boots, gloves, goggles, helmet, pads, round-neck T-shirt, running shoes, shuttlecock, sneakers/trainers, sweats/tracksuit, sweatshirt, swimming suit, table tennis bat, tennis racket/racquet.

Competition and Fitness Terms

• Athlete, assess, beat/defeat, blood pressure, break the record, captain, champion, coach, competitor, condition, diet, disqualify, draw/tie, endurance, final, fitness, foul, opponent, physiotherapist, record holder, referee, semi-final, spectator, sportsmanship, team spirit, umpire.

Vocabulary Usage

• Aerobics/Aerobic: Lily has taken up aerobics to keep fit; aerobic exercise makes us fitter.

• Applaud/Applause: Students applauded for five minutes; speech was greeted with loud applause.

• Assess/Assessment: Assess students for competition; assessment of fitness conducted fairly.

• Athlete/Athletic: Training to be a successful athlete; Roy is athletic and won medals.

• Captain (n/v): Dedicated team captain; Tom will captain the team next year.

• Coach (n/v): Mr. Wun is the coach; Mr. Harrison coached swimming for two years.

• Compete/Competition/Competitor/Competitive: Compete in the gala; annual competition; two thousand competitors; competitive tournament.

• Cycle/Cycling/Cyclist: Betsy cycles to work; Wong Kam Po is a famous cyclist.

• Defeat (n/v): Upset about their defeat; school was defeated 3-0.

• Determine/Determination/Determined: Determined to improve fitness; played with great determination; determined to play better.

• Diet/Go on a diet: Bobby decided to go on a diet; well-balanced diet.

• Endure/Endurance/Enduring: Endure gruelling training; test a runner's endurance; enduring appeal of badminton.

• Equip/Equipment: Equipped with protective clothing; equipment stored in the room.

• Fan/Fanatic/Fanatical: Table tennis fans; sports fanatic; fanatical runner.

• Foul (n/v): Committed fouls in competition; Dave fouled his opponent.

• Glove/Gloved: Wear gloves when skiing; his gloved hands were unaffected.

• Injure/Injury/Injured: Injured himself in the race; there were no injuries; Thomas’ injured leg began to heal.

• Keep fi t/Fitness/Fit: Exercise regularly to keep fit; high level of fitness is important; Dave is fit.

• Lose/Loss/Losing: Lost the match; heavy loss encouraged practice; losing team vowed to come back.

• Match against/Match: Teams evenly matched against each other; stayed up to watch the football match.

• Muscle/Muskular: Yoga helps muscles relax; lifting weights makes him muscular.

• Participate in/Participation/Participant: Participate in inter-school matches; participation helps make friends; dragon boat race participants.

• Physiotherapy/Physiotherapist: Needed physiotherapy after breaking a leg; Amy is a hospital physiotherapist.

• Play/Player: Balance between work and play; famous football player.

• Practise/Practice: Need to practise frequently; football practice is on Wednesdays; practice makes perfect.

• Race (n/v): Take part in a road race; I am racing tomorrow.

• Record (n/v), Break a record, Record holder: Keep a record in a diary; victory was recorded on television; Cathy is the record holder for the sprint.

• Score (n/v), Draw: Team scored 112 points; check the score; game ended in a one-all draw.

• Skill/Skilled/Skilful/Skilfully: Work on skills regularly; footballers are skilled athletes; skilful squash player; skilfully passed the ball.

• Spectator: Thrilled by the speed of the match.

• Sport/Sportsmanship: Students enjoy taking part in sport; good sportsmanship shown by playing fairly.

• Strengthen/Strength: Strengthen the defence; build up muscle strength.

• Team up/Team/Spirit/Teammate: Teamed up with May; team spirit is excellent; new teammates joining.

• Win/Winner: Team won by training hard; final determines the winner.

Level 1 Unit 5: Cultures of the World

Global Data: Countries, People, Capitals, and Currencies

Aviation and Immigration Terms

• Air passenger departure tax, air ticket, arrival, baggage allowance, budget airline, business class, carry-on/cabin/hand baggage, check-in/checked baggage, customs, declare, departure, e-Channel, economy class, exchange rate, first class, frequent flyer, fuel surcharge, Hong Kong SAR Passport, international driving permit, long-haul, luggage consignment, medical insurance, online check-in, passport, premium economy class, residence permit, short-haul, terminal, transfer, transit passenger, travel agency, travel agent, travel insurance, valid passport, visa.

Travel Experience and Tourism Terms

• Accommodation, adaptability, attraction, backpack, border, camper van, casino, check in, city tour, companion, cosmopolitan, cross-cultural understanding, culture shock, double room, duty-free, ecotour, excursion, exploration, express train, eye-opening experience, flea market, global perspective, guidebook, heritage, high-speed rail, homestay, hostel, hotel, hot spring, itinerary, jet lag, landscape, layover, lost and found office, magnificent, monument, motel, route, self-planned travelling, shopping spree, sightseeing, single room, skyscraper, sleeping bag, social skills, sofa surfing/couch surfing, statue, stopover, tent, time difference, time zone, travel adapter, viewing cherry blossoms, wildlife, youth hostel.

Global Tourist Attractions

• Acropolis of Athens: Located in Athens, Greece.

• The Alps: Located in Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Liechtenstein).

• The Colosseum/Roman Coliseum: Located in Rome, Italy.

• Amazon Rainforest: Located in South America (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana).

• Easter Island: Located in Chile.

• Eiffel Tower: Located in Paris, France.

• Grand Canyon National Park: Located in Arizona, US.

• Forbidden City (Imperial Palace): Located in Beijing, China.

• Great Wall of China: From Shanhaiguan to Lop Nur, China.

• Giza Necropolis: Located in Giza, Egypt.

• London Eye/Millennium Wheel: Located in London, UK.

• Mount Fuji: Located west of Tokyo, Japan.

• Red Square: Located in Moscow, Russia.

• Nile: Longest river in the world, Egypt.

• Rhine: Longest river in Europe, Germany.

• Palace of Versailles: Located in Île-de-France, France.

• Ruins of St Paul’s: Located in Macau SAR.

• Sahara: World’s largest desert (Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia).

• Taj Mahal: Located in Agra, India.

• Statue of Liberty: Located on Liberty Island, New York City, US.

• Tokyo Tower: Located in Tokyo, Japan.

• Sydney Opera House: Located in Sydney, Australia.

• Vatican City: A landlocked sovereign city-state within Rome.

Common International Vocabulary

• Accommodate/Accommodation: Room can accommodate eight; accommodation was good.

• Adapt/Adaptability/Adaptable: Adapt to life in Japan; Jane’s adaptability; Tim is adaptable.

• Adventure/Adventurer/Adventurous: Children want adventures; adventurers explore; he is adventurous.

• Airline/Budget airline: Affected by oil prices; budget airlines are an economical alternative.

• Arrive/Arrival: Arrive by 4 p.m.; arrival of the pop star caused excitement.

• Attract/Attraction/Attractive: Magnificent scenery attracts tourists; Ocean Park is an attraction; Tokyo is attractive.

• Border (n/v): Police patrol the border; China borders Russia.

• Budget (n/v), Low budget: Budget set aside was insufficient; budget carefully; survive on a low budget.

• Camp (n/v), Campsite: David attends tennis camp; camp beside the beach; picked up rubbish from the campsite.

• Check in/Check out: Hotel check-in after flight; checked out of rooms.

• Cruise (n/v/ship): Cruise was the trip of a lifetime; cruised around Antarctica; ship has a sauna.

• Culture/Culture shock: Unique culture; suffered from culture shock.

• Customs/Customary: Luggage searched for illegal goods; manager's customary good humour.

• Exchange (v), Exchange rate: Exchanged dollars for pounds; exchange rates flunctuate.

• Explore/Exploration/Explorer: Explore on his own; space exploration discoveries; explorer travels to remote parts.

• Expose to/Exposure: Exposed to an English environment; media exposure was positive.

• Flight/Book a fl ight/Attendant: Flight cancelled due to typhoon; booked a flight; attendants serve meals.

• Insurance/Travel insurance/Insured: Household insurance for apartment; take out travel insurance; insured to drive.

• International: International star with world fans.

• Landmark/Landscape: IFC is a landmark; natural landscape is beautiful.

• Overseas (adj/adv): Overseas students; work overseas after graduation.

• Regulate/Regulation: Government regulates industry; aviation follows strict regulations.

• Scenery/Scenic: Scenery is magnificent; walked along a scenic bridge.

• Skylines/Skyscraper: Skyline has changed; many skyscrapers in Hong Kong.

• Tourist/Tourism/Tourist trap: 54 million tourists in 2013; tourism is a source of income; beware of tourist traps with high prices.

• Transport (n/v): cheap and efficient transport; transported by helicopter to earthquake area.

• Travel (v/traveller/agency/sickness): Travelled to many places; experienced travellers; agency books hotels; suffers from travel sickness.

• View (n/v/viewer): View from the Peak; viewed as dynamic; millions of viewers watched the Final.

Level 1 Unit 6: The Individual & Society

Ordinances and Rights

• Disability Discrimination Ordinance, Family Status Discrimination Ordinance, Race Discrimination Ordinance, Sex Discrimination Ordinance.

• Aggrieved person, anti-discrimination, apply (v), civil rights, code of practice, cultural diversity, eligibility to vote, eliminate, emancipation, emotional disturbance, equal opportunities, equal opportunity officer, equal pay, Genuine Occupational Qualification (GOQ), good management practice, grace period, hostile environment, human rights, humiliated, immediate family member, inherent requirements of a job, intimidated, job-related, learning difficulties, male/female, marital status, maternity benefits, maternity leave, obligation, offend, on the grounds of, organisation management, paternity leave, personnel department, pregnancy, prevent, provision of goods/facilities/services, relevant circumstances, rights based approach, unlawful.

Discrimination and Negative Concepts

• Adversely affect, contempt, deny admission, discrimination, incite hatred, indirect discrimination, penalise, refuse to employ, ridicule, segregation, sexual harassment, treat less favourably, unjustifiable, verbal attack/abuse, victimisation.

Legal and Conciliation Procedures

• Apology, authorise a representative, civil suit, claim (v), confidential, complainant, complain, complaint, conciliation, conciliation officer/conciliator, defence, District Court, early conciliation, enactment of equal opportunities policies, Equal Opportunities Commission, equitable, forensic skills, formal legal foundation, handling procedures, impartial, investigation, lacking substance, lawyer, legal advice, legal aid, legal proceedings, legal representative, legally binding, lodge (a complaint), monetary compensation/financial settlement, mutually acceptable agreement, near relative, ordinance, prosecution, reinstatement, respondent, settle/settlement, statement, statutory provision, trial, tribunal, verify, witness.

Individual Character Traits

• Affectionate, biased, conceited, conservative, dignity, hateful, open-minded, prejudiced against, pride, receptive, respectful, suspicious, sympathetic, tolerant, vicious.

Essential Terms and Definitions (Unit 6)

• Adverse/Adversely: Adverse effect on children; school not adversely affected.

• Advocate (n/v/advocacy): Green advocates; advocate tax cuts; advocacy of human rights.

• Apologise/Apology/Apologetic: Student apologised; accepted apology; very apologetic person.

• Attack/Verbal attack: Dog attacked trespasser; verbal attack is damaging.

• Bias/Biased: Bias against women; media can be biased; mayor's biased comments.

• Claim (n/v/claimant): Finding the claim unjustified; Philip claimed process was unfair; claimant gave up the case.

• Complain/Complaint/Complainant: Complained to the restaurant; made a complaint about employer; complainant won the case.

• Contempt: Eyes her with contempt.

• Deny/Denial: Denied cheating; shocking denial of rights.

• Dignity/Dignifi ed: Accepted with dignity; students looked dignified.

• Discriminate/Discrimination/Discriminatory: Should not discriminate; laws protect from discrimination; discriminatory practices like pay gaps.

• Diversify/Diversity: Diversify interests; diversity of activities is impressive.

• Eliminate/Elimination: Eliminate poverty; elimination of crime.

• Emancipate/Emancipation: Fully emancipated in business; emancipation of slaves.

• Equality/Equal pay/Equal opportunities/Equal: Promoting equal opportunities; men and women enjoy equal rights.

• Harass/Sexual harassment: Harassed by manager; employee fired for sexual harassment.

• Hate/Hateful: Hates being caught in traffic; speech was hateful.

• Humiliate/Humiliation: Unacceptable to humiliate; found the humiliation unbearable.

• Impartiality/Impartial/ly: Impartiality is important; judge accused of not being impartial; treated impartially.

• Incite/Incite hatred: Incited the team; inciting hatred is illegal.

• Justify/Justifi cation/Justifi able: Tried to justify actions; no justification; pride is justifiable.

• Legal terms (Aid/Advice/Proceedings/Representative/Binding): Consulting a solicitor; legal aid in need; legal proceedings are time-consuming; judgements are legally binding.

• Maternity/Benefits/Leave: Maternity ward; entitled to maternity benefits; Mary is on maternity leave.

• Offend/Offensive/Offended: Offends with bad language; offensive gestures; Kate felt offended.

• Penalise/Penalty: Cheating is penalised; increasing the penalty for littering.

• Portray/Portrayal: Portrayed her hero as ruthless; portrayal of Hamlet was praised.

• Prejudice/Prejudiced: Prejudices blind judgement; group is prejudiced against younger students.

• Ridicule: Wrong to ridicule others' ideas.

• Right/Animal rights/Human rights: Right to remain silent; set up to promote human rights.

• Segregate/Segregation: Segregate based on race; segregation according to age.

• Treat/Treatment/Treated less favourably: Treated with respect; received excellent treatment; treated less favourably.

Level 2 Unit 1: The Individual & Society

Intellectual Piracy and Property

• Authentic, commerce, copyright, counterfeit, file-sharing, forgery, genuine, imitate, intellectual property, original, patent, permission, pirated, plagiarism, preview, profit, spyware, trademark, unauthorised, virus.

Criminal Behaviour and Law Enforcement

• Types of Crime: Arson, assault, blackmail, bribery, corruption, drug trafficking, fraud, homicide, kidnap, murder, rape, robbery, shoplifting, smuggling, theft.

• Criminal Actions and Actors: Abuse, break into, commit, cunning, depredation, gang, hijack, intent, invade, lawbreaker, loot, plunder, poison, ransom, ravage, sin, sly, steal, thief, vice, violence.

• Justice and Enforcement Entities: Community service order, correctional services department, fire services department, handcuffs, Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, Hong Kong Police Force, Immigration Department, ICAC, Judiciary, law-abiding.

• Legal Processes: Allege, captivity, comply, convince, court, criminal, discourage, fine, guilty, illegal, illicit, imprisonment, improper, infringe, innocent, jail, judge, jurisdiction, jury, justice, legitimate, let off, pardon, penalty, prosecute, sentence, solicitor/barrister, sue, unethical, victim, violate, witness.

• Enforcing Law & Order: Apprehend, arrest, civil case, combat, convict, criminal case, enforce, escape, patrol, prohibit, raid, red-handed, retreat, seize, surrender, suspected.

Useful Vocabulary with Model Sentences (Level 2 Unit 1)

• Abuse (v/n): Drug abuse causes damage; abused her power.

• Acquire/Acquisition: Acquire skills; language acquisition.

• Anxious/Anxiety: Anxious about travel; high levels of anxiety.

• Apprehend: Robbers were apprehended.

• Assault (n/v): Verbal assaults hurt; gang members assaulted them.

• Combat: Combat internet piracy.

• Commerce/Commercial: Important part of the economy; international commercial centre.

• Contribute/Contribution: Contribute to society; substantial contribution to charity.

• Convict (n/v): Convict served seven years; convicted of bank robbery.

• Copyright (n/v): Protected by copyright; copyrighted material.

• Criminal (n/adj): Criminals apprehended by police; engages in criminal activities.

• Decent/Decency: Food is quite decent; dress decently; had the decency to own up.

• Enforce/Enforcement: Prefects enforce rules; law enforcement officers.

• Frown (n/v): Looked up with a frown; teacher frowned at Susan.

• Genuine/Fake: Genuine designer bag; purchasing fake goods.

• Guard (n/v): Shop security guards; guard against pickpockets.

• Guilty/Innocent: Found guilty of murder; pleading innocent.

• Imprison/Imprisonment: Imprisoned for pirated goods; offenders risk imprisonment.

• Infringe/Infringement: Infringed copyright; illegal downloading causes infringement.

• Interrupt/Interruption: Interrupted the witness; riot caused an interruption.

• Invade/Invasion: Invade privacy; face an invasion by hackers.

• Justify/Justifi cation: Officals justified proposal; no justification for pirated goods.

• Latest: Latest anti-virus software.

• Legitimate: Legitimate reasons backed by law.

• Notorious/Infamous: Notorious for cruelty; infamous club.

• Panic/Panicky: Burglars in a panic; do not become panicky.

• Permit/Permission: Permitted her to surf internet; need parents' permission.

• Plagiarism/Plagiarise: School expels for plagiarism; plagiarised the internet.

• Poison (n/v): Rat poison caution; drug taking poisons relationships.

• Prohibit: Smoking prohibited in malls.

• Prominent/Prominence: Scientist achieved prominence; prominent building.

• Raid (n/v): Police launched a raid; raided an apartment.

• Responsible/Responsibility: Responsible for the department; students’ responsibility.

• Sentence (n/v): Sentence announced today; sentenced to life.

• Smuggling/Smuggler/Smuggle: Serious problem; hidden drugs; caught smuggling.

• Stamp out: Stamp out illegal downloading.

• Suspect (n/v): Suspects released on bail; suspect that a shop sells fakes.

• Violate/Violation: Violate traffic regulations; speeding is a violation.

• Violence/Violent: Violence solves nothing; violent tempers.

Level 2 Unit 2: Things Wonderful & Precious

Emotions

• Anxious, calm, contented/satisfied, delighted, depressed, desperate, disheartened, dissatisfied, elated, emotional, frustrated, gloomy, in a temper, miserable, optimistic, pessimistic, rage, shame.

Looks and Appearance

• Attractive, bald, bearded, bony, bulky, chubby, clean-shaven, complexion, dishevelled, fabulous, freckles, glamorous, good-looking, haircut, make-up, moustache, muscular, pale, physical/ly, pimply, plain, receding hairline, scar, skin tone, skinny, slim, sturdy, tanned, tattooed, trimmed, wrinkles.

Personality and Attributes

• Arrogant, humble, immature, impulsive, nasty, old-fashioned, perfectionist, prudent, realistic, sensible, sensitive, smart, sporty, surly, vivacious.

Health, Well-being and Beauty Management

• Nutrition and Diet: Anorexia, balanced diet, binge, bodybuilding, bulimia, calories, carbohydrate, cultivate (v), food pyramid, malnutrition, mineral, nutrition, vegan, vegetarian, vitamin.

• Medical and Beauty Services: Brace, cardiology, checkup, cosmetic/plastic surgery, dental checkup, dermabrasion, dermatology, diagnosis, implant, liposuction, medical staff, optician, podiatrist, skin care.

• Clinical Terms: Mental, physical, physician, physiotherapist, recuperate, therapeutic, treatment, personal hygiene.

• Habits and Wellness: Poach, puberty, regular, snack, starve, steam, workout.

Ailments and Complications

• Aging, ailment, alcoholism, allergy, anguish, asthma, backache, cardiac arrest, complication, deteriorate, diarrhoea, flat feet, insomnia, insult, jeer, malpractice, nicotine addiction, obesity, overweight, stomachache, symptom, tooth decay, vomit, weakness.

Useful Vocabulary with Model Sentences (Level 2 Unit 2)

• Addiction/Addicted: Drug addiction; addicted to smoking.

• Alcoholism/Alcoholic: Serious medical condition; alcoholic drink.

• Anguish: Filled with anguish after news of heart problem.

• Arrogance/Arrogant: Physician's arrogance; an arrogant person.

• Attract/Attractive: Attracted to the university; an attractive carer.

• Balance/Balanced: Balance between work and play; balanced lifestyle.

• Complaint/Complain: File a complaint about malpractice; complained of a headache.

• Confi dence/Confi dent: Parents boosted his confidence; felt confident about the exam.

• Consideration/Consider: Important consideration; consider both sides.

• Delight/Delighted: To their delight; delighted when news heard.

• Desperation/Desperate: Out of desperation; desperate to perform.

• Deterioration/Deteriorate: Deterioration in team spirit; weather conditions deteriorating.

• Diagnosis/Diagnose: Waiting for diagnosis; diagnosed with flu.

• Dishearten/ed: Disheartened by poor organization; disheartened not to win.

• Emotion/Emotional: Express emotions; emotional occasions.

• Frustration/Frustrated: Level of frustration grew; frustrated with slow progress.

• Glamour/Glamorous: Glamour of Hollywood; prefer a simple life to a glamorous one.

• Gloom/Gloomy: Air of gloom; economic outlook is gloomy.

• Impression/Impress: Good impression at interview; impressed with knowledge.

• Impulse/Impulsive: Impulse to laugh; impulsive nature.

• Insult (n/v): Took it as an insult; felt insulted by comments.

• Mature/Immature: Mature for his age; immature behavior.

• Misery/Miserable: Living in misery; miserable childhood.

• Nutrition/Nutritious: Access to good nutrition; eat nutritious foods.

• Obesity/Obese: Obesity causes problems; teenagers are obese.

• Optimism/Optimistic: Financial market optimism; optimistic about prospects.

• Pessimism/Pessimistic: Pessimism about job prospects; pessimistic about chances.

• Physical/Physically: Physical and mental health; physically strong.

• Realistic: Set realistic goals.

• Regular/Regularly: Regular daily exercise; visits grandparents regularly.

• Satisfied/Satisfying: satisfied with exam results; volunteer work is satisfying.

• Scar (n/v): Small scar on arm; scarred him emotionally.

• Shame/Ashamed: Shame of mistake; ashamed of behavior.

• Surgery/Surgical: Surgery on shoulder; surgical instruments.

• Temptation/Tempting: Temptation of the internet; chocolate cake looks tempting.

• Workout/Work out: Finished a tough workout; works out every morning.

Level 2 Unit 3: Study, School Life & Work

Getting a Job

• Advertisement, application, apply, aptitude test, candidate, CV (curriculum vitae), employee, employer, fitness test, ill-prepared, impression, interview, job hunting, job trap, Labour Department, portfolio, recruiter, referee, reference, resume, screening, transcript, vacancy.

Workplace Environments and Staff

• Amateur, apprentice, assistant, board of directors, branch, chain store, conference room, contract, executive, home office, intern, internship, junior/senior, showroom, studio, trainee, work station.

• Career Roles: Administrator, artist, auditor, babysitter/nanny, broker, buyer, Chinese medicine practitioner, clerk, collector, columnist, connoisseur, creator, dog groomer, editor, freelance, financial planner, flight attendant, journalist, news anchor, pharmacist, real estate agent, receptionist, surveyor, travel agent, vet.

Job Requirements and Attributes

• Acquire, advantage, articulate, bachelor's/master's/doctorate degree, business acumen, creative, dependable, desirable, determined, diploma, distinction, enthusiastic, equipped, familiarity, fashionable/trendy, fluent, independent, inexperienced, keen, latest, marketing strategies, meticulous, motivated, positive thinking, potential, preferable, proficient, punctual, qualification, relevant, responsible, scrupulous, self-disciplined, sociable, talented, technique.

Compensation and Benefits

• Allowance, bonus, commission, double pay, Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF), medical benefits, negotiable salary, overtime, paid/annual/sick leave, pension, promotion, remuneration, subsidy, travel allowance.

Useful Vocabulary with Model Sentences (Level 2 Unit 3)

• Advantage/Disadvantage: Advantage of an educated workforce; disadvantage of time consumption.

• Advertisement/Advertise: Captures attention; advertising on TV.

• Application/Apply: Submit application; applying for jobs.

• Assistant/Assistance: Hardworking assistant; invaluable assistance.

• Branch/Chain: Bank opening a new branch; fast food chain.

• Collector/Collect: Antique collectors; collecting stamps.

• Column/Columnist: Writes columns; newspaper columnist.

• Contract: Two companies signed a contract.

• Depend/Dependable: Depend less on parents; she is dependable.

• Desire/Desirable: Desire for success; travel is desirable; offered a desirable job.

• Detail/Detailed: Proposal lacks details; detailed presentation.

• Experience/v/Inexperienced: 10 years of experience; experienced problems; inexperienced training.

• Familiar/Familiarity: Strangely familiar; familiarity with the city.

• Finance/Financial: Studied finance; financial crisis.

• Motivation/Motivate: Lacks motivation; motivated by success.

• Negotiate/Negotiable: Negotiating terms; salary is negotiable.

• Prefer/Preferable: Prefers swimming; countryside preferable to city.

• Preparation/Prepare: Important for interviews; preparing presentation.

• Profi ciency/Profi cient: Assess English proficiency; proficient member of staff.

• Promotion/Promote: Promotion to head office; promoted for sales figures.

• Punctuality/Punctual: Important in workplace; rarely punctual.

• Purchase (n/v): A major purchase; purchased a mobile phone.

• Retailer/Retail: Retailers sell to public; retail sector suffered.

• Retirement/Retire: Plan for retirement; retiring next month.

• Temporary/Permanent: Temporary job; permanent position.

• Training/Train: Four weeks of training; trained to be a gymnast.

• Trap (n/v): Trap designed to cheat; trapped in building.

• Trend/Trendy: Recurring trends; trendy clothes shop.

• Vacancy/Vacant: Temporary vacancies; three vacant positions.

Level 2 Unit 4: Nature & the Environment

Planet Earth

• Africa, Antarctic/Antarctica, Antarctic Ocean, Arctic, Arctic Ocean, Asia, Atlantic Ocean, Australia, continent, Europe, Indian Ocean, North America, Pacifi c Ocean, South America.

Living Creatures and Ecosystems

• Aquatic life, biodegradable, biodiversity, carnivore, eco-friendly, ecosystem, endangered species, extinct, glacier, grassland, habitat, herbivore, ice sheet, low-lying area, next generation, ocean current, omnivore, polar bear, sustainable development, swamp, terrestrial life, tropical rainforest, vegetation, wetland.

Atmosphere and Climate Change Terms

• Atmosphere, carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), carbon footprint, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), climate change, conduction, convection, exhaust fume, gas emission, global warming, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gas, heat island effect, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone layer, polar ice cap, solar radiation, thaw, wall effect.

Environmental Hazards

• Acid rain, blizzard, climate hazard, deforestation, desalination, desertification, disastrous consequences, drought, flood, forest fire, heatwave, hurricane, plague, sandstorm, smog, tidal wave/tsunami, typhoon, volcanic eruption.

Energy Resources

• Coal, depletion, energy consumption/efficiency/shortage, fossil fuel, generator, geothermal power, hydroelectric power, natural gas, non-renewable/renewable resources, nuclear power/waste, oil rig, petroleum, power generation/plant, radioactive, solar power, turbine, unleaded petrol, uranium, wind power, shale gas.

Pollution Types

• Air: Particulate matter ($PM_{2.5}$, $PM_{10}$), ozone ($O_3$), nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$), sulphur dioxide ($SO_2$), carbon monoxide ($CO$).

• Water: Sewage, toxic chemical, industrial waste.

• Other: Chemical, heat, land (landfill, litter, pesticide, radioactive waste), light (sky glow, light trespass, glare), noise (construction, traffic, aircraft).

Environmental Protection and Organizations

• Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), Air Summit, beach clean-up, compartmentalised waste collection bin, eco-camp, environmental activist, conservation, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Protection Department (EPD), Friends of the Earth (FoE), Greenpeace, Green Power, Kyoto Protocol, mandatory measure, organic farming, recommendation, The Conservancy Association, World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF).

• The 3Rs: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse.

Specific Nature & Environment Vocabulary (Level 2 Unit 4)

• Alarmed/Alarming: Alarmed by melting ice caps; spread at an alarming rate.

• Awareness/Aware/Make aware: Raise environmental awareness; became aware of theft; made aware of consequences.

• Climate/Change/Climatic: Sub-tropical climate; climatic conditions changing.

• Conservation/Conserve: Conservation is important for habitats; conserve energy via public transport.

• Consumer/Consume/Consumption: Consumer Council complaints; oil supplies consumed; energy consumption rates.

• Contamination/Contaminant/Contaminate/d: Contamination from sewage; identification of contaminants; contaminated food.

• Damage (n/v/adj): Damage is permanent; damaged reputation; damaging effect on ecosystems.

• Deforestation/Deforest: Cutting down trees; deforested wood induced soil erosion.

• Emission/Emit: Waste emissions; emitting thick clouds of smoke.

• Endanger/ed species: Endangering the future of humans; saving endangered species.

• Energy efficiency/Energy-saving: Save natural resources; energy-saving policies.

• Environment/Protection/Catastrophe: Unspoilt environment; international laws; avoid catastrophe head-on.

• Exploit/Exploitation: Exploiting natural resources; reliance on oil vs. renewable exploitation.

• Extinction/Extinct: Facing extinction; dodo is extinct.

• Fuel/Alternative fuel: Price of fuel; fuel up a car; solar power as alternative.

• Habitat/Habitation/Habitable: Habitat destroyed; fit for human habitation; forest is habitable.

• Pollution/Pollutant/Pollute/d: Identifying pollutants; plastic bags pollute; river is polluted.

• Sustainability/Sustain, Sustainable development/Sustainable: Ecosystem sustainability; debate on sustainable development; promote sustainable policies.

• Threat/Threaten/ing: Threat to stability; global warming threatening lives; threatening levels of pollution.

• Toxic/Toxic waste: River found toxic; handling toxic waste safely.

• Vegetation/Vegetated: Thick vegetation; densely vegetated hill.

• Waste/Waste Disposal/Wasteful: Waste to use one side of paper; waste disposal sorted/recycled; avoids being wasteful.

• Weather/Extreme weather: Predicting weather; extreme weather like hurricanes.

Level 2 Unit 5: Communicating: the Media & Publications

Business of Media and Advertising

• Consumers and Clients: Client, company’s image/prospects, complaint, consumer, opinion, patron, product line, review, target audience.

• Advertising Mechanics: Animation, appeal (v), atmosphere, audio/visual elements, background music, case study, catchy, celebrity spokesperson, claim (v), street/colloquial language, comparison, convey, credibility, design, distribute, endorse, exaggerate, figure, grab attention, graphics, headline, highlight, hype, icon, illustrate, imperatives, innovative, jingle, marketing strategy, motto, objective.

• Persuasion and Messaging: Persuade, persuasive, pitch, point of view, poll, proposal, rationale, respondent, rhetorical question, slogan, spokesperson, statistics, story appeal, storyboard, survey, tactics, teaser, testify, testimonial, trustworthy, viral marketing.

Products and Operations

• Product Status: Benefit, brand, circulation, drawback, feature, logo, merchandise, patent, plagiarise, product image, profit, profitability, rating, sale, sales figures, selling point, specifications, sponsor, trademark.

• Media Roles: Account executive, advertising agency, art director, cameraman, clapperboard, copywriter, director, human resources, marketing executive, professional training, public relations, salesperson, social media specialist, technical/vocational training.

Media Mediums

• Advertising campaign/kiosk, angle, broadcast, brochure/booklet, caption, concert, covert advertising, exhibition, flyer, forum, infomercial, launch (v), leaflet, magazine, network coverage, newspaper, poster, press conference, prime time, print advertisement, radio commercial, stream, the Internet, TV commercial, window display, word of mouth.

Persuasive Descriptors

• Catchy, celebrated, dazzle, effective, efficient, electrifying, elegant, enthusiastic, essential, fabulous, free of charge, gorgeous, healthy image, hip, mass appeal, miracle product, original, plump, popular, pre-eminent, slender, stunning, stylish, trendy, unique, vibrant, world-famous.

Useful Media Vocabulary (Level 2 Unit 5)

• Bargain (n/v/power): Phone was a bargain; bargained for lower price; small businesses lack bargaining power.

• Billboard/Mobile billboard: Costly billboard; mobile billboard on a lorry.

• Brand identity/Name/Recognition: Strong brand identity; simple brand name; trust leads to brand recognition.

• Client/Clientele/Client oriented: Polite to clients; attract new clientele; client oriented policies.

• Commercial (n/adj/isation): Funny commercial; book was too commercial; commercialisation of stars.

• Company image/Prospects: Scandal damaged image; optimistic shareholders about prospects.

• Consumer rights: Know rights to avoid being cheated.

• Discount (n/v/be discounted): Got a shop discount; winter collection discounted.

• Distribution/Distributor/Distribute: Product distribution to shops; laptop distributor; distributing presents.

• Effect/Effectiveness/Effective: Sales effect; machine effectiveness; effective preventing of crimes.

• Fashion/Fashionable: Sense of style; fashion the eatery into a restaurant; looking fashionable.

• Impression/Impress/Impressive: Strong impression; determined to impress; impressive offices.

• Lavishness/Lavish (v/adj): Borders on lavishness; lavish toys on children; holding a lavish wedding.

• Luxury/Goods/Luxurious: Born into luxury; afford luxury goods; luxurious London service.

• Manufacture/Manufacturer: Manufactured using machinery; companies in a factory.

• Market/Marketing/Place/Market (v): Untapped market; studying marketing; share in the marketplace. | Materialism | Materialistic | Wealth considered most important; too materialistic. |

• Necessity/Necessary: Buys only necessities; education is necessary.

• Persuasion/Persuade/Persuasive: Use persuasion; persuaded to buy; persuasive arguments.

• Possession/Possess/Possessive: Possession of wealth; possess a bicycle; possessive of his car.

• Price (n/v/less): Watch price; price strategically; priceless diamond.

• Product/Production/Produce: Price review of products; production of green cars; produces silk dresses.

• Profit/Profitability/Profitable/Profit-driven: Drop in profits; profitability of proposal; investors want profitable industries.

• Promotion/Promote/Promotional: Mid-Autumn promotion; promote toys to children; promotional sale.

• Purchase (n/v/Purchaser/Power): Value dropped; purchase from wet market; purchaser is rich; declining purchasing power.

• Sale/Salesperson: Shops for clothes on sale; salesperson persuades customers.

• Sell/Selling point: Sells insurance; private car park as a selling point.

• Strategic Strategy: Sales strategy; strategic policy.

• Tactic/Tactical: Clever tactics; tactical advantage.

• Target (n/v): Joe set a target; targeted sales techniques.

• Trend/Trendsetter/Trendy: Latest global trends; Kate is a trendsetter; colorful hats are trendy.

Level 2 Unit 6: Technology

Information Technology Basics

• Account, advocate, download, humour, hyperlink, mass media, multitasking, network, open-source software, password, platform, SMS, showcase, the Internet, thought-provoking, upload, username, virtual reality/world.

Internet Security and Ethics

• Anonymous, anti-virus software, authenticate, BitTorrent (BT), computer virus, cyber-jacking, cyber terrorism, cyber vandalism, ethics, etiquette, firewall, hack/hacker, identity theft, illegal downloading, immoral, obscene, phishing, piracy, privacy, secure server, spam (v/n), spyware, Trojan horse, unauthorised material, worm.

Websites, Services and Social Media

• Blogs: Blogspot.com, Wordpress.com.

• Emails: Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo! Mail.

• Forums: Discuss.com.hk, Uwants.com.

• Encyclopedias: Britannica.com, Wikipedia.org.

• Search Engines: Bing, Google, Yahoo.

• Networking: Facebook, Twitter.

• Video Sharing: Vimeo, YouTube.

• Connectivity: Wi-fi, WLAN.

Video Sharing and Blogging

• Genres: Cars, vehicles, cookery, comedy, DIY, education, entertainment, animation, gaming, music, news, politics, blogs, pets, animals, science, technology, sport, travel, events.

• Video Terms: High definition (HD), hits, inappropriate content, online broadcast, subscribe, clip, video editing software, Video on Demand (VOD), viewer, voyeurism.

• Blogging/Forums: Weblog, blogger, post (n/v), traffic, video log (vlog), administrator, reply, webmaster.

Online Slang and Abbreviations

• afaik (as far as I know), afk (away from keyboard), asap (as soon as possible), b4 (before), brb (be right back), btw (by the way), cu/cya/88 (see you), fd/frd (friend), fyi (for your information), gg (good game), gtg (got to go), iirc (if I remember correctly), IM (instant messenger), jk (just kidding), lol (laugh out loud), noob (newbie), omg (oh my god), op (original poster), pwn/own (dominate), rofl (rolling on floor laughing), rpg (role playing game), sry (sorry), thx (thanks), ttyl (talk to you later), ytd (yesterday).

Hardware, Operating Systems and Messengers

• OS: Chrome OS, Linux, OS X, Ubuntu, Windows (8/7/Vista/XP), Android, Blackberry, Firefox OS, iOS, Windows Phone.

• Messengers: Line, Skype, Viber, WeChat, WhatsApp.

• Media Players: iTunes, QuickTime, RealPlayer, Windows Media Player.

• Browsers: Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari.

• Devices: Bluetooth, digital camera, smartphone, videophone, webcam.

Computational Units and Measurement

• File Size: Bit (binary digit); Byte (B) = 8 bits; Kilobyte (KB) = 1024 B; Megabyte (MB) = 1024 KB; Gigabyte (GB) = 1024 MB; Terabyte (TB) = 1024 GB.

• Resolution: Dot per inch (dpi), pixels.

• Typing: Words per minute (wpm).

Specific Technology Vocabulary (Level 2 Unit 6)

• Access (n/v/ible): Internet provides access; could not access computer; confidential files accessible.

• Advancement/Advance/d: Advancement of technology; project is advancing; advanced technology.

• Authentication/Authenticate/Authentic: proves software is not pirated; authentic serial number; authentic label.

• Automate/Automatic/ally: Automate production; automatic doors; switches off automatically.

• Blog (n/v/blogger): Teenagers have a blog; Peter likes to blog; popular bloggers' sites.

• Browser/Browse: browser enables access; popular pastime.

• Connection/Connect: Internet connection set up; connects us to world.

• Cyber Terrorism/Cyber Bullying: Coordinate attacks online; increase in bullying on social sites.

• Data (Database/Transfer): Data lost when system crashed; search databases; data transfer being processed.

• Digital Age (Art/Camera): Talented at digital art; children start school in the digital age; cameras store images digitally.

• Download/Illegal/Upload: Put photos for friends to download; arrest for illegal downloading; upload videos to YouTube.

• Error: little room for error.

• Ethics/Ethical/ly: Ethics influence behavior; stealing ideas not ethical; behave ethically.

• Function (n/v/al): Many functions on watch; functioning well; mobile is functional.

• Hacker/Hack: Hacker downloaded confidential info; hacked into the computer.

• Identity/Theft: Distinctive identity; hackers steal personal info.

• Information/Informative: learns about university life; informative talk.

• Interaction/Interact/ive/Tool: Real-time interaction in chatrooms; interact with people; interactive lessons.

• Messages (n/v/Instant): Left a message; message me upon arrival; WhatsApp instant messaging.

• Network (n/v/Social): links regional offices; network to meet people; social network includes many people.

• Online (Game/Community/Sales): Popular entertainment; communicate with online communities; retailers have websites for sales.

• Piracy/Pirate/Pirated: Stamp out piracy; pirate products make illegal copies; bought pirated CDs.

• Post (n/v): forum posts; post news on the web.

• Privacy/Private: Protect privacy; letters as private.

• Program (n/v/mer): user-friendly programs; programs different computers; programmer develops software.

• Registration/Register: registration process; register for the event.

• Spam: unsolicited email.

• Storage/Store: storage capacity; USB flash drive stores data.

• Subscription/Subscribe/r: magazine subscription; subscribe to newspaper; loyal subscriber.

• Technology/Technological/High-tech: Technology changes rapidly; keep up-to-date; high-tech industries.

• Video (Clip/Sharing): copy of wedding video; organize a short-film competition clip; YouTube video sharing.

• Virtual Reality/World: Games take place in virtual reality; spending too much time in the virtual world.

• Webmaster: Responsible for site upkeep.