IELTS Book 8 Test 2 Section 2

8 T2 S2

Accustom Verb Synonym: Adapt

[Phrasal Verbs]accustom somebody to something

· He is gradually accustomed company rules to his will.

Dazzle verb Synonym: Blind

Transitive, intransitive] dazzle (somebody) if a strong light dazzles you, it is so bright that you cannot see for a short time

· He was momentarily dazzled by the strong sunlight.

[transitive] dazzle somebody to impress somebody a lot with your beauty, skill, etc.

· He was dazzled by the warmth of her smile.

· She knows a lot of famous people and tried to dazzle me with their names.

Draught Noun Synonym: Flood

[countable] a flow of cool air in a room or other confined space

· There's a draught in here.

· A cold draught of air blew in from the open window.

· I was sitting in a draught.

· She shivered in the icy draught.

[countable] (formal) one continuous action of swallowing liquid; the amount swallowed

· He took a deep draught of his beer.

[countable] (old use or literary) medicine in a liquid form

· A sleeping draught (= one that makes you sleep)

Draughts (British English) (North American English checkers) [uncountable] a game for two players using 24 round pieces on a board marked with black and white squares

[countable] (British English) (North American English checker) one of the round pieces used in a game of draughts

Embark Verb Synonym: Commence

To get onto a ship; to put something onto a ship

· We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked.

Embark somebody/something

· They embarked the troops by night.

Fossil Noun Synonym: Skeleton

The remains of an animal or a plant which have become hard and turned into rock

· Fossils over two million years old

(informal, disapproving) an old person, especially one who is unable to accept new ideas or adapt to changes

Hemisphere Noun Synonym: Half

One half of the earth, especially the half above or below the equator

· The northern/southern hemisphere

· In the northern hemisphere, December is a winter month.

Offshore Adverb Synonym: Seaward

In the sea, not far from the land

· A ship anchored offshore

If the wind is blowing offshore, it is blowing from the land towards the sea

(business) in a country that has more generous tax laws than other places

· Profits earned offshore

Opportunism noun Synonym: Expediencey

The practice of using situations unfairly to gain advantage for yourself without thinking about how your actions will affect other people

· Political opportunism

Perish Verb Synonym: Decay

[intransitive] (formal or literary) (of people or animals) to die, especially in a sudden violent way

  • A family of four perished in the fire.

  • Thousands perished at the hands of the invading forces.

[intransitive] (formal) to be lost or destroyed

· Early buildings were made of wood and have perished.

[intransitive, transitive] perish (something) (British English) if a material such as rubber perishes or is perished, it becomes damaged, weaker or full of holes

Precedent Noun Synonym: Criterion

[countable, uncountable] an official action or decision that has happened in the past and that is seen as an example or a rule to be followed in a similar situation later

· The ruling set a precedent for future libel cases.

[countable, uncountable] a similar action or event that happened earlier

· Historical precedents

· There is no precedent for a disaster of this scale.

· Such protests are without precedent in recent history.

[uncountable] the way that things have always been done

Proliferate Verb Synonym: Multiply

To increase rapidly in number or amount

· Books and articles on the subject have proliferated over the last year.

· Time passed and animal life proliferated.

See-saw Noun Synonym: Teeter

(North American English also teeter-totter) [countable] a piece of equipment for children to play on consisting of a long flat piece of wood that is supported in the middle. A child sits at each end and makes the see-saw move up and down.

· Can we go on the see-saw?

[singular] a situation in which things keep changing from one state to another and back again

· The match was a see-saw battle between the two teams.

Soar Verb Synonym: Rocket

[intransitive] if the value, amount or level of something soars, it rises very quickly

· Soaring costs/prices/temperatures

· Air pollution will soon soar above safety levels.

· Unemployment has soared to 18%.

[intransitive] soar (up) (into something) to rise quickly and smoothly up into the air

· The rocket soared (up) into the air.

· (figurative) Her spirits soared (= she became very happy and excited).

[intransitive] to fly very high in the air or remain high in the air

· An eagle soaring high above the cliffs

[intransitive] to be very high or tall

· Soaring mountains

· The building soared above us.

[intransitive] when music soars, it becomes higher or louder

· Soaring strings

Staple Adjective Synonym: Necessary

[only before noun] forming a basic, large or important part of something

· The staple crop is rice.

· Jeans are a staple part of everyone's wardrobe.