[24:27] 30-Minute Immersive English Listening Practice to Boost Comprehension Fast

noun

1. a nonverbal reaction

e.g. his answer to any problem was to get drunk
their answer was to sue me

2. the principal pleading by the defendant in response to plaintiff's complaint
in criminal law it consists of the defendant's plea of `guilty' or `not guilty' (or nolo contendere)
in civil law it must contain denials of all allegations in the plaintiff's complaint that the defendant hopes to controvert and it can contain affirmative defenses or counterclaims

3. a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem

e.g. they were trying to find a peaceful solution
the answers were in the back of the book
he computed the result to four decimal places

Synonym: solutionresultresolutionsolvent

4. a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

e.g. I waited several days for his answer
he wrote replies to several of his critics

Synonym: replyresponse

5. the speech act of replying to a question

verb

1. stop sleeping

e.g. She woke up to the sound of the alarm clock

Synonym: wake uparouseawakenwakecome alivewaken

noun

1. degree of figurative distance or separation

verb

1. accept or undergo, often unwillingly

e.g. We took a pay cut

Synonym: take

2. accept as inevitable

e.g. He resigned himself to his fate

Synonym: resignreconcile

3. put before

e.g. I submit to you that the accused is guilty

Synonym: stateput forwardposit

4. yield to another's wish or opinion

e.g. The government bowed to the military pressure

Synonym: bowdeferaccedegive in

5. refer for judgment or consideration

e.g. The lawyers submitted the material to the court

Synonym: subject

6. make an application as for a job or funding

e.g. We put in a grant to the NSF

Synonym: put in

7. yield to the control of another

8. hand over formally

Synonym: present

9. make over as a return

e.g. They had to render the estate

Synonym: render

10. refer to another person for decision or judgment

e.g. She likes to relegate difficult questions to her colleagues

Synonym: relegatepass on

verb

1. remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

e.g. remove a threat
remove a wrapper
Remove the dirty dishes from the table
take the gun from your pocket
This machine withdraws heat from the environment

Synonym: removetaketake away

2. keep away from others

e.g. He sequestered himself in his study to write a book

Synonym: secludesequestersequestrate

3. take back what one has said

e.g. He swallowed his words

Synonym: swallowtake backunsay

4. make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity

e.g. We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him
He backed out of his earlier promise
The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns

Synonym: retreatpull backback outback awaycrawfishcrawfish outpull in one's horns

5. release from something that holds fast, connects, or entangles

e.g. I want to disengage myself from his influence
disengage the gears

Synonym: disengage

6. lose interest

e.g. he retired from life when his wife died

Synonym: retire

7. pull back or move away or backward

e.g. The enemy withdrew
The limo pulled away from the curb

Synonym: retreatpull awaydraw backrecedepull backretiremove back

8. remove (a commodity) from (a supply source)

e.g. She drew $2,000 from the account
The doctors drew medical supplies from the hospital's emergency bank

Synonym: drawtake outdraw off

9. cause to be returned

e.g. recall the defective auto tires
The manufacturer tried to call back the spoilt yoghurt

Synonym: recallcall incall back

10. withdraw from active participation

e.g. He retired from chess

Synonym: retire

11. retire gracefully

e.g. He bowed out when he realized he could no longer handle the demands of the chairmanship

Synonym: bow out

12. break from a meeting or gathering

e.g. We adjourned for lunch
The men retired to the library

Synonym: adjournretire

verb

1. communicate or express by writing

e.g. Please write to me every week

2. record data on a computer

e.g. boot-up instructions are written on the hard disk

Synonym: save

3. communicate (with) in writing

e.g. Write her soon, please!

Synonym: drop a line

4. communicate by letter

e.g. He wrote that he would be coming soon

5. mark or trace on a surface

e.g. The artist wrote Chinese characters on a big piece of white paper
Russian is written with the Cyrillic alphabet

6. create code, write a computer program

e.g. She writes code faster than anybody else

7. produce a literary work

e.g. She composed a poem
He wrote four novels

Synonym: composepenindite

8. write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word)

e.g. He spelled the word wrong in this letter

Synonym: spell

9. write music

e.g. Beethoven composed nine symphonies

Synonym: compose

10. have (one's written work) issued for publication

e.g. How many books did Georges Simenon write?
She published 25 books during her long career

Synonym: publish

verb

1. reach a destination
arrive by movement or progress

e.g. She arrived home at 7 o'clock
She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight

Synonym: getcome

2. succeed in a big way
get to the top

e.g. After he published his book, he had arrived
I don't know whether I can make it in science!
You will go far, my boy!

Synonym: make itget ingo far

noun

1. a vehicle carrying many passengers
used for public transport

e.g. he always rode the bus to work

Synonym: autobuscoachcharabancdouble-deckerjitneymotorbusmotorcoachomnibuspassenger vehicle

2. a car that is old and unreliable

e.g. the fenders had fallen off that old bus

Synonym: jalopyheap

3. an electrical conductor that makes a common connection between several circuits

e.g. the busbar in this computer can transmit data either way between any two components of the system

Synonym: busbar

4. the topology of a network whose components are connected by a busbar

Synonym: bus topology

noun

1. steadiness of mind under stress

e.g. he accepted their problems with composure and she with equanimity

Synonym: composurecalmnessequanimity

2. wind moving at less than 1 knot
0 on the Beaufort scale

Synonym: calm air

verb

1. pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives

e.g. Take any one of these cards
Choose a good husband for your daughter
She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her

Synonym: takeselectpick out

2. select as an alternative over another

e.g. I always choose the fish over the meat courses in this restaurant
She opted for the job on the East coast

Synonym: preferopt

3. see fit or proper to act in a certain way
decide to act in a certain way

e.g. She chose not to attend classes and now she failed the exam

noun

1. a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then jerked overhead

Synonym: clean and jerk

noun

1. any clever maneuver

e.g. he would stoop to any device to win a point
it was a great sales gimmick
a cheap promotions gimmick for greedy businessmen

Synonym: gimmicktwist

2. an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose

e.g. the device is small enough to wear on your wrist
a device intended to conserve water

3. an emblematic design (especially in heraldry)

e.g. he was recognized by the device on his shield

4. any ornamental pattern or design (as in embroidery)

5. something in an artistic work designed to achieve a particular effect

verb

1. get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

e.g. I learned that she has two grown-up children
I see that you have been promoted

Synonym: learnhearget wordget windpick upfind outget a linesee

2. identify as in botany or biology, for example

Synonym: identifykeykey outdistinguishdescribename

3. make a discovery

e.g. She found that he had lied to her
The story is false, so far as I can discover

Synonym: find

4. make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret

e.g. The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold
The actress won't reveal how old she is
bring out the truth
he broke the news to her
unwrap the evidence in the murder case

Synonym: unwrapdiscloselet onbring outrevealexposedivulgebreakgive awaylet out

5. make a discovery, make a new finding

e.g. Roentgen discovered X-rays
Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle

Synonym: find

6. see for the first time
make a discovery

e.g. Who discovered the North Pole?

7. discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

e.g. She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water
We found traces of lead in the paint

Synonym: detectobservefindnotice

8. find unexpectedly

e.g. the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb
she struck a goldmine
The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake

Synonym: fall uponstrikecome uponlight uponchance uponcome acrosschance onhappen uponattain

noun

1. the act of drinking alcoholic beverages to excess

e.g. drink was his downfall

Synonym: drinkingboozingdrunkennesscrapulence

2. the act of swallowing

e.g. one swallow of the liquid was enough
he took a drink of his beer and smacked his lips

Synonym: swallowdeglutition

3. any liquid suitable for drinking

e.g. may I take your beverage order?

Synonym: beveragedrinkablepotable

4. a single serving of a beverage

e.g. I asked for a hot drink
likes a drink before dinner

5. any large deep body of water

e.g. he jumped into the drink and had to be rescued

verb

1. set out on (an enterprise or subject of study)

e.g. she embarked upon a new career

Synonym: embark

2. make a record of
set down in permanent form

Synonym: recordput down

3. become a participant
be involved in

e.g. enter a race
enter an agreement
enter a drug treatment program
enter negotiations

Synonym: participate

4. put or introduce into something

e.g. insert a picture into the text

Synonym: insertinfixintroduce

5. come on stage

6. to come or go into

e.g. the boat entered an area of shallow marshes

Synonym: come inget intoget ingo intogo inmove into

7. take on duties or office

e.g. accede to the throne

Synonym: accede

8. register formally as a participant or member

e.g. The party recruited many new members

Synonym: enrollinscribeenrolrecruit

9. be or play a part of or in

e.g. Elections figure prominently in every government program
How do the elections figure in the current pattern of internal politics?

Synonym: figure

noun

1. the act of going out

2. an opening that permits escape or release

e.g. he blocked the way out
the canyon had only one issue

Synonym: issueoutletway out

3. euphemistic expressions for death

e.g. thousands mourned his passing

Synonym: passinglossdepartureexpirationgoingrelease

noun

1. a vertical surface of a building or cliff

2. the side upon which the use of a thing depends (usually the most prominent surface of an object)

e.g. he dealt the cards face down

3. the striking or working surface of an implement

4. the general outward appearance of something

e.g. the face of the city is changing

5. the feelings expressed on a person's face

e.g. a sad expression
a look of triumph
an angry face

Synonym: expressionlookaspectfacial expression

6. impudent aggressiveness

e.g. I couldn't believe her boldness
he had the effrontery to question my honesty

Synonym: boldnessnervebrasscheek

7. status in the eyes of others

e.g. he lost face

8. the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

e.g. he washed his face
I wish I had seen the look on his face when he got the news

Synonym: human face

9. the part of an animal corresponding to the human face

10. a specific size and style of type within a type family

Synonym: fontfounttypefacecase

11. a contorted facial expression

e.g. she made a grimace at the prospect

Synonym: grimace

12. a surface forming part of the outside of an object

e.g. he examined all sides of the crystal
dew dripped from the face of the leaf

Synonym: side

13. a part of a person that is used to refer to a person

e.g. he looked out at a roomful of faces
when he returned to work he met many new faces

noun

1. troops belonging to or allied with your own military forces

e.g. friendlies came to their rescue

noun

1. the time when the Moon is fully illuminated

e.g. the moon is at the full

Synonym: full moonfull-of-the-moonfull phase of the moon

adj

1. well expressed and to the point

e.g. a happy turn of phrase
a few well-chosen words

Synonym: well-chosen

2. marked by good fortune

e.g. a felicitous life
a happy outcome

Synonym: felicitous

3. enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

e.g. a happy smile
spent many happy days on the beach
a happy marriage

4. eagerly disposed to act or to be of service

e.g. glad to help

Synonym: glad

noun

1. a room equipped for preparing meals

noun

1. the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge

e.g. the child's acquisition of language

Synonym: acquisition

2. profound scholarly knowledge

Synonym: eruditenesseruditionlearnednessscholarshipencyclopedismencyclopaedism

noun

1. the act of departing politely

e.g. he disliked long farewells
he took his leave
parting is such sweet sorrow

Synonym: farewellleave-takingparting

2. permission to do something

e.g. she was granted leave to speak

3. the period of time during which you are absent from work or duty

e.g. a ten day's leave to visit his mother

Synonym: leave of absence

noun

1. wealth reckoned in terms of money

e.g. all his money is in real estate

2. the most common medium of exchange
functions as legal tender

e.g. we tried to collect the money he owed us

3. the official currency issued by a government or national bank

e.g. he changed his money into francs

noun

1. the act of deciding to do something

e.g. he didn't make a move to help
his first move was to hire a lawyer

2. (game) a player's turn to take some action permitted by the rules of the game

3. the act of changing your residence or place of business

e.g. they say that three moves equal one fire

Synonym: relocation

4. the act of changing location from one place to another

e.g. police controlled the motion of the crowd
the movement of people from the farms to the cities
his move put him directly in my path

Synonym: motionmovement

5. a change of position that does not entail a change of location

e.g. the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise
movement is a sign of life
an impatient move of his hand
gastrointestinal motility

Synonym: motionmovementmotility

verb

1. make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc

e.g. Get the children ready for school!
prepare for war
I was fixing to leave town after I paid the hotel bill

Synonym: fixset upreadygear upset

2. undergo training or instruction in preparation for a particular role, function, or profession

e.g. She is training to be a teacher
He trained as a legal aid

Synonym: train

3. create by training and teaching

e.g. The old master is training world-class violinists
we develop the leaders for the future

Synonym: traindevelopeducate

4. arrange by systematic planning and united effort

e.g. machinate a plot
organize a strike
devise a plan to take over the director's office

Synonym: organizeorganisedeviseget upmachinate

5. prepare for eating by applying heat

e.g. Cook me dinner, please
can you make me an omelette?
fix breakfast for the guests, please

Synonym: cookfixreadymake

6. to prepare verbally, either for written or spoken delivery

e.g. prepare a report
prepare a speech

7. lead up to and soften by sounding the dissonant note in it as a consonant note in the preceding chord

e.g. prepare the discord in bar 139

8. educate for a future role or function

e.g. He is grooming his son to become his successor
The prince was prepared to become King one day
They trained him to be a warrior

Synonym: groomtrain

noun

1. the act of someone appearing again

e.g. his reappearance as Hamlet has been long awaited

Synonym: reappearance

2. a coming to or returning home

e.g. on his return from Australia we gave him a welcoming party

Synonym: homecoming

3. getting something back again

e.g. upon the restitution of the book to its rightful owner the child was given a tongue lashing

Synonym: restitutionrestorationregaining

4. the act of going back to a prior location

e.g. they set out on their return to the base camp

5. (American football) the act of running back the ball after a kickoff or punt or interception or fumble

6. a tennis stroke that sends the ball back to the other player

e.g. he won the point on a cross-court return

7. a reciprocal group action

e.g. in return we gave them as good as we got

Synonym: paying backgetting even

8. the key on electric typewriters or computer keyboards that causes a carriage return and a line feed

Synonym: return key

9. document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability

e.g. his gross income was enough that he had to file a tax return

Synonym: tax returnincome tax return

10. a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)

e.g. it brought a sharp rejoinder from the teacher

Synonym: rejoinderretortripostereplicationcomebackcounter

11. happening again (especially at regular intervals)

e.g. the return of spring

Synonym: recurrence

12. the occurrence of a change in direction back in the opposite direction

Synonym: coming back

13. the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

e.g. the average return was about 5%

Synonym: issuetaketakingsproceedsyieldpayoff

noun

1. an investigation seeking answers

e.g. a thorough search of the ledgers revealed nothing
the outcome justified the search

2. boarding and inspecting a ship on the high seas

e.g. right of search

3. the activity of looking thoroughly in order to find something or someone

Synonym: hunthunting

4. the examination of alternative hypotheses

e.g. his search for a move that would avoid checkmate was unsuccessful

5. an operation that determines whether one or more of a set of items has a specified property

e.g. they wrote a program to do a table lookup

Synonym: lookup

noun

1. changing location rapidly

Synonym: speedinghurrying

2. a central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite
used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression

Synonym: amphetaminepep pillupper

3. a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens

e.g. the project advanced with gratifying speed

Synonym: swiftnessfastness

4. the ratio of the focal length to the diameter of a (camera) lens system

Synonym: focal ratiof numberstop number

5. distance travelled per unit time

Synonym: velocity

noun

1. a brief stay in the course of a journey

e.g. they made a stopover to visit their friends

Synonym: stopoverlayover

2. the act of stopping something

e.g. the third baseman made some remarkable stops
his stoppage of the flow resulted in a flood

Synonym: stoppage

3. an obstruction in a pipe or tube

e.g. we had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe

Synonym: blockageblockclosureocclusionstoppage

4. a restraint that checks the motion of something

e.g. he used a book as a stop to hold the door open

Synonym: catch

5. a mechanical device in a camera that controls size of aperture of the lens

e.g. the new cameras adjust the diaphragm automatically

Synonym: diaphragm

6. (music) a knob on an organ that is pulled to change the sound quality from the organ pipes

e.g. the organist pulled out all the stops

7. a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations

e.g. in England they call a period a stop

Synonym: periodpointfull stopfull point

8. a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it

e.g. his stop consonants are too aspirated

Synonym: stop consonantocclusiveplosive consonantplosive speech soundplosive

9. the event of something ending

e.g. it came to a stop at the bottom of the hill

Synonym: halt

10. a spot where something halts or pauses

e.g. his next stop is Atlanta

11. the state of inactivity following an interruption

e.g. the negotiations were in arrest
held them in check
during the halt he got some lunch
the momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow
he spent the entire stop in his seat

Synonym: arrestcheckhalthitchstaystoppage

noun

1. electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds

e.g. I talked to him on the telephone

Synonym: phonetelephone set

2. transmitting speech at a distance

Synonym: telephony

noun

1. the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist)

e.g. the catcher made a good throw to second base

2. casting an object in order to determine an outcome randomly

e.g. he risked his fortune on a throw of the dice

3. bedclothes consisting of a lightweight cloth covering (an afghan or bedspread) that is casually thrown over something

4. the maximum movement available to a pivoted or reciprocating piece by a cam

Synonym: strokecam stroke

5. a single chance or instance

e.g. he couldn't afford $50 a throw

noun

1. earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

e.g. made an effort to cover all the reading material
wished him luck in his endeavor
she gave it a good try

Synonym: attempteffortendeavorendeavour

noun

1. a temporary stay (e.g., as a guest)

Synonym: sojourn

2. the act of going to see some person in a professional capacity

e.g. a visit to the dentist

3. the act of visiting in an official capacity (as for an inspection)

4. the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time

e.g. he dropped by for a visit

5. a meeting arranged by the visitor to see someone (such as a doctor or lawyer) for treatment or advice

e.g. he scheduled a visit to the dentist

verb

1. make warm or warmer

e.g. The blanket will warm you

2. get warm or warmer

e.g. The soup warmed slowly on the stove

Synonym: warm up

adv

1. with rapid movements

e.g. he works quickly

Synonym: rapidlyspeedilychop-chopapace

2. with little or no delay

e.g. the rescue squad arrived promptly
come here, quick!

Synonym: promptlyquick

3. without taking pains

e.g. he looked cursorily through the magazine

Synonym: cursorily