12

A changing world
Words and phrases
Lead in
12.1 wilderness /"wIld@n@s/ (n)
area of wild natural land, e.g. a
desert, that is not used for growing
crops

12.2 battleground /"b&tlgraUnd/ (n)

an issue which people fight or
argue over Whether or not
women in their 50s and 60s should
be able to have babies has recently
become a moral battleground.
L Also a place where a battle,
i.e. a fight between armed forces,
happens or has happened

12.3 lucrative /"lu:kr@tIv/ (adj)

producing a lot of money, profitable

12.4 pristine /prI"sti:n/ (adj)

fresh and clean, as if new L Formal.

12.5 thermostat /"T3:m@st&t/ (n)

a piece of equipment that controls
temperature by turning off or
creating a supply of heat as
necessary, e.g. in an oven or to
heat a house thermostatic (adj),
thermostatically (adv)

12.6 on standby

/%Qn "st&ndbaI/ (idm)

used to describe electrical
equipment, e.g. computers, TVs,
that is connected to the electricity
supply but not being used at the
moment If everyone turned
their TVs off at the wall at night,
instead of leaving them on standby,
wed save a significant amount of
energy. L Also means that sb/sth
is ready to be used: The soldiers
are on 24-hour standby, and could
be called into action at any time.
stand by (phr v)

12.7 kettle /"ketl/ (n)

container with a spout, lid and
handle, used for boiling water
Why dont you put the kettle on
and well have a nice cup of tea?

Reading
Changing places
12.8 nourishment /"nVrISm@nt/ (n)
food that is needed to stay alive,
grow and stay healthy There
are many children in remote
African villages who are badly
nourished and in great need of
medical attention. nourish (v),
nourishing (adj)

12.9 ecosystem /"i:k@U%sIst@m/ (n)

all the plants and animals that live
together in a particular place and
the relationship between them and
with their environment

12.10 greenhouse gas

/%gri:nhaUs "g&s/ (n)

any of the gases that are thought
to cause the problem of the
gradual rise in temperature of the
earths atmosphere

12.11 fossil fuel /"fQsl %fju:@l/ (n)

a source of energy that comes
from the remains of dead plants or
animals, e.g. coal or oil

12.12 die off /%daI "Qf/ (phr v)

die one after the other until there
are none left

12.13 rot /rQt/ (v)

(make sth) go bad and fall apart,
usu. food or wood Eating too
many sweets as a child rotted her
teeth and now shes got to have
false ones. rot (n), rot away (phr
v), rotten (adj)

12.14 scenario /s@"nA:ri@U/ (n)

the way in which future events
might develop L Often used in the
expression worst-case scenario to
mean the worst that could possibly
happen.

12.15 order of magnitude

/%O:d@r @v "m&gnItju:d/ (n)

approximate amount or importance
of something No matter how you
look at it, your problems arent of
the same order of magnitude as
those of the Presidents!

12.16 output /"aUtpUt/ (n)

the amount of sth produced
Since they brought in more
modern equipment, the factorys
annual output has doubled.
put out (phr v)

12.17 plentiful /"plentifl/ (adj)

large amounts or numbers of sth
plenty (n, adv), plentifully (adv)

12.18 southernmost

/"sVDnm@Ust/ (adj)
furthest towards the south than
any other part

12.19 reaches /"ri:Iz/ (n pl)

areas It wasnt until 1930 that
the planet Pluto was discovered on
the outer reaches of our universe.
reach (v)

CAE Result Oxford University Press 1

12.20 fertile /"f3:taIl/ (adj)

that plants grow well in We
planted our flowers in the most
fertile part of the garden and they
bloomed beautifully. infertile
(adj), (in)fertility (n), fertilise (v),
fertiliser (n)

12.21 boon /bu:n/ (n)

benefit, sth that makes life easier
or better

12.22 whip up /%wIp "Vp/ (phr v)

make sth rise up L Also means
create enthusiasm. Politicians are
trying to whip up interest in the
forthcoming elections by appearing
on TV chat shows.

12.23 flux /flVks/ (n)

flow, continuous movement

12.24 plankton /"pl&Nkt@n/ (n)

microscopic forms of plant and
animal life that float on the water
of seas, lakes and rivers

12.25 knock-on effect

/"nQk %Qn I%fekt/ (n)

indirect result of an action Have
you considered the knock-on effects
of leaving your job? Youll have no
money, nowhere to live, and you
wont be able to afford to run your
car.

12.26 counter /"kaUnt@(r)/ (v)

have an opposite effect on sth
counter (adv)

12.27 ice-sheet /"aIs %Si:t/ (n)

large moving mass of ice

12.28 imperative /Im"per@tIv/ (adj)

very urgent or important
imperative (n), imperatively (adv)

12.29 waste /weIst/ (n)

large area of land that is not or
cannot be lived in or farmed
wasteland (n)

12.30 tundra /"tVndr@/ (n)

huge flat treeless Arctic areas of
Europe, Asia and North America
where the ground below is
permanently frozen

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12.31 storehouse /"stO:haUs/ (n)

place where a lot of things can be
found together The worldwide
web is a storehouse of information
on every subject under the sun.
store (n), store (v)

12.32 decay /dI"keI/ (v)

be destroyed gradually by natural
processes decay (n)

12.33 permafrost /"p3:m@frQst/ (n)

land that is permanently frozen to
a great depth

12.34 methane /"mi:TeIn/ (n)

a colourless gas with no smell, the
main substance in natural gas

12.35 conveyer belt

/k@n"veI@ %belt/ (n)

a continuous band that moves on
rollers to transport loads, used at
airports to carry luggage and in
factories to move goods
conveyor (n), conveyer (n),
convey (v)

12.36 dense /dens/ (adj)

very heavy in relation to each unit
of volume density (n)

12.37 dilute /daI"lu:t/ (v)

make a liquid or colour thinner or
weaker by adding water or another
liquid Dilute one teaspoon of
juice in a glass of warm water to
make a delicious drink. dilution
(n), dilute (adj)

12.38 halt /hO:lt, hQlt/ (n)

stop We came to a sudden halt as
the cars engine failed. halt (v)

12.39 plateau /"pl&t@U/ (n)

large area of level land high above
sea level

12.40 landmass /"l&ndm&s/ (n)

large area of land

12.41 straddle /"str&dl/ (v)

stretch across sth or exist on both
sides of it L Also to stand with
one leg on either side of sth.
The Colossus of Rhodes was a
giant statue that was said to have
once straddled the harbour there.

12.42 fossil /"fQsl/ (n)

remains of an animal or plant
which have become hard and
turned into rock fossilisation (n),
fossilise (v)

12.43 ridge /rI/ (n)

long mountain range L Also the
raised line where two sloping
surfaces meet, e.g. the ridge of a
roof. ridge (v)

12.44 keep a lid on sth

/%ki:p @ "lId Qn/ (idm)

keep sth under control The
Principal warned the boys to keep
a lid on their anger otherwise they
would be punished.

12.45 jet stream /"et %stri:m/ (n)

strong wind that blows high up in
the earths atmosphere and affects
the weather

Vocabulary
12.46 cost the earth

/%kQst Di "3:T/ (idm)

be very expensive

12.47 on top of the world

/%Qn %tQp @v D@ "w3:ld/ (idm)

extremely happy

12.48 thin on the ground

/%TIn Qn D@ "graUnd/ (idm)

few in number

12.49 have the world at your feet

/%h&v D@ %w3:ld @t jO: "fi:t/ (idm)

be in a very strong position to do
whatever you want

12.50 make up ground

/%meIk Vp "graUnd/ (idm)

get closer to a goal or make progress

12.51 on earth /%Qn "3:T/ (idm)

used in questions for emphasis
with what/who/where/why, etc.
What on earth are you wearing?
You look ridiculous!

12.52 set the world on fire

/%set D@ "w3:ld Qn %faI@(r)/ (idm)

be very successful and cause great
excitement

12.53 get off the ground

/%get %Qf D@ "graUnd/ (idm)

make a successful start, usually
referring to business activities

12.54 set the world to rights

/%set D@ %w3:ld t@ "raIts/ (idm)

make everything as it should be in
the world

12.55 do sb a world of good

/%du: ... @ "w3:ld @v %gUd/ (idm)

have a very positive effect on sb

12.56 (be/live) in a world of your

own /(%bi, %lIv) In @ %w3:ld @v jO:r

"@Un/ (idm)
live in a fantasy without
communicating with other people

12.57 not for (all) the world

/%nQt f@, f@r %O:l D@ "w3:ld/ (idm)

not for anything that could be
offered

12.58 think the world of (sb/sth)

/%TINk D@ "w3:ld @v/ (idm)

have a very high opinion of sb/sth

12.64 puncture /"pVNk@(r)/ (n)

small hole, usu. in the tyre of a car
or bicycle, made by a sharp object
puncture (v)

12.65 draughty /"drA:fti/ (adj)

having cold air blowing through it
because, e.g. the windows or doors
dont fit properly draught (n)

12.66 summit /"sVmIt/ (n)

the very top of a mountain L Also
a meeting between two important
heads of state, usually from the
worlds most powerful countries.
summit talk/meeting/conference
(n)

12.67 mow /m@U/ (v)

cut grass, etc. using a machine or
tool with a special blade or blades

12.68 lawn /lO:n/ (n)

an area of ground covered in short
grass in a garden or park, or used
for playing a game

12.69 out and about

/%aUt @n @"baUt/ (phr)

travelling around a place I get out
and about quite a bit in my work
as a salesman.

Grammar

12.60 petrified /"petrIfaId/ (adj)

extremely scared
petrify (v)

petrification (n),

12.61 besiege /bI"si:/ (v)

surround sb/sth closely

12.62 enduring /In"djU@rIN/ (adj)

lasting a long time without any
loss of quality or importance
endurance (n), endure (v),
endurable (adj), enduring (adj),
enduringly (adv)

12.63 botanist /"bQt@nIst/ (n)

scientist who studies plants and
their structure botany (n),
botanise (v), botanical (adj)

completely If youre dead certain

thats where you want to go on
holiday, lets go ahead and book it.

12.74 ironic /aI"rQnIk/ (adj)

used to describe a situation or event
that is odd or amusing because it
involves a contrast Its ironic that
the most generous people in the
world are often the poorest.
irony (n), ironically (adv)

12.75 untapped /%Vn"t&pt/ (adj)

available but not yet used, usually
to describe a supply of sth
According to some scientists
we only use 10 per cent of our
brain, which means we could have
untapped mental powers waiting to
be discovered.

12.76 fuss /fVs/ (n)

unnecessary excitement, activity or
worry fuss (v) L A fussy person
is concerned with small details
and/or difficult to please: Many
children are fussy eaters and wont
eat fruit and vegetables.
fussiness (n), fussily (adv)

12.77 not care/give a hoot

/nQt %ke@r, %gIv @ "hu:t/ (idm)

12.59 extinguish /Ik"stINgwIS/ (v)

put out a fire, stop it burning
extinguisher (n)

12.73 dead /ded/ (adv)

not care at all L Informal.

Listening
12.70 inexhaustible

/%InIg"zO:st@bl/ (adj)
that will always continue, that can
never be used up Small children
seem to have an inexhaustible
supply of energy. inexhaustibly
(adv)

12.71 toxic /"tQksIk/ (adj)

poisonous toxicity (n),
toxicology (n), toxicologist (n),
toxin (n)

12.72 crack /kr&k/ (v)

solve a problem Ive been trying
to do this Sudoku puzzle for hours,
but I think Ive finally cracked it.

12.78 nitty-gritty /%nIti "grIti/ (n)

the basic facts of a matter
Having a party sounded like a
great idea, but when we got down
to the nitty-gritty, there was so
much to organise we decided not to
bother. L Informal.

12.79 in your (own) back yard

/%In jO:r %(@Un) %b&k "jA:d/ (idm)

used to describe sth that affects
you personally Although many
people support the idea of a new
airport, theyre not so keen when
its in their own back yard.

12.80 incidentally

/%InsI"dentli/ (adv)
by the way incidental (adj)
L An incident is an event or sth
that happens.

CAE Result Oxford University Press 3

Use of English

Review

Vocabulary

12.81 renovate /"ren@veIt/ (v)

12.89 vertigo /"v3:tIg@U/ (n)

12.98 indeterminate

repair and paint, e.g. an old building

so that it is in good condition
again L Restore = return sth to its
original condition; renovate includes
the idea of making sth new and
different. renovation (n)

12.82 acquaint /@"kweInt/ (v)

make sb/yourself familiar with or
aware of sth Please acquaint me
with the facts of the case.
acquaintance (n), acquainted (adj)

12.83 trash /tr&S/ (n)

rubbish L American English.

12.84 collage /"kQlA:Z/ (n)

picture made by fixing pieces of
cloth, paper, etc. onto a surface

feeling of losing your balance, esp.

when looking down from a height
vertiginous (adj)

Workbook
Reading
But will it save the
planet?
12.90 co-operative

/%k@U "Qp@r@tIv/ (adj)

owned and run by the people
involved, with the profits shared
by them

12.91 premium /"pri:mi@m/ (n)

Vocabulary
12.85 infrequently

/%In"fri:kw@ntli/ (adv)
rarely frequency (n), (in)frequent
(adj), frequently (adv)

12.86 presently /"prezntli/ (adv)

at the time you are speaking or
writing, now This product is
presently not available, Im afraid.
L At the end of a sentence it could
mean: soon, after a short time

extra payment added to the

basic rate It was an important
document so I decided to pay the
premium for registered mail.

12.92 albeit /%O:l"bi:It/ (prep)

although We finally managed to
get the venue, albeit too late the
conference had already started. L
Formal.

12.87 concrete jungle

/%kQNkri:t "VNgl/ (n)

a place with a lot of modern
buildings that is unpleasant to live
in

that cannot be identified easily

or exactly Her dress had an
indeterminate colour, something
between green and blue.
indeterminacy (n), determine (v)

12.99 refute /rI"fju:t/ (v)

prove that sth is wrong

12.100 disallow /%dIs@"laU/ (v)

officially refuse to accept sth
because it is not valid The
crowd protested when the referee
disallowed their teams first goal.

12.101 vacate /v@"keIt, veI"keIt/ (v)

leave or make sb leave a building,
seat, etc. As the hurricane
approached the coast of Florida,
the authorities advised citizens to
vacate the area.

Grammar
12.102 quay /ki:/ (n)
platform in a harbour where boats
come in to load, etc.

12.93 wheelie-bin /"wi:li %bIn/ (n)

large container with a lid and
wheels, that you keep outside your
house and use for putting rubbish in

12.94 kerbside /"k3:bsaId/ (n)

Writing

/%IndI"t3:mIn@t/ (adj)

side of the street or path near the

edge of the pavement

12.95 compost /"kQmpQst/ (n)

mixture of decayed plants, food,
etc. that can be added to soil to
help plants grow

Listening
12.103 heatwave /"hi:tweIv/ (n)
period of unusually hot weather

Use of English
12.104 dam /d&m/ (v)
stop a river from flowing by
building a wall across it dam (n)

12.96 fluctuate /"flVkueIt/ (v)

12.88 consumption

/k@n"sVmpSn/ (n)
the act of using energy, food or
materials Consumption of coffee
has increased dramatically in some
countries like Britain. consume (v)

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change frequently in size, amount,

quality, etc., especially from one
extreme to another fluctuation (n)

12.97 mod cons /%mQd "kQnz/ (n pl)

abbreviation for modern
conveniences

Review Units 1012

12.105 brass /brA:s/ (n)
bright yellow metal made by
mixing copper and zinc

12.106 spicy /"spaIsi/ (adj)

having a strong taste because
spices have been used to flavour it
spice (n)

/%kQzm@"pQlIt@n/ (adj)

Set texts

containing a mix of people from all

over the world cosmopolitan (n)

12.124 revenge /rI"ven/ (n)

12.115 cosmopolitan

12.107 bland /bl&nd/ (adj)

not having a strong or interesting
taste My children complain I
dont put enough salt in the food
and it tastes too bland.

Appendix
12.108 facilitative /f@"sIl@t@tIv/ (adj)
helping to make things, e.g.
processes easier facilitator (n),
facilitate (v)

12.109 stalk /stO:k/ (n)

thin stem that supports a leaf,
flower or fruit and joins it to
another part of the plant or tree

Writing Guide

Proposals
12.116 concise /k@n"saIs/ (adj)
giving a lot of information in a few
words This book gives a concise
account of the major battles in the
Second World War, and does not
bore the reader with unnecessary
details. conciseness (n),
concisely (adv)

12.117 reservation /%rez@"veISn/ (n)

feeling of doubt about a plan, idea,
etc. At first I had my reservations
about Joan, but she turned out to
be a first-class dancer.

12.118 minute /maI"nju:t/ (adj)

extremely small

12.119 apt (to) /&pt/ (adj)

Contributions

likely (to)

12.110 boulevard /"bu:l@vA:d/ (n)

wide city street, often with trees
on each side

12.111 busker /"bVsk@(r)/ (n)

person who plays music in public
places, e.g. the street, usu. to earn
money busking (n), busk (v)

/%steIt @v Di "A:t/ (adj)

best available because it uses the
most up-to-date techniques or
technology

12.125 tormented /tO:"mentId/ (adj)

having suffered very much
torment (n, v), tormentor (n),
tormenting (adj)

12.126 convincing /k@n"vInsIN/ (adj)

that makes sb believe that sth
is true Her explanation for the
misunderstanding wasnt very
convincing, but we pretended
to believe her. conviction (n),
convince (v), unconvincing
(adj), (un)convinced (adj), (un)
convincingly (adv)

12.127 cliff-hanger /"klIfh&N@(r)/ (n)

situation in a story, film,
competition, etc. that is very
exciting because you cannot guess
what will happen next, or you do
not find out immediately what
happens next

Essays
12.121 bend the truth

Articles

/%bend D@ "tru:T/ (idm)

view

12.113 idyllic /I"dIlIk/ (adj)

say sth that is not completely true

The politician wasnt exactly
lying, but he was certainly bending
the truth about the length of
hospital waiting lists.

12.112 vista /"vIst@/ (n)

peaceful and pleasant

idyllically (adv)

12.120 state-of-the-art

sth that you do in order to make

sb suffer because they have made
you suffer She is seeking revenge
for the murder of her husband.
revenge (v), revengeful (adj),
revengefully (adv)

idyll (n),

Reviews
12.114 boom (out) /bu:m/ (v)
say sth in a loud deep voice

12.122 bare-faced /"be@ %feIst/ (adj)

showing that you do not care
about offending sb or about
behaving badly His bare-faced
insult outraged me!

12.123 make for /"meIk f@/ (phr v)

help to make sth possible, be likely
to have a particular result
Someone who is insincere and
cruel doesnt make for a good friend.

CAE Result Oxford University Press 5