Resources 6

 

Vocabulary: Exercise 1

 

1.          find an old document

2.          abolish a law

3.          accumulate a large sum of money

4.          raise a concern

5.          conclude a presentation

6.          review the main points

7.          support an argument

8.          propose a plan

9.          express ideas

10.      address a problem

 

 

Vocabulary: Exercise 2

 

1.          Janice identified the source of the problem.

 

2.          Tom was unsure whether to take on another part-time job so close to the final examinations.

 

3.          Frank decided to quit because he found the course too demanding.

 

4.          The Engineering Department has a new course in preparation which is likely to be very popular.

 

5.          It’s likely that a new CEO will be appointed before the end of the month.

 

6.          There were doubts as to whether the company’s dealings were honest.

 

7.          The company kept its new logo secret until the day of the presentation.

 

8.          Ursula doesn’t like Rick very much so she tries to avoid him as much as possible.

 

9.          Paul’s account of the problem was a bit exaggerated. I don’t think it’s anything like as serious as he makes out.

 

10.      As usual, the shortage of money proved to be the main obstacle.

 

 

Vocabulary: Exercise 3

 

1.          Pollution is a significant problem in Hong Kong.

 

2.          Living conditions in some housing developments are unacceptable.

 

3.          The influence of computer games on young people is a controversial topic.

 

4.          Mark’s performance in the examination was disappointing.

 

5.          She received a sizeable sum of money from the insurance company.

 

6.          Chan’s (2001) method of investigation is questionable.

7.          The company’s affordable products have proved to be very popular.

 

8.          A number of senior members of staff have left in recent years.

 

9.          Professor Yau’s new book is very stimulating.

 

10.      This is a minor detail, which I think we can discuss another time.

 

 

Vocabulary: Exercise 4

 

1.          The project team collected the data by means of a questionnaire survey.

 

2.          Ida has now recovered from the shock of losing her job.

 

3.          The economic outlook is expected to improve in the coming months.

 

4.          The government hopes to eliminate the problem by the end of the year.

 

5.          Our company won many orders in the second half of the year.

 

6.          Candy hopes to obtain a loan from the bank. This will enable her to continue with her studies.

 

1.          The patient’s condition deteriorated during the night.

 

2.          Dr Yeung tried to communicate her ideas as clearly and simply as possible, but some of the students still couldn’t understand.

 

3.          Professor Shiu persuaded her colleague, Mr Watson, to take the laboratory session as she had to attend a meeting.

 

4.          I received a letter from the journal today. Apparently, they want to publish my article.

 

Vocabulary: Exercise 5

 

Importance

Unimportance

centre

major

marginal

secondary

core

predominant

minimal

subordinate

crucial

primary

minor

subsidiary

dominant

principal

minority

trivial

emphasis

priority

negligible

 

focus

significant

 

 

foremost

stress

 

 

fundamental

 

 

 

Vocabulary: Exercise 6

 

1.          This essay centres / focuses on the impact of SARS on Hong Kong’s tourism industry.

 

2.          This really is a trivial / minor issue and I really don’t know why we’re wasting our time discussing it.

 

3.          I believe that we should give priority to students with grade ‘A’ in their Use of English.

 

4.          Dr Au thinks we should place greater emphasis / stress on the teaching of grammar.

 

5.          This is a really crucial / significant point so I think we should discuss it in detail.