PRE-INTERMEDIATE
4 Goals and ambition
PAGE 46
race /reɪs/ noun
a race is a competition that is done at a fast speed
My brother won the running race.
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goal /ɡəʊl/ noun
a goal is an aim or a result that you hope to achieve
Danica’s goal is to become an archaeologist.
ambition /æmˈbɪʃ(ə)n/ noun
an ambition is a strong desire to do something
Malek’s ambition is to sail around the world.
motivation /ˌməʊtɪˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ noun
a motivation is the feeling or interest you have that
makes you want to achieve something
Josiah’s parents are his motivation for doing well at
work.
filler /ˈfɪlə(r)/ noun
a filler is a short word like ‘um’, ‘uh’ and ‘er’ that a
speaker says to fill a gap while thinking about what
to say next
A common filler people use when speaking is ‘um’.
podcast /ˈpɒdˌkɑːst/ noun
a podcast is an audio recording, usually a short talk
on a topic, that you can download from the internet
Danny has his own podcast about how to travel the
world cheaply.
explore /ɪkˈsplɔː(r)/ verb
if you explore a topic, you study it carefully to try to
understand more about it
I’d like to explore more about how to write a good
essay.
encouraging /ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒɪŋ/ adjective
something that is encouraging gives a person
feelings of hope and confidence
It’s encouraging to hear that my English speaking
keeps getting better.
LEARNING
UNIT 4 Wordlist
forum /ˈfɔːrəm/ noun
a forum is a public meeting for people to talk about
a problem or topic they are all interested in
The website’s forum gives us a place to share tips on
how to speak Mandarin more fluently.
succeed /səkˈsiːd/ verb
if you succeed in something, you do well in it and
have a good result
succeed in, succeed at
If you don’t succeed the first time you do something,
keep trying until you do.
achieve /əˈtʃiːv/ verb
if you achieve something, you get it by working hard
and doing well
The football team won their game and achieved their
dream of being the best team.
set goals /set ɡəʊls/ phrasal verb
if you set goals, you make a list of the things you
want to work towards
Lennox sets goals for himself at the beginning of
each year.
live in the moment /lɪv ɪn ðiː ˈməʊmənt/ phrase
if you say you live in the moment, you think about
what is happening now and don’t worry about the
past or the future
Andrej likes to live in the moment and enjoy what is
happening.
protected /prəˈtektɪd/ adjective
something that is protected has laws that stop
people from hurting it in any way
The African Elephant is now protected by law to keep
it safe.
marine biologist /məˈriːn baɪˈɒlədʒɪst/ noun
a marine biologist is someone who studies the
animals and plants that live in the ocean
Kenshin is a marine biologist and is studying whales
in South America.
spend time /ˈspend taɪm/ phrase
if you say you spend time doing something, you use
your time to do it
I like to spend my time painting pictures of the
mountains near my house.
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 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
wildlife /ˈwaɪldˌlaɪf/ noun
wildlife is the animals, birds and plants that live free
from people
We saw so many different wildlife when we went
hiking in Kenya.
fit /fɪt/ adjective
someone who is fit, is healthy and in good shape
Marc is so fit because he runs 10km every day and
swims often.
free diving /ˈfriː ˈdaɪvɪŋ/ noun
free diving is a water sport done where you swim
under water for long periods by only holding your
breath
Janez goes free diving with his friends every summer.
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coach /kəʊtʃ/ noun
a coach is a person who teaches people how to be
better in a sport
Kenji’s karate coach makes him practise for three
hours every day.
concentrate /ˈkɒns(ə)nˌtreɪt/ verb
if you concentrate on something, you give it all your
attention and thought
Concentrate on hitting the ball when Jasper throws it
to you.
give up /ˈɡɪv ʌp/ phrasal verb
if you give up, you stop doing something
Minhee wanted to give up when she came last in the
race.
push /pʊʃ/ verb
if you push someone, you encourage them to think
or do something
Tsiory’s brother pushes him to get better when they
play tennis.
train /treɪn/ verb
if you train for something, especially sports, you
practise it until you do it well
Sevcan is training for a 10km cycling race.
advise /ədˈvaɪz/ verb
if you advise someone, you tell them what you think
they should do
The doctor advised Kangdae to get more sleep.
force /fɔː(r)s/ verb
if you force someone to do something, you make
them do it even if they don’t want to do it
The boy forced me to give him my ball.
15
UNIT 4 Wordlist
category /ˈkætəɡ(ə)ri/ noun
a category is a group of people or things that are
the same type
Part-time workers are grouped in a different
category.
take part /ˈteɪk pɑː(r)t/ phrasal verb
if you take part in something, you do it with other
people
We will take part in the competition today.
event /ɪˈvent/ noun
an event is a competition, party or race that is done
at a specific time
Nate’s birthday was a major event each year when he
was a child.
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reach for the sky /ˈriːtʃ fɔː(r) ðə ˈskaɪ/ phrase
if you say that you are going to reach for the sky,
you mean you are trying to achieve a difficult goal
Ruta is reaching for the sky with her goal to become
an actress.
hardworking /hɑː(r)d ˈwɜː(r)kɪŋ/ adjective
someone who is hardworking puts a lot of effort in
their work
Paolo got a raise at work because he is hardworking.
free time /ˈfriː taɪm/ noun
your free time is the time when you do not have to
work or study and can do what you want
Eduardo likes to watch sports in his free time.
cost of living /ˈkɒst ɒv ˈlɪvɪŋ/ phrase
the cost of living is the amount of money you need
to pay for basic things like food, clothes, transport
and your home
The cost of living in Tokyo is very high. It’s not a
cheap place to live.
find time /faɪnd ˈtaɪm/ phrase
if you say you find time for something, you mean
you need to plan time for it in your day
find time to, find time for
Eliza tries to find time to play the piano for half an
hour every day.
race /reɪs/ verb
if you race in a sport, you join a competition in it
Max wants to race in the competition next week.
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 PRE-INTERMEDIATE UNIT 4 Wordlist

tiring /ˈtaɪərɪŋ/ adjective executive /ɪɡˈzekjʊtɪv/ noun

something that is tiring uses all your energy
It was so tiring running after the children all day.
confident /ˈkɒnfɪd(ə)nt/ adjective
someone who is confident can do something very
well
Anaiis is confident that she will get an A in the
vocabulary test.
qualify /ˈkwɒlɪfaɪ/ verb
if you qualify for something in sport, you pass and
go to the next level
Beatrys hopes to qualify for the Olympic team.
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intention /ɪnˈtenʃ(ə)n/ noun
an intention is something you want and plan to do
Ping went shopping with the intention to buy a new
camera.
arrangement /əˈreɪndʒmənt/ noun
an arrangement is a plan to do something
Adriel made all the arrangements for the party.
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motivate /ˈməʊtɪveɪt/ verb
if you motivate someone to do something, you
make them excited to do it
Being able to motivate others is a great skill to have.
scientist /ˈsaɪəntɪst/ noun
a scientist is a person who studies or works in
science
Albert Einstein was a famous scientist.
mathematician /ˌmæθ(ə)məˈtɪʃ(ə)n/ noun
a mathematician is a person who studies or works
with mathematics
Sean is not a very good mathematician.
author /ˈɔːθə(r)/ noun
an author is a person who writes books
Burton wants to be an author and write novels.
skier /ˈskiːə(r)/ noun
a skier is a person who skis either on water or snow
The skier moved down the mountain smoothly on
their skis.
an executive is a person who is a very important
manager in a business
The executive went to a meeting with the owner of
the company.
expert /ˈekspɜː(r)t/ noun
an expert is someone who is very skilled in
something or knows a lot about it
Rei is an expert in finance.
challenge /ˈtʃælɪndʒ/ noun
a challenge is something that is difficult and tests
your skills to do it
Today’s exam was a real challenge.
praise /preɪz/ noun
praise is the words you say to show that you admire
someone or something
Nadezhda deserved the praise she received today for
saving that boy.
punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ verb
if you punish someone, you make them suffer for
doing something wrong or bad
My parents used to punish me by taking away my
phone.
purpose /ˈpɜːpəs/ noun
a purpose is a reason or plan that guides what you
do
What’s the purpose of your visit?
reward /rəˈwɔːd/ noun
a reward is something you give to someone for
doing something well or something good
He deserves a reward for his hard work.
argue /ˈɑː(r)ɡju/ verb
if you argue with someone, you disagree with them
angrily
Mel didn’t want to argue with her sisters.
offer /ˈɒfə(r)/ verb
when you offer someone something, you give it to
them
Dante offered me a ride to work this morning.
external /ɪkˈstɜː(r)n(ə)l/ adjective
something that is external comes from outside
The house has one external door that leads outside.

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 PRE-INTERMEDIATE UNIT 4 Wordlist

punishment /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ noun embarrassed /ɪmˈbærəst/ adjective

punishment is the act of punishing someone, with a
fine or a task, for doing something wrong
The punishment for the crime was very strict.
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lawyer /ˈlɔːjə(r)/ noun
a lawyer is someone whose job is to advise people
about the law and speak for them in court
Sergei needed a lawyer when he went to court.
competitive /kəmˈpetətɪv/ adjective
if a person is competitive, they always want to win
and be the best
Kyle is a very competitive person who doesn’t like to
lose.
experiment /ɪkˈsperɪmənt/ noun
an experiment is a scientific test you do to learn if
something is true
The experiment showed everyone that my idea was
right.
lock out /lɒk ˈaʊt/ phrasal verb
if you lock someone or something out of a place,
you lock the door to stop them from coming inside
again
I didn’t mean to lock myself out of my car, but I lost
my keys.
vibrate /vaɪˈbreɪt/ verb
if something vibrates, it moves in a steady but fast
back and forth movement
The floor started to vibrate when my music was too
loud.
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suggestion /səˈdʒestʃ(ə)n/ noun
if you make a suggestion, you offer an idea for
someone to think about
make a suggestion
Qiang made a great suggestion in the meeting
yesterday.
flatmate /ˈflætˌmeɪt/ noun
a flatmate is someone who lives in the same flat as
you
Albetza’s flatmate goes to the same university as her.
if you feel embarrassed, you feel ashamed or shy
from too much attention from other people
Sameera feels embarrassed when she has to sing in
front of other people.
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work with others /wɜː(r)k wɪð ˈʌðə(r)s/ phrase
if you work with others, you work together to
achieve a goal
Shemar works very well with others, so people enjoy
working with him.
out of focus /ˈaʊt ɒv ˈfəʊkəs/ adjective
something that is out of focus is not clear or easy to
see well
That photograph is very out of focus!
accidentally /ˌæksɪˈdent(ə)li/ adverb
if you do something accidentally, you don’t plan to
do it
Petri accidentally knocked the cup off the table and
broke it.
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reflect /rɪˈflekt/ verb
if you reflect on something, you think about it very
carefully and seriously
to reflect
She paused to reflect on what she had achieved.
realistic /ˌrɪəˈlɪstɪk/ adjective
if you are realistic, you see things as they really are
and are practical
Prakesh needs to set realistic deadlines for himself.
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username /ˈjuːzə(r)ˌneɪm/ noun
a username is the special name you choose, or are
given, when you join a website or an app
Anwar couldn’t play the game last night because he
forgot his username.
response /rɪˈspɒns/ noun
a response is a reply or answer to a question
The company did not give a response to my email.

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