Destination C1-C2 Unit 2

assess

to judge or decide the amount, value, quality, or importance of something

assume

to accept something to be true without question or proof

baffle

to cause someone to be completely unable to understand or explain something

biased

showing an unreasonable like or dislike for someone or something based on personal opinions

concentrate

to direct your attention or your efforts towards a particular activity, subject, or problem

consider

to spend time thinking about a possibility or making a decision

contemplate

to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in a serious and quiet way

cynical

believing that people are only interested in themselves and are not sincere

deduce

to reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts

deliberate

(often of something bad) intentional or planned

dilemma

a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two different things you could do

discriminate

to treat a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their race, gender, sexuality, etc.

dubious

thought not to be completely true or not able to be trusted

estimate

to guess or calculate the cost, size, value, etc. of something

faith

Meaning of faith in English faith noun UK /feɪθ/ US /feɪθ/ faith noun (TRUST) Add to word list B2 [U ] great trust or confidence in something or someone

gather

to collect several things, often from different places or people

genius

very great and rare natural ability or skill, especially in a particular area such as science or art, or a person who has this

grasp

to understand something, especially something difficult

guesswork

the process of making a guess when you do not know all the facts

hunch

an idea that is based on feeling and for which there is no proof

ideology

a set of beliefs or principles, especially one on which a political system, party, or organization is based

ingenious

(of a person) very intelligent and skilful, or (of a thing) skilfully made or planned and involving new ideas and methods

inspiration

someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something

intuition

(knowledge from) an ability to understand or know something immediately based on your feelings rather than facts

justify

to give or to be a good reason for

naive

too willing to believe that someone is telling the truth, that people's intentions in general are good, or that life is simple and fair. People are often naive because they are young and/or have not had much experience of life

notion

a belief or idea

optimistic

hoping or believing that good things will happen in the future

paradox

a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics

pessimistic

thinking that bad things are more likely to happen or emphasizing the bad part of a situation

plausible

seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed

ponder

to think carefully about something, especially for a noticeable length of time

prejudiced

showing an unreasonable dislike for something or someone

presume

to believe something to be true because it is very likely, although you are not certain:

query

a question, often expressing doubt about something or looking for an answer from an authority

reckon

to think or believe

reflect

to think carefully, especially about possibilities and opinions

sceptical

doubting that something is true or useful

speculate

to guess possible answers to a question when you do not have enough information to be certain

suppose

to think that something is likely to be true

academic

used to describe someone who is clever and enjoys studying

conscientious

putting a lot of effort into your work

cram

to try to learn a lot very quickly before an exam

curriculum

the subjects studied in a school, college, etc. and what each subject includes

distance learning

a way of studying in which you do not attend a school, college, or university, but study from where you live, usually being taught and given work to do over the internet

graduate

a person who has a first degree from a university or college

ignorant

not having enough knowledge, understanding, or information about something

inattentive

not giving attention to someone or something

intellectual

relating to your ability to think and understand things, especially complicated ideas

intelligent

showing intelligence, or able to learn and understand things easily

intensive

involving a lot of effort or activity in a short period of time

knowledgeable

knowing a lot

lecture

a formal talk on a serious subject given to a group of people, especially students

mock exam

an examination, esp in a school, taken as practice before an official examination

plagiarise

to use another person's ideas or work and pretend that it is your own

self-study

a way of learning about a subject that involves studying alone at home, rather than in a classroom with a teacher

seminar

an occasion when a teacher or expert and a group of people meet to study and discuss something

special needs

the particular things needed by or provided to help people who have an illness or condition that makes it difficult for them to do the things that other people do

tuition

teaching, especially when given to a small group or one person, such as in a college or university

tutorial

a period of study with a tutor involving one student or a small group