Word Study

1.  accept vt. & vi. to say yes to it or agree to take it 
1) I accepted his offer of permanent employment at a small company.
2) I do not accept that there is any kind of crisis in British science.

2.  Continue vt. & vi. to keep doing sth. or do not stop doing sth. 
1) Diana is determined to continue working when she reaches retirement age.
2) Outside the building the young people continue their Carnival dancing.

3.  equal adj. the same in amount,  number,  or size   
1) I think all children should have an equal chance to education.
2) Research and teaching are of equal importance.

4. fear
a) n. [U]  the unpleasant feeling you have when you think that you are in danger 
Little Tom was sitting on the floor shivering with fear.
b)   vt. to be frightened of something or someone unpleasant  
It seems to me that if people fear you they respect you.
c)  vi. to be worried or frightened that something bad might happen  
I don't think it necessary for my parents to fear for my safety.

5. fight
a)   vt. & vi. to take part in a war or a battle   
 Millions of young men fought in World War II.
b)  vt & vi to use physical force to try to defeat each other
 Jackson's always fighting with his little brother.
C) n.
He had a fight with Smith just now.
The manager stopped the fight among his fellows about the trip abroad.

6. hero
a)  n. the main male character in a book or film who is usually good   
Jason has agreed to play a hero in a Shakespeare's play.
b)   n. someone who does something brave or good which people respect or admire them for   
The president became a national hero for his part in the revolution.

7. quality n.
a)   how good or bad something is   
 Everyone can greatly improve the quality of life.
b)   when something is very good or well made   
We have been successful because we are offering a quality service.
c)   part of the character or personality of someone or something   
 Joe has a lot of good qualities to be a team leader.

8.  reward
a)  n. something good that you get or experience because you have worked hard,  behaved well, etc  
There'll be a reward for whoever finishes first.
b)   vt. to give something good to someone because of what he has done     Impress the buyer and you will be rewarded with a quicker sale.

9. vote
a)   n. a formal choice that you make in an election or at a meeting in order to choose sb. or decide to do sth.  
There were 21 votes for and 17 against the motion.
b)   vt. & vi. to show formally by marking a paper or raising your hand which person you want to win an election, or which plan or idea you support  
1) Do you vote for or against her?
2) We'll listen to the arguments on both sides and then vote on it.

10.  willing adj. not objecting to doing sth.; having no reason for not doing sth.   
He's more than willing to pay a lot of money for his computer.

Phrases and Idioms

1.  as a matter of fact:  in actual fact;  in point of fact   
1)   That sounds rather simple, but as a matter of fact, it's very difficult.
2)  ------1 guess you haven't eaten yet.
------As a matter of fact, I have.

2. blow up
a)   to fill something (a ball, a balloon, etc) with air
 Look, the girl is trying her best to blow up the balloon.
b)  to destroy something or kill someone with a bomb, or to be destroyed by a bomb    Terrorists blew up an office building in the city.

3.  Come to power:  to have political control of a country or an area 
The party came to power at the last election.

4.  in trouble: a difficult or dangerous situation 
1)  The little boy was in trouble, so I swam out to save him.
2)   The company was in trouble and had huge debts.

5.  lose heart: to stop hoping for sth. or trying to do sth. because you no longer feel confident 
1) I used to dig the garden every week, but I lost heart when all the plants died.
2) Though Mr. Wood has failed to get a new job several times, he doesn't lose heart and decides to have some other tries.

6.  out Of work:  having no work or job 
Jim is often late for work so he is out of work from time to time.

7.  put...in prison:  sb. is kept in a place for his punishment 
Finally, the robber was caught and put in prison.

8.  Worry about:  to make sb. / yourself anxious about sb. / sth.  
1)   The young mother is worrying about her baby's illness.
2)   Don't worry about what we are doing at the moment.

9.  Set UP:  to build or put sth. somewhere 
The police set up roadblocks on routes out of the city.

10.  to advise ...on:  to tell sb. what you think they should do
1)  He is too ready to advise his fellows on the ways to solve some technical problems.
2)  It's a coach's job to advise players on working out the problems in matches.

11.  be Sentenced to:  sb. is to receive a particular punishment officially in a court of law
The terrorist was sentenced to 30 years in prison last week.

Structures and Patterns

1. The time when I first met Nelson Mandela was a very difficult period of my life.
1)   The day when Nelson Mandela told me what to do and helped me was one of the happiest days of my life.
2)   The time when they departed for Normandy was in 1945.
3)   That afternoon when I arrived in Haikou was extremely hot.

2. The school where I had studied only two years was three kilometers away.
1)   The port where my father once worked is an international port.
2)   The company where I am going to work is selling computers.
3)   The fishing village where my mother grew up is now a modern town.

3. After trying hard, I got a job in a gold mine.
1) After coming out of the water, he struggled to swim back to the bank of the river.
2) After eating up all his dishes, he went out of the restaurant feeling greatly satisfied.
3)  Before going on the trip, you'd better buy a map.

4.  "The last thirty years have seen the greatest number of laws stopping our rights and progress, until today we have reached a stage where we have almost no rights at all."   
1)   The city saw a series of fierce fights between blacks and whites in the 1960s.
2)   This small town has seen progress being made step by step.
3)   Evening found lots of people walking along the river, talking and laughing.

5.  We were put in a position in which we had either to accept we were less important, or fight the Government.
1)   In her life, Nightingale always tried her best to help those who were less fortunate than herself.
2)   This computer works out the data less quickly than it used to.
3)   Tickets were less expensire than I had expected.

6.  Only then did we decide to answer violence with violence.
 1)   Only last year did we come back from Canada where we had lived for 20 years.
2)   Only in this way was the doctor able to save your life last night.
3)   Only by sleeping by the side of the heater at the railway station did the old man escape from the cold in winter.