I. Vocabulary

1. definite  

(never before noun) very clear about what you say so that everyone understands you; (of a person) certain or sure about sth. 

e.g. She’ s not definite about retiring from the game.  

2. kaleidoscope

[C] a toy that shows changing patterns, consisting of a tube with coloured pieces inside

e.g. Tom was given a kaleidoscope on his birthday.

3. blaze  

(1) shine very brightly

e.g. The sun blazed down as we walked along the valley.

(2) burn strongly and brightly  

e.g. The following morning the building was still blazing. 

4. blink 

(1) if a light blinks, it goes on and off continuously 

e.g. Neon signs were blinking outside bars and casinos.

   (2) close your eyes for a very short time and quickly open them again 

    e.g. He blinked his eyes nervously.

5. darken  

become darker, or make sth. Darker

e.g. The sky darkened and a few drops of rain fell.

 Adjective: dark

6.  flaunt 

deliberately try to make people notice your possessions, beauty, abilities etc, because you want them to admire you

e.g. Lawrence didn’t flaunt his wealth–he lived a simple life.

7. perpetual

continuing all the time; happening so often that you become annoyed as a result 

e.g. Many people live in perpetual fear of losing their jobs.

8. marvel  

 (~ at / over) show or feel surprise or admiration

e.g. We marvelled at the view that opened up before us.   

9. drift

(1)be pushed along very slowly by the movement of air or water

e.g. Thick smoke drifted across the town.

(2)move somewhere slowly as though you do not know where you are going

e.g. He spent the year drifting around the Europe.

10. believable

seeming possible or true

e.g. The evidence must be considered believable or worthy of trust.

Verb:believe

11. breathless 

breathing very fast and hard, for example after exercising; holding or as if holding the breath due to excitement or other strong feelings 

e.g. She was breathless after running up the stairs. 

Verb:breathe

Noun: breath

12. tumble 

(1) fall to ground

e.g. Jack lost his balance and tumbled backwards.

(2) fall suddenly and sharply

e.g. Oil prices have tumbled.

13. whirl 

spin quickly in circles

e.g. We watched the seagulls whirling and shrieking over the harbour. 

14. barren  

(of land) too poor to produce much or any vegetation 

e.g. Nothing can grow in this barren land.

15. recess  

[C, U] (AmE) a period between school lessons when  students can eat, rest, or play 

e.g. Her favorite things at school are music and recess.

[C] a space in a room where part of a wall is further back than the rest of it 

e.g. You could create two groups of miniatures in the recesses on either side of the fireplace.

Noun:recession

16. giggle

 (~ at) laugh in a nervous, excited, or silly way that is difficult to control

e.g. Linda and Christina were giggling at some private joke.

Synonym: laugh, smile, giggle, grin, beam, sneer

17. windy  

(1) using a lot of long words to try to impress people but not really saying very much 

e.g. I am not impressed by the politician’s windy talk.

(2) with a lot of wind 

e.g. A feather floats about on the air, especially on a windy day. 

18.superiority 

[U] the fact that one person or thing is better, more powerful etc. than another 

e.g. The intellectual superiority of human over other   animals is quite clear. 

19. prompt   

(1) encourage someone to speak or continue speaking

e.g. The speaker was rather hesitant and had to be   frequently prompted by the chairman.

(2) (mainly journalism) cause sth. to happen or be done 

e.g. News of the scandal prompted a Senate investigation.

20. helpless 

[C] not able to do anything without help 

e.g.He looked helpless sitting there all alone.  

21. resemblance

[C, U] if there is a resemblance between two people or things, they are similar, especially in their appearance 

e.g.The boy bears a striking resemblance to Jim. Are they twins? 

II. Phrases

1. drift off

start to sleep 

e.g. I was just drifting off when the phone rang.

2. set back

(often passive) place or situate (a house etc.) some distance from the street etc.  

e.g. The house was set back some distance from the street. 

3. come into one’ s own

show how effective or useful you can be 

e.g. He came into his own in last Sunday's match, scoring three goals in the first half. 

4. bear a … resemblance to

have a degree of similarity to someone or something

e.g.This wallet bears a strong resemblance to the one I lost last month. 

III. Sentences

1. The sunset flaunted its pink flag above the airport, and the sound of waves was lost in the perpetual droning of the planes.

The sunset flaunted its pink flag means the pink color of the setting sun was    like a flag which the sun was using to try to make everyone notice and admire it. 

2. The airport was my Mecca, my Jerusalem.

Mecca and Jerusalem are both considered holy cities. As places for pilgrimage they attract people from far and wide,  so as metaphors they represent a significant goal or attractive destiny. 

3.  ... when superman started invading my dreams …

When I started to dream of superman. 

4. During recess, David and I came into our own. 

To come into one’s own means to have the opportunity to show how good or useful someone is. Here the two children are good at imaginative play with Superman games.

5.  ... skin his fat knees.

To skin one’s knees means to hurt one’s knees by falling on a rough surface in a way that causes some skin to be removed.