Vocabulary

1. credible

a. able to be believed or trusted

b. e.g.Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent

c. Noun:credibility

2. durable

(1) continuing to exist or work for a long time, even if the situation changes

e.g. We believe a durable peace can be achieved.

(2) able to stay in good condition for a long time and after being used a lot

e.g. This raincoat is made of very durable material.

Noun:duration

3. dispose

(1) get rid of by throwing away or giving or selling to someone else

e.g. The waste is disposed of in the North Sea.

(2) remove something such as a problem by dealing with it successfully

e.g. There just remains the matter of funding to dispose of.

(3) kill; destroy

e.g. Her lover came up with hundreds of schemes for disposing of her husband.

(4) defeat someone in a game, competition etc.

e.g. The league champions quickly disposed of the opposition.

Noun:disposal

4. speculation

n. [C, U] the act of guessing without knowing all the facts about sth., or the guesses that one makes

e.g. There is some speculation that the president was aware of the situation.

Verb:speculate

5. symbolize

vt. be a symbol of sth.; be considered as a typical or perfect example of sth.

e.g.What does the Statue of Liberty symbolize?

Noun:symbol/symbolism

Adjective:symbolic

6. secondary

a. happening after sth. else, or as a result of it; less important than sth. else

e.g. All other considerations are secondary to his safety.

7. cautionary

a. warning someone that they should be careful

e.g. This is a cautionary note on the abuse of power.

Adjective:cautious

Noun:caution

8. sacred

a. considered to be holy or connected with God in a special way

e.g. A church is a sacred building.

9. benign

(1) good, kind and nice

e.g. She is a benign old lady.

(2) (Medicine) (of a tumour) not malignant

e.g. Tests showed the lump to be benign / malign.

10. misleading

a. intended or likely to make someone believe sth. that is incorrect or not true

e.g. Your article contains a number of misleading statements.

Verb:mislead

Phrases

1. drop off

set down or unload (a passenger or goods), especially on the way to somewhere else

e.g.I can drop you off on my way home.

Antonym: pick sb. up

2. leave sth. behind

forget to take sb. or sth. with

e.g.It wasn’t until she was halfway home that she realized that she’d left her purse behind.

3. wipe out

destroy sth. utterly; get rid of sth. completely (the meaning originated from the act of wiping a mark off a surface)

e.g.The government is trying to wipe out drug trafficking.

Sentences

1. Factual or not, it’ s likely to rely on expert storytelling and on a trustworthy source, such as “It happened to my brother’ s friend’ s mother’.

Whether or not the story is true, it has to be told in a convincing way and the source has to sound reliable.

2. According to them, a myth … which contributed to the expression of shared beliefs and values.

The sentence means a myth played a part in the creation of a common world view, ie a culture.

3. Very few Londoners have seen them, but the friend of a friend has seen them several times.

People who believe in the Subterraneans do not claim to have seen them but to have been told the story. Such information is referred to as “second-hand”. Here the story is third-hand, from a friend’s friend. In other words, it is highly unreliable.