CAE GOLD UNIT 4

1. the pot of gold (at the end of the rainbow): great wealth or
something very good which someone hopes or tries hard to get, but is not
very likely to get: I believe that perfection is not only impossible to achieve
but - rather like trying to find _____ mythical __________ _______
_________ at the end of the rainbow.

2. fall short: be less than the amount or standard that is needed or that
you want: When procedures and safeguards ____________
__________ , accidents can happen.
3. doom (sb) to (frustration/failure/defeat/extinction): (usu passive)
make some- one or something certain to fail, die, be destroyed etc:
Expecting perfection ________s you _________ frustration.

4. diminish (confidence/motivation): become or make something

become smaller or less: Lack of such satisfaction will compromise the
value placed on the outcome and so ____________ motivation .
5. get stuck in (the detail): start doing something eagerly and with a lot
of energy: They sometimes ________ so _________ ___________ the
detail that they forget the goal.
6. (get) stuck in (a rut): be in a boring job that is hard to leave: He was
making a good living at it but was bored and felt __________ _________
a rut .

7. (get your) message across: manage to make someone understand or

believe something: The media are a powerful way of getting
____________s ___________ to citizens, since up to 95% of people use
the media as a prime source for all types of information
8. lingering (process): continuing to exist for longer than is usual or
desirable:
She had a _______________ sense of guilt for some time after breaking
off her relationship with Henry.
9. strive (for perfection/greater efficiency): make a great effort to
achieve some- thing: We must continue to ____________ for greater
efficiency.
10. bear in mind: remember a fact or piece of information that is
important or could be useful in the future: I think it's good to ___________
__________ __________ that old saying: less is more.

11. content with: satisfied with: No one is saying that you should lower
your standards and be _________ __________ average performance.
12. fulfil (your potential): achieve the thing that you hoped for, wished
for: In
all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits, express your
power, and _____________ your potential .
13. aim (high): try or intend to achieve something: The point is still to
______ high and put in 100 per cent effort.

14. win (an/the advantage): get something that you want because of
your efforts or abilities: Whichever captain gets all of their cogs tied on the
rope wins an advantage for their team.
15. (take) advantage (of): treat someone unfairly in order to get what you
want: Don't lend them the car - they're taking ___________ of you!

16. (start/cause an) argument: a situation in which two or more people

disagree, often angrily: He was deliberately trying to start an
____________.Money often causes _______________.
17. (suffer)difficulties: problems or something that causes trouble: He
rarely saw his parents, and suffered ___________ in school due to his
poor English skills. 18. (fulfil/realise a) dream: a wish to do, be, or have
something: I fulfilled a child- hood ___________ when I became
champion.
19. (achieve/reach/seek) perfection: the state of being perfect:
Constantly seeking ___________ can slow down business development,
and someone else may hit the market first.
20. (gain/achieve/deserve/win/lose) popularity: when something or
someone is liked or supported by a lot of people: Her books achieved
tremendous_____________ on both sides of the Atlantic.
21. (reach/achieve/develop/realise/have) potential: the possibility that
something will develop in a particular way, or have a particular effect:
Labour Party is building philosophies of empowering people, of realising
__________ rather than wasting it. 22.
(receive/deserve/win/accept/give/earn) praise: words that you say or
write in order to praise someone or something: The film has won
____________ from audiences and critics alike.
23. (achieve/reach/fulfil/have/hit/miss) target: something that you are
trying to achieve: The government may fail to achieve its ____________
of recycling 25% of domestic waste.
24. (receive/accept/get/deserve/express/give) thanks: used to tell
someone that you are grateful: There have been so many wonderful,
dedicated people who have helped over the years, and they all deserve
____________ .
25. (encounter/suffer/receive a) setback: a problem that delays or
prevents progress: The team's hopes of playing in Europe suffered a
____________ last night.
26. (trust/doubt/follow/rely on your) intuition: the ability to understand
or know something because of a feeling rather than by considering the
facts: In judging other people, we have to rely on _________ and
empathy.

27. (get/gain/receive) exposure: the attention that someone or

something gets from newspapers, television etc: The failure of their
marriage has got a lot of _________ recently.

28. (gain/receive/get) inspiration: a good idea about what you should

do, write, say etc: He gets much of his ___________ from the classical
poets.
29. (exceed/fulfil (fml)/have an) expectation: what you think or hope
will happen: The band failed to fulfil the fans' ___________s.

30. (fulfil/realise/achieve an) ambition: a strong desire to achieve

something: It took her ten years to achieve her ________.He was
prepared to go to any lengths to fulfil his ____________.I want to thank
all those who made it possible for me to realize a lifetime's ___________.

31. (grab/grasp/take/seize an) opportunity: a chance to do something

or an occasion when it is easy for you to do something: She saw an
___________ to speak to him, and seized it.
32. (seize) power: the position of having political control of a country or
government: The military _______ed power in 1927.

33. (take/seize) control: the power to make the decisions about how a
country, place, company etc is organized or what it does: His son is being
trained to take __________ of the family business.
34. grasp (the fact): completely understand a fact or an idea: At that
time, we did not fully __________ the significance of what had happened.
35. (grab/take/seize the) chance: the possibility that something will
happen, especially something you want: We grabbed the _____________
to meet the President. 36. envisage (doing sth): think that something is
likely to happen in the future: I don't ______________ working with him
again.

37. grant (sb sth): formal to give someone something or allow them to
have some- thing that they have asked for: The council have
___________ed him permission to build on the site.
38. (business/commercial) venture: a new business activity that
involves taking risks: His bankruptcy was the result of several reckless
business _____________s. 39. pin down: understand something clearly
or be able to describe it exactly: Many people tried to explain the secret of
success but they fail to ________ it _________. 40. daunting: frightening
in a way that makes you feel less confident: He's got the ____________
task of following in Ferguson's footsteps.

41. (feel/get) flustered: confused and nervous: If you do get

____________ after a mistake then you're likely to make another one.
42. elude: if something that you want ___________ you, you fail to find or
achieve it: She took the exam again, but again success ____________ed
her.

43. malaise: a general problem that is difficult to describe in an exact

way: It is a ____________ that affects both intellectuals and the masses.

44. belated (recognition/realisation/acknowledgement): happening or

arriving late: The statement was a ____________ acknowledgement that
the project had not been a success.
45. cram: force something into a small space: A lot of information has
been ______________med into this book.

46. viable (solution): an idea, plan, or method that can work

successfully: The committee came forward with one _____________
solution.
47. per se: formal used to say that something is being considered alone,
not with other connected things: The color of the shell _____________
____________ does not affect the quality of the egg.

48. (have an) aversion to: a strong dislike of something or someone

SYN hatred: Despite his ____________ to publicity, Arnold was
persuaded to talk to the press. 49. poignant (reminder/image/moment
etc): making you feel sad or full of pity 50. fleeting: lasting for only a
short time SYN brief: For one _____________ mo- ment, Paula allowed
herself to forget her troubles.

51. indiscriminately: without a plan: Simply by collecting new products

___________, MacMath had ensured that his hoard would come to
consist over- whelmingly of unsuccessful ones.
52. hoard: a collection of things that someone hides somewhere,
especially so they can use them later: The excavated _________ was
taken to the British Museum. 53. doomed to (failure/defeat/extinction
etc): make someone or something certain to fail, die, be destroyed etc:
Many species are ____________ _________ extinction.