Unit 8 - Body and mind | Exercises and Flashcards

Unit 8, Speakout Advanced 3rd Exercises and Flashcards

These exercises focus on Unit 8, Speakout Advanced 3rd

Wordlist for Unit 8, Speakout Advanced 3rd

Word	Definition	Example
be tempted to	To feel an urge or desire to do something, often something you know you shouldn't	She was tempted to eat the chocolate
endurance	The ability to withstand hardship or continue despite challenges	Running a marathon requires great endurance
goggles	Protective glasses, often used in sports or swimming	He wore goggles to protect his eyes while swimming
swimming trunks	Shorts worn by men for swimming	He packed his swimming trunks for the beach
sterner stuff	Having a strong, resilient character	She is made of sterner stuff than you think
excruciating	Extremely painful or intense	He felt excruciating pain in his leg
draw attention	To make people notice something or someone	The bright dress drew everyone's attention
ferocious	Fierce, intense, or violent	The lion let out a ferocious roar
baffle	Fierce, intense, or violent	The puzzle baffles me
shunt	To push or move something, usually to the side	They had to shunt the car to the side of the road
perspire	To sweat	He began to perspire under the hot sun
subglacial	Located beneath a glacier	They studied subglacial lakes in Antarctica
get to grips	To start to understand or manage something challenging	He needs to get to grips with his new job
aptitude	A natural ability or skill in something	She has an aptitude for math
be in good shape	To be fit and healthy	He is in good shape because he exercises daily
get to grips with	To begin to understand or deal with something difficult	She must get to grips with her fear of flying
have a natural aptitude	To have a natural ability or talent for something	He has a natural aptitude for music
have a particular knack for	To have a special skill or talent for doing something well	She has a particular knack for solving problems
have a rare gift for	To possess an uncommon talent for something	He has a rare gift for painting
overcome setbacks	To move past difficulties or challenges	They managed to overcome many setbacks
show drive and determination	To demonstrate motivation and persistence toward a goal	She showed great drive and determination in her work
step outside your comfort zone	To do something new or challenging that feels uncomfortable	Try to step outside your comfort zone and try new things
clear-cut	Easy to understand or definite	The rules were clear-cut and easy to follow
far-fetched	Unlikely or hard to believe	His story sounded far-fetched
far-reaching	Having a significant, widespread impact	The decision had far-reaching effects
hard-wired	Naturally set in behavior or way of thinking	Humans are hard-wired to seek pleasure
life-long	Lasting for a person's entire life	She has a life-long love of reading
long-held	Held or believed for a long time	His long-held dream was to travel the world
time-honoured	Respected because it has existed for a long time	They followed time-honoured traditions
upcoming	Happening soon or in the near future	She is preparing for the upcoming exam
widely-held	Believed or accepted by many people	It is a widely-held belief that exercise is good for health
comforting	Providing a feeling of relief or calm	The blanket was very comforting
distressing	Causing worry or sadness	The news was distressing to hear
hypnotic	Soothing and mesmerizing, almost trance-like	The music had a hypnotic effect
involuntary	Done without conscious control	His sneeze was involuntary
nostalgic	Having a longing for the past	The old photos made her feel nostalgic
shrill	High-pitched and piercing sound	The alarm had a shrill sound
soothing	Calming or comforting	The sound of the waves was soothing
tingling	A slight, prickling feeling	She felt a tingling sensation in her fingers
unsettling	Causing a feeling of unease or discomfort	The movie was very unsettling
overlap	To partially cover something or have similarities with	The two circles overlap
synaesthesia	A condition where one sense is experienced through another (e.g., seeing colors when hearing music)	He experiences synaesthesia and sees colors when he hears music
tinfoil	Thin, metallic foil often used for wrapping food	She wrapped the sandwich in tinfoil
revolt	To feel intense disgust or rebellion against something	The people began to revolt against the government
explicit	Clearly and openly stated	The instructions were explicit and easy to follow
clutch	To hold something tightly	She had to clutch her bag tightly
flinch	To quickly move away due to fear or pain	He didn't flinch when the doctor gave him the shot
gasp	To take a sudden, quick breath in surprise or fear	She couldn't help but gasp at the surprise
grimace	To make a face showing pain or discomfort	He made a grimace when he tasted the sour lemon
make you squirm	To make you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable	The creepy story will make you squirm
set your teeth on edge	To cause irritation or discomfort	The loud noise sets my teeth on edge
start at	To react suddenly, often from surprise	He started at the sudden sound
wince	To make a slight face of discomfort or pain	She winced when she saw the injury
solicited	Asked for or requested	He solicited advice from his friends
fidget	To make small movements, often from nervousness	She tends to fidget when she is nervous
sedentary	Involving little physical activity	Too much sedentary activity is bad for health
twiddle away	To waste time on unimportant things	He twiddled away his time on his phone
engross	To be fully absorbed or engaged in something	The book was so good that it engrossed her completely
endeavouring	Trying hard to achieve something	She is endeavouring to learn a new language
giggle	To laugh in a small, silly way	The joke made everyone giggle
deliberate	Done on purpose or with intention	He gave a deliberate answer to the question
cognitive bias	A pattern of thinking that affects decisions and judgments	Cognitive bias can affect our decisions
activate symptoms of stress	To trigger or cause stress-related reactions	Lack of sleep can activate symptoms of stress
foster a positive outlook	To encourage or develop a hopeful attitude	Exercise can foster a positive outlook on life
keep our spirits up	To maintain a positive mood	We need to keep our spirits up during tough times
kick-start our brains	To stimulate or energize our thinking	A good breakfast can kick-start our brains in the morning
loosen muscles	To relax tight muscles	Stretching can help loosen muscles
offset food indulgences	To balance or counteract overeating	Exercise can offset food indulgences
open up to others	To share thoughts and feelings openly	It is important to open up to others about your feelings
take time to unwind	To relax and reduce stress	Remember to take time to unwind after work
crop up	To appear unexpectedly	Problems can crop up unexpectedly
mess with	To interfere with or disrupt	Don't mess with the computer settings
pass something on to	To give or transfer something to someone else	He will pass the book on to his friend
push you into a way of thinking	To influence you to think in a certain way	Advertising can push you into a way of thinking

FAQ

Why is learning body and mind vocabulary important?

These words help you describe physical sensations, emotional states, and mental processes more precisely, enabling clearer communication about health, well-being, and personal growth.

What does “step outside your comfort zone” mean?

It means taking risks or trying new experiences that challenge your usual routines or fears, promoting personal growth and resilience.

How does “endurance” relate to both body and mind?

Endurance refers to the ability to sustain physical or mental effort over time. Building endurance strengthens both physical fitness and mental fortitude.

What is “cognitive bias,” and how does it affect thinking?

Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that affects decision-making and judgment. For example, confirmation bias leads people to focus on information that supports their existing beliefs.

What’s the difference between “distressing” and “soothing”?

“Distressing” refers to something that causes discomfort or anxiety, while “soothing” describes something that calms or relieves tension.

How does “synaesthesia” affect perception?

Synaesthesia is a condition where stimulation of one sense leads to involuntary experiences in another sense, such as seeing colors when hearing music. It highlights the brain’s unique sensory connections.

What does it mean to “foster a positive outlook”?

To foster a positive outlook means to cultivate an optimistic and hopeful perspective, often by focusing on opportunities, gratitude, and resilience.

How does “activate symptoms of stress” occur?

Stress symptoms, such as increased heart rate or sweating, can be activated by external triggers like tight deadlines or personal conflicts, signaling the body’s fight-or-flight response.

What does it mean to “offset food indulgences”?

This phrase refers to balancing high-calorie meals or treats with healthy habits like exercise, ensuring overall physical well-being.

How can “take time to unwind” benefit mental health?

Taking time to unwind allows the mind and body to relax, reducing stress, improving focus, and enhancing overall well-being.

What does “make you squirm” describe?

It refers to feeling discomfort or embarrassment in response to something awkward, unpleasant, or cringe-worthy.

What’s the significance of “overcome setbacks”?

Overcoming setbacks demonstrates resilience and determination, helping you learn from challenges and continue pursuing your goals.

What does it mean to “keep our spirits up”?

This phrase means maintaining a positive attitude and staying motivated, even during difficult times.

How can physical activities “kick-start our brains”?

Exercise improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain, enhancing cognitive function, mood, and focus, which can energize your mental state.