LEXICO FOR NEC 1 - TEST 1

• It is not definite that the company will accept our offer, but there's a ___________ chance so there is no reason not to try.

  A. sporting B. bragging C. pumping D. bubbling

  Key: A

  If there is a sporting chance that something good will happen, it is possible that it will happen
• She was ___________ with excitement, imagining how fun her first vacation abroad would be after years working without resting.

  A. bubbling over B. bristling at C. plodding along D. fawning over

  Key: A

  bubble over = to be so filled with sth (emotion, idea...)
• 3. I had to give up on having a pet dog because whenever it got sick, a trip to the vet would ___________.

  A. clear me out B. clean me out C. wipe me out D. dry me out

  Key: B

  clean somebody out = to use all of somebody's money
• Annie and John hid their relationship so well that it took Mary quite a time to ___________ to the fact that they were dating

  A. come down B. glom onto C. dawn on D. cotton on.

  Key: D

  cotton on (to something) = to begin to understand or realize something without being told
• By successfully ___________ two seconds off his last best time, our son has not only won the first prize but also set the world record.

  A. cutting B. clipping C. sizing D. gashing

  Key: B

  clip off = to reduce the time that it takes to do something by a particular length of time
• Parkour, an activity which used not to be heard of by many people in India, is now ___________ in this country.

  A. big B. faddy C. rife D. conventional

  Key: A

  big (adj) = popular with the public; successful
• I like both teaching and researching so the position of a professor in college is a kind of halfway ___________ between the two for me.

  A. house B. line C. road D. hunch

  Key: A

  halfway house = something that combines particular features of two other things, especially in order to try to please people who do not like the two things on their own
• Living in the commuter ___________ is fine, but I'm planning to move into the city centre.

  A. belt B. pane C. line D. skirt

  Key: A

  commuter belt = the area surrounding a large city, where many people who work in the city live.
• Be careful before you sign the contract, remember to read every details including the ___________ print.

  A. bold B. hidden C. fine D. clean

  Key: C

  the fine print = text in a formal agreement that is printed smaller than the rest of the text
• The food tour was great, except for the insects, they looked and tasted so horrible that I ___________ with disgust.

  A. gloated B. grimaced C. grinned D. chuckled

  Key: B

  grimace (at somebody/something) = to make an ugly expression with your face to show pain, dislike, etc.
• ___________ your heart and mind of sinful thoughts before you enter the pagoda.

  A. Clean B. Purify C. Liberate D. Cleanse

  Key: D

  cleanse (v) = to take away somebody's guilty feelings or sin
• Unfortunately, the victim didn't make it to the hospital, he was pronounced ___________.

  A. dead from the neck up B. dead on sight

  C. dead in the water D. dead on arrival

  Key: D

  dead on arrival = (of an accident victim or other patient) already dead when arriving at a hospital
• Despite the harsh flow of the stream, she ___________ her way through the water.

  A. powered B. struck C. directed D. led

  Key: A

  power (v) = to move or move something very quickly and with great power in a particular direction
• A career in marketing has always been what she desires, so she just ___________ herself in her work.

  A. immersed B. submerged C. engulfed D. dipped


  Key: A

  immerse yourself in something = to become or make somebody completely involved in something
• The polls are too close to call, and it looks like this election is going to be a real ___________.

  A. brain-teaser B. enigma C. cliffhanger D. buoyancy

  Key: C

  cliffhanger (n) = a situation in a story, film, competition, etc. that is very exciting because you cannot guess what will happen next, or you do not find out immediately what happens next
• She is very active and sociable, so it is surprising that she dates such a quiet and ___________ man like Khoi. (ASSUME)

  UNASSUMING (adj) = not wanting to be noticed
• I knew it! Jean was not at all a faithful husband. Now stop saying my suspicion was ___________ (FOUND)!

  2. ILL-FOUNDED/UNFOUNDED (adj) = not based on fact or reason
• After just 3 days, Donald has been able to dive ___________ into the pool. (HEAD)

  HEADFIRST (adv) = with your head in front of the rest of your body while you move forward
• Most homeless people in the US are ___________, they are all around cafes and restaurants ready to pick up wasted food or leftovers. (FREE)

  FREE-LIVERS/FREEGANS (n) = someone who lives with more than usual freedom in the gratification of physical appetites/someone who tries not to spend money by eating food and using things that have been thrown away or that are found in nature
• Sam was ___________ by Linda at first sight, no wonder she is considered a campus fairy. (TWITTER)

  TWITTERPATED (adj) = to be swept off your feet by someone you quite fancy