Glossary
| Words and Phrases | Definition | In the text |
|---|---|---|
| 1. stretch out | make something continue for a longer period that was planned | time stretches out |
| 2. apathy | lack of interest in something | For a start, it can include a lot of other mental states, such as frustration, apathy, depression and indifference. |
| 3.indifference | lack of interest in something | For a start, it can include a lot of other mental states, such as frustration, apathy, depression and indifference. |
| 4. agitated | worried or upset | flat kind of emotion or whether feeling agitated and restless counts as boredom, too. |
| 5. infectious | (disease) spreading from one person to another | boredom may protect them from “infectious” social situations |
| 6. intriguingly | in a very interesting and mysterious way | Intriguingly, Goetz has found that while people experience all kinds of boredom, they tend to specialize in one. |
| 7. specialize in | to be very good at one particular field | Intriguingly, Goetz has found that while people experience all kinds of boredom, they tend to specialize in one. |
| 8. prone to | to be very likely to be affected by something | the kind of boredom each of us might be prone to |
| 9. not necessarily | not always | That doesn’t necessarily mean that it isn’t adaptive |
| 10. curiosity | a strong feeling to find out something | Other personality traits, such as curiosity, are associated with a high boredom threshold. |
| 11. associated with | linked with | Other personality traits, such as curiosity, are associated with a high boredom threshold. |
| 12. threshold | level | Other personality traits, such as curiosity, are associated with a high boredom threshold. |
| 13. detrimental | harmful | boredom has detrimental effects |
| 14. alleviate | to make something less serious | What can we do to alleviate it before it comes to that? |
| 15. distraction | something that prevents you from concentrating | using snacks, TV or social media for distraction |
| 16. speculate | guess | Psychologist Francoise Wemelsfelder speculates that |
| 17. stimulation | something that cause a person or thing to be more active or enthusiastic | instead of seeking yet more mental stimulation |
Exercise 1: Choose the best answer A, B or C.
- Success doesn’t ……………………………………. mean having great financial wealth.
A. necessity B. necessary C. necessarily
- Such a widespread political ……………………………………. among students is an alarming issue today. They don’t care about their country, and some of them do not even know the name of the president!
A. apathy B. curiosity C. threshold
- That chef specializes ……………………………………. Japanese dishes.
A. in B. on C. at
- One of the problems associated ……………………………………. illiteracy is poverty.
A. at B. with C. out
- Sometimes being forced to do something is great …………………………………….. for creativity. I have come up with a lot of good ideas when forced to do my assignments!
A. detriment B. stimulation C. indifference
- I feel a little bit whenever I am in an interview.
A. detrimental B. stimulated C. agitated
Exercise 2: Rewrite the following sentences.
- Young people nowadays don’t seem to take much interest in jobs related to farming.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Being mathematically intelligent doesn’t always mean being a successful person.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… - Interestingly, he managed to survive even though he didn’t know how to swim.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Collocations for Speaking and Writing
| indifference | complete indifference, feign indifference, callous indifference, indifferent to |
| curiosity | insatiable curiosity, arouse curiosity, out of curiosity |
| alleviate | alleviate a problem, alleviate an issue, alleviate the pain |
| detrimental | highly detrimental, prove detrimental |
Exercise 3: Complete the following sentences.
- Such_________indifference to environmental problems is a great threat to the society.
- He asked me this problem just ___ of curiosity.
- Sightings of UFOs _________ great curiosity among locals here.
- The doctor has prescribed some drugs to alleviate the ______
- Coal energy has been _________ detrimental to the environment.
