Unit 2: Thinking and learning
Từ vựng Thinking and learning
📘 Giải thích tiếng Việt
Chủ đề: Thinking & Learning
Bài luyện nhóm từ vựng về tư duy và học tập ở trình độ C1–C2, chú trọng phân biệt các từ gần nghĩa và sắc thái tinh tế.
Tính từ chỉ thái độ dễ nhầm
biased (thiên vị) vs prejudiced (định kiến); dubious/sceptical (hoài nghi) vs cynical (yếm thế); naive (ngây thơ), plausible (nghe hợp lý), ingenious (khéo léo, tài tình).
Danh từ về ý nghĩ
hunch/intuition (linh cảm), notion (ý niệm), dilemma (thế tiến thoái lưỡng nan), ideology (hệ tư tưởng), paradox (nghịch lý), guesswork (phỏng đoán), genius (thiên tài).
Phrasal verbs tư duy
mull over / think over / mull through (cân nhắc kỹ), come up with / hit upon / think up (nghĩ ra), figure out / puzzle out / make out (hiểu, giải ra), piece together (chắp nối sự thật), face up to (đối mặt), brush up / swot up / read up (ôn luyện), come round to (đổi ý đồng tình).
Idioms & word formation
Thành ngữ: put two and two together (suy ra), ring a bell (nghe quen), in the dark (mù tịt), quick on the uptake (tiếp thu nhanh), split hairs (cãi vặt), take stock (nhìn nhận lại). Chú ý họ từ: believe → belief / disbelief, decide → decisive / indecisive, sense → sensible / sensitive / sensory.
Topic Vocabulary: Thinking
See page 224 for definitions
Topic Vocabulary: Learning
See page 225 for definitions
Phrasal Verbs
| brush up (on) | practise and improve your skills or knowledge of something |
| come (a)round (to) | change your opinion or decision because someone has persuaded you to agree with them |
| come up with | think of something such as an idea or a plan |
| face up to | accept something and try to deal with it |
| figure out | be able to understand something or solve a problem; understand what someone is like and why they behave in the way they do |
| hit upon | suddenly have an idea; discover something by chance |
| make out | see, hear or understand someone or something with difficulty; suggest, imply |
| mull over | think carefully about something over a period of time |
| piece together | learn the truth about something by considering all the separate bits of information you have |
| puzzle out | solve a confusing or complicated problem by thinking carefully about it |
| read up (on/about) | get information on a particular subject by reading a lot about it |
| swot up (on) | study something very hard, especially for an examination |
| take in | understand and remember something that you hear or read; accept something as real or true; trick someone into believing something that is not true |
| think over | consider a problem or decision carefully |
| think through | consider the facts about something in an organised and thorough way |
| think up | invent or imagine something, especially an excuse |
Phrases, Patterns and Collocations
account account for, (give) an account of, take into account, take account of, on account of, by all accounts, on sb's account
balance (hang) in the balance, strike a balance, upset/alter/redress the balance, balance between/of, on balance, off balance
basis basis for, on a daily/temporary/etc basis, on the basis of/that
belief express belief(s), belief in/that, contrary to popular belief, beyond belief, in the belief that, popular/widely held/widespread/firm/strong/growing belief
brain pick sb's brain(s), rack your brain(s), the brains behind, brainchild (of), brainstorm, brainwash, brainwave
conclusion bring sth to a conclusion, come to / arrive at / reach a conclusion, jump/leap to conclusions, in conclusion, conclusion of, logical conclusion, foregone conclusion
consideration take into consideration, give consideration to, show consideration for, under consideration, out of consideration for
doubt doubt that, have your doubts about, cast doubt on, raise doubts, in doubt, doubt as to / about, beyond (any) doubt, (a) reasonable doubt, without a doubt, open to doubt
dream dream of/about/that, have a dream, a dream to, a/the voice/dream of, in a dream, like a dream, come true, dreams like a dream
focus focus the, the focus of/on, in focus, out of focus
impression have/give the (false) impression that, do an impression (of), create/make an impression (on), under the impression, first impressions
mental make a mental note (of/about), mental arithmetic, mental illness, mental age, mental health
mind make up your mind, cross/be your mind, have/bear in mind, have a one-track mind, take your mind off, bring to mind, in two minds about, on your mind, state of mind, narrow/broad/closed/open-minded
perspective put into perspective, from another / a different / sb's / etc perspective, from the perspective of, in perspective, out of perspective, a sense of perspective
principle have principles, stand by / stick to your principles, principle of sth, principle that, in principle, a matter / an issue of principle, against sb's principles, set of principles
question beg the question, raise the question (of), a/the question is, in question, out of the question, without question, beyond question, some question over / as to / about, awkward question
sense sense that, see, sense, make sense (of), have the sense to, come to your senses, a sense of, in a/one sense, common sense
side side with sb, take sides, see both sides (of an argument), look on the bright side, on the plus/minus side, by sb's side, on sb's side, on either side (of)
straight set/put sb straight ahead of, set/put the record straight, get/come straight to the point, get sth straight, straight talking, straight answer
view view sth as, take the view that, take a dim/poor view of, come into view, in view of, with a view to, view on/about/of, that, in sb's view, viewpoint, point of view
Idioms
| go to your head | if success goes to your head, it makes you think that you are better or more important than you really are |
| have your wits about you | be able to think quickly and make sensible decisions |
| in the dark (about) | not knowing very much about something, because other people are keeping it secret from you |
| know what's what | know the important facts about a situation |
| not have a leg to stand on | not have any way of proving that you are right about something |
| not see the wood for the trees | used for saying that someone cannot understand what is important in a situation because they are thinking too much about small details |
| put two and two together | guess what is happening or what something means based on what you have seen or heard |
| quick/slow on the uptake | taking a very short/long time to understand or realise something |
| ring a bell | something that rings a bell sounds familiar to you, although you cannot remember the exact details |
| round the bend | crazy |
| split hairs | argue or worry about very small details or differences that are not important |
| take stock (of) | spend some time thinking about the situation you are in before you decide what to do next |
Word Formation
| Base word | Derived forms |
|---|---|
| assume | assumption, assuming, unassuming, assumed |
| believe | disbelieve, belief, disbelief, (un)believable, (un)believably |
| brilliant | brilliance, brilliantly |
| conceive | conceivable, concept, conception, conceptual, (in)conceivable, (in)conceivably |
| confuse | confusion, confused, confusing(ly) |
| convince | conviction, (un)convinced, (un)convincing(ly) |
| decide | decision, decider, decisiveness, deciding, (in)decisive(ly) |
| define | definition, defined, definitive(ly), (in)definite(ly) |
| doubt | doubtful(ly), undoubtedly, doubtless |
| explain | explanation, explanatory, unexplained, (in)explicable, (in)explicably |
| imagine | imagination, imaginings, imaginary, imaginative(ly) |
| judge | judgement, judiciary, judicious(ly), judicial, (non)judgemental(ly) |
| logic | logical(ly), illogical(ly) |
| opinion | opinionated |
| rational | rationalise, rationalisation, rationalism, rationality, (ir)rational(ly) |
| reason | reasoning, reasonableness, (un)reasonable, (un)reasonably |
| sane | sanity, insane, insanely, insanity |
| sense | (dis/semi)sensitive, (in)sensible, sensory, sensibility, sensitivity, (non)sensical |
| think | thought, thinker, thinking, thoughtfulness, (un)thinkable, thoughtful(ly), thoughtless(ly) |
| wise | wisdom, wise(ly) |
Exercise A
Topic vocabulary: Thinking. Select the correct word.
Exercise B
Complete using the correct form of the words in the box. More than one word might fit in each gap, but try to use all the words.
Exercise C
Each of the words in bold is in the wrong sentence. Write the correct words on the lines.
Exercise D
Topic vocabulary: Learning. Choose the correct word.
The Prime Minister's comments yesterday on education spending miss the point, as the secondary education system also needs a major overhaul. Firstly, the system only views the weakest learners as having special (1) ______. The brightest and most (2) ______ students are not encouraged to develop to their full potential. Secondly, there's too much testing and not enough learning. My fifteen-year-old daughter, for example, has just spent the last month or so (3) ______ for exams. These aren't even real, important exams, as her GCSEs will be next year. They're just (4) ______ exams, the work she's been doing really going to make her more (5) ______ about her subjects, or will she forget it all tomorrow? I suspect the latter. Thirdly, the standard (6) ______ doesn't give students any (7) ______ in developing practical work-related, living and social skills, or in skills necessary for higher education. How many students entering university have the first idea what the difference is between (8) ______ someone else's work and making good use of someone else's ideas? Shouldn't they have been taught this at school? How many of them are really able to go about (9) ______ - a skill that's essential at university because there are no teachers to tell you what to do - in an efficient way? Indeed, how many students (10) ______ from university totally unable to spell even simple English words correctly? The system is letting our children down.
Exercise E
Phrasal verbs. Match to make sentences.
Exercise F
Write one word in each gap so that each second sentence has a similar meaning to the first sentence.
I need to ______ over your offer very carefully before I make a decision.
Lee came ______ the brilliant idea of booking a clown for the end-of-term party.
It's time you faced ______ the fact that you've got responsibilities now.
I'm going to have to brush ______ my spoken German before I go to Munich.
I didn't like the idea at first but I've come round ______ it now.
There's nothing to swot ______ as it's a general knowledge quiz.
I was unable to ______ out what the speaker was saying because we were right at the back of the hall.
We finally puzzled ______ a way to get the band into the hotel without the press knowing.
I've been ______ up on the history of English language teaching recently.
Exercise G
Phrasal verbs with out, such as puzzle out, are often connected to the idea of finding information. Which of these phrasal verbs with out are also connected to this idea?
Exercise H
Phrases, patterns and collocations. Write one word in each gap.
Exercise I
For each question, write one word which can be used in all three sentences.
I'll come ______ to the point - you're fired!
It's time to set the record ______ about what really happened that night.
Many ______ illnesses can be cured these days.
I'm not very good at ______ arithmetic.
You really made an ______ on Pete - he hasn't stopped talking about you!
Why was I under the ______ that the exam was on Thursday?
Could I just pick your ______ about good places to eat around here?
We sat there racking our ______ trying to think of a place to take Paul and Doug in the evening.
I can't make ______ of this film at all - what's going on?
Unplugging a toaster before you try to fix it is just common ______, isn't it?
Winning a cruise on the Queen Mary was a ______ come true for me and Albert.
I've had the same recurring ______ for four nights in a row.
I'll give some ______ to your proposals and get back to you.
We stupidly didn't take changes in interest rates into ______ when we got a mortgage for our house.
Exercise J
Write one word in each gap.
I read this week that a new organisation called Don't Trust Online Information has been formed. The founder, Douglas Haverford-West, is quoted as saying, 'It's (1) ______ my principles to trust anything I read on the Internet. I've started this organisation (2) ______ the belief that there are millions like me who (3) ______ their doubts about information presented as fact that has not gone through a thorough editorial process. There's no question (4) ______ us shutting down the Internet - we don't want to do that - but DTOI has been set up with a (5) ______ to raising awareness.' I sympathise with Haverford-West, but I believe he's wrong. I made up my (6) ______ long ago not to completely trust anything I heard or read. Whether it's on the Internet or, say, in a newspaper, is irrelevant in my opinion.
Exercise K
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given.
It ______ that we'd have legal problems.
I've ______ that teaching is not the right profession for me.
Could you ______ your whereabouts last night, Mr Johnson?
The journalist ______ that she was a parent of one of the children.
You have to ______ logic and lateral thinking in this job.
I didn't tell Angie ______ Eddie.
Exercise L
Idioms. Complete using the words in the box.
Exercise M
Word formation. Complete the sentences by changing the form of the word in capitals.
Exercise N
The prefix il-, as in illogical, is often used to make a positive word negative. Which of the words in bold in the following sentences are negative forms of positive words?
Exercise O
Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the space.
Rhetoric
The (1) ______ (CONCEIVE) of 'rhetoric', or effective public speaking, dates back thousands of years. The underlying (2) ______ (ASSUME) behind rhetoric is that how you present an argument can greatly influence whether people are persuaded by you or not. There is (3) ______ (DOUBT) plenty of evidence to support this idea - it's practically (4) ______ (THINK), for example, for a successful politician to be a poor communicator - but is it just a question of style winning over substance? Certainly, it is often said of politicians that they talk complete (5) ______ (SENSE) but what they say they say with such (6) ______ (CONVINCE) that we tend to believe them, at least when they're in opposition. On the other hand, (7) ______ (WISE) and knowledge are of little value if you cannot communicate them effectively to your peers or to the next generation. It is the combination of clear (8) ______ (REASON), sound (9) ______ (JUDGE) and effective presentation and communication skills that defines true rhetoric. A true rhetorician should always come across as knowledgeable, and never as (10) ______ (OPINION) or ignorant.
