English Recordings

infamy
(n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as time passes.)

inhibit
(v.) to prevent, restrain, stop (When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.)

innate
(adj.) inborn, native, inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or practices.)

insatiable
(adj.) incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for blondes was a real problem on my recent holiday in Japan!)

insular
(adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off (Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs, those who work for MI5 must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other.)

intrepid
(adj.) brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)

inveterate
(adj.) stubbornly established by habit (I’m the first to admit that I’m an inveterate cider drinker—I drink four pints a day.)

gluttony
(n.) overindulgence in food or drink (Helen’s fried chicken tastes so divine, I don’t know how anyone can call gluttony a sin.)

gratuitous
(adj.) uncalled for, unwarranted (Every evening the guy at the fish and chip shop gives me a gratuitous helping of vinegar.)

haughty
(adj.) disdainfully proud (The superstar’s haughty dismissal of her co-stars will backfire on her someday.)

hypocrisy
(n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.)

impeccable
(adj.) exemplary, flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your brother’s, then you too would receive a car for a graduation present.)

impertinent
(adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)

implacable
(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun Grandmother’s cooking, she is totally implacable.)

impudent
(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young woman looked her teacher up and down and told him he was hot.)

incisive
(adj.) clear, sharp, direct (The discussion wasn’t going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)

indolent
(adj.) lazy (Why should my indolent children, who can’t even pick themselves up off the sofa to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to Burger King?)

inept
(adj.) not suitable or capable, unqualified (She proved how inept she was when she forgot two orders and spilled a pint of cider in a customer’s lap.)

empathy
(n.) sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own (I feel such empathy for my dog when she’s upset so am I!)

enmity
(n.) ill will, hatred, hostility (John and Scott have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.)

erudite
(adj.) learned (My English teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the most difficult and abstruse Old English poetry.)

extol
(v.) to praise, revere (Kamila extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving boyfriend.)

fabricate
(v.) to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to work.)

feral
(adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)

flabbergasted
(adj.) astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)

forsake
(v.) to give up, renounce (I won't forsake my conservative principles.)

fractious
(adj.) troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasn’t tired, his fractious behaviour - especially his decision to crush his jam sandwiches all over the floor - convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.)

furtive
(adj.) secretive, sly (Claudia’s placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not as furtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the first place most parents look.)

debase
(v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave himself debased his motives for running the charity.)

decry
(v.) to criticize openly (Andrzej Lepper, the leader of the Polish Self Defence party decried the appaling state of Polish roads.)

deferential
(adj.) showing respect for another’s authority (Donata is always excessively deferential to any kind of authority figure.)

demure
(adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.)

deride
(v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The native speaker often derided the other teacher’s accent.)

despot
(n.) one who has total power and rules brutally (The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws.)

diligent
(adj.) showing care in doing one’s work (The diligent researcher made sure to double check her measurements.)

elated
(adj.) overjoyed, thrilled (When he found out he had won the lottery, the postman was elated.)

eloquent
(adj.) expressive, articulate, moving (The best man gave such an eloquent speech that most guests were crying.)

embezzle
(v.) to steal money by falsifying records (The accountant was fired for embezzling €10,000 of the company’s funds.)

cajole
(v.) to urge, coax (Magda's friends cajoled her into drinking too much.)

callous
(adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer’s callous lack of remorse shocked the jury.)

candor
(n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the politician’s speech because she is usually rather evasive.)

chide
(v.) to voice disapproval (Hania chided Gregory for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance.)

circumspect
(adj.) cautious (Though I promised Marta’s father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.)

clandestine
(adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the library, Maria actually went to meet George for a clandestine liaison.)

coerce
(v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that David Beckham did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it.)

coherent
(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (William could not figure out what Harold had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)

complacency
(n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Simon tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.)

confidant
(n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, he became my chief confidant.)

connive
(v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my plans to start up a new business.)

cumulative
(adj.) increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent using the World English website was a vast improvement in his vocabulary and general level of English.)

aberration
(n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1974, Poland won the World Cup, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and Poland have not won a World Cup since).

abhor
(v.) to hate, detest (Because he always wound up getting hit in the head when he tried to play cricket, Marcin began to abhor the sport).

acquiesce
(v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Pospieszny wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands.)

alacrity
(n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Simon loved to help his girlfriend whenever he could, so when his girlfriend asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)

amiable
(adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Neil got along with just about everyone.)

appease
(v.) to calm, satisfy (When Jerry cries, his mother gives him chocolate to appease him.)

arcane
(adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane Kashubian literature.)

avarice
(n.) excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass an enormous personal fortune.)

brazen
(adj.) excessively bold, brash, clear and obvious (Critics condemned the writer’s brazen attempt to plagiarise Frankow-Czerwonko’s work.)

brusque
(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (Simon’s brusque manner sometimes offends his colleagues.)

After World War II, prewar Czechoslovakia was re-established, with the exception of Subcarpathian Ruthenia, which was annexed by the Soviet Union and incorporated into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Beneš decrees were promulgated concerning ethnic Germans (see Potsdam Agreement) and ethnic Hungarians. Under the decrees, citizenship was abrogated for people of German and Hungarian ethnic origin, who had accepted German or Hungarian citizenship during the occupations. In 1948, this provision was canceled for the Hungarians, but only partially for the Germans. The government then confiscated the property of the Germans and expelled about 90% of the ethnic German population, over 2 million people. Those who remained were collectively accused of supporting the Nazis after the Munich Agreement, and 97.32% of Sudeten Germans voted for the NSDAP in the December 1938 elections. Almost every decree explicitly stated that the sanctions did not apply to antifascists, although the term antifascist was not explicitly defined. Some 250,000 Germans, many married to Czechs, some antifascists, and also those required for the post-war reconstruction of the country, remained in Czechoslovakia. The Beneš Decrees still cause controversy among nationalist groups in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and Hungary.[8]
Carpathian Ruthenia was occupied by (and in June 1945 formally ceded to) the Soviet Union. In the 1946 parliamentary election, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was the winner in the Czech lands, and the Democratic Party won in Slovakia. In February 1948, the Communists seized power. Although they would maintain the fiction of political pluralism through the existence of the National Front, except for a short period in the late 1960s (the Prague Spring) the country was characterised by the absence of liberal democracy. While its economy remained more advanced than those of its neighbours in Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia grew increasingly economically weak relative to Western Europe.
In 1968, in response to a brief period of liberalization, five Eastern Bloc countries invaded Czechoslovakia. Soviet tanks rolled into Prague on August 21, 1968.[9] Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev viewed this intervention as vital to the preservation of the Soviet, socialist system and vowed to intervene in any state that sought to replace Marxism-Leninism with capitalism.[10] In 1969, Czechoslovakia was turned into a federation of the Czech Socialist Republic and Slovak Socialist Republic. Under the federation, social and economic inequities between the Czech and Slovak halves of the state were largely eliminated. A number of ministries, such as education, were formally transferred to the two republics. However, the centralised political control by the Communist Party severely limited the effects of federalisation.
The 1970s saw the rise of the dissident movement in Czechoslovakia, represented (among others) by Václav Havel. The movement sought greater political participation and expression in the face of official disapproval, manifested in limitations on work activities, which went as far as a ban on professional employment, the refusal of higher education for the dissidents' children, police harassment and prison

(about the improvement of youth unemployment)

Let me give a presentation on the subject.

First of all, I think, [for improvement of youth unemployment]
public officials must have the two following basic minds.

First, public officials need to have the idea that citizens and public officials
work together to develop their nation and city not by facing each other
but by reciprocal action.
second, public officials must put public interest before that of the individuals.

Also we all know that actual practice is more important than the knowledges.
But It's difficult for us to put them into practice.

[
Jobless growth occurs every where, every country.
That is to say, this is the proplem of the world.
Anyway, public officials with citizens have to pursue active thinking and minding
for improving youth umemployment.
And we all must try to improve it especially through specific systems.
]

Therefore, we have to make out effective and practical system strategically.

[
These systems, of course, must be designed to motivate unemployed young men
to work actively and to give them feelings of satisfaction.
]

Then now, I will suggest my some ideas based on two above-mentioned basic minds
[about the improvement of youth unemployment for the systems],
considering the practical action.

[
Number one, subsidize the salary of employees
for increasing companies hiring young workers.
Number two, recommand that employeer reduce working hours and increase more wokers.
Number three, make out various program about preparing to find a job,
for examples, getting certificed or skill training.
]

Number four, benchmark successful cases of the systems
in other cities or in private companies, furthermore in overseas,
and apply them to our system,
considering the distinct characteristics of our city and country.

In conclusion, I'd like to say this :

[
no matter what they say,
it is important for public officials to have the attitude
that they are capable enough to improve youth unemployment
to the fullest extent.
]

This is the end of my presentation.
thank you for listening.

(about creatively working)

Let me give a presentation on the subject.

First of all, I think, [for the creatively working] public officials must have
the two following basic minds.

First, public officials need to have the idea that citizens and public officials
work together to develop their nation and city not by facing each other
but by reciprocal action.
second, public officials must put public interest before that of the individuals.

Also we all know that actual practice is more important than the knowledges.
But It's difficult for us to put them into practice.

[
It's important that public officials have to pursue active thinking and minding
in any working. So they are to be creative and they work creatively
especially through specific systems.
]

Therefore, we have to make out effective and practical system strategically.

[
These systems, of course, must be designed to motivate public officials to work
actively, efficiently, furthermore creatively.
]

Then now, I will suggest my some ideas based on two above-mentioned basic minds
[about creatively working for the systems], considering the practical action.

[
Number one, when a problem occurs, find better solutions
by a systematic approach in solving the problem.
Number two, for solving the problems,
suggest various ideas actively
and esepcially freely though having some errors.
Number three, consider opinnions of citizens and experts carefully.
]

Number four, benchmark successful cases of the systems
in other cities or in private companies, furthermore in overseas,
and apply them to our system,
considering the distinct characteristics of our city and country.

In conclusion, I'd like to say this :

[
no matter what they say,
it is important for public officials to have the attitude
that they are capable enough to be creative and to work creatively
to the fullest extent.
]

This is the end of my presentation.
thank you for listening.

(about the problem of low birth rate)

Let me give a presentation on the subject.

First of all, I think, [for solving the problem of low birth rate]
public officials must have the two following basic minds.

First, public officials need to have the idea that citizens and public officials
work together to develop their nation and city not by facing each other
but by reciprocal action.
second, public officials must put public interest before that of the individuals.

Also we all know that actual practice is more important than the knowledges.
But It's difficult for us to put them into practice.

[
Anyway, we all, public officails and citizens,
try to make young married couples recognize
how urgent the low birth rate is for maintaining our society.
And we must try to solve the problem of low birth rate
especially through specific systems.
]

Therefore, we have to make out effective and practical system strategically.

[
These systems, of course, must be designed to motivate young married couples
to have babies without worries, and after all, to increase the birth rate.
]

Then now, I will suggest my some ideas based on two above-mentioned basic minds
[about solving the problem of low birth rate for the systems],
considering the practical action.

[
Number one, subsidize bringing up children not only to childhood
but also adolescence.
Number two, get ideas and opinions of young married couples actively and carefully
Number three, support essential vaccinations free of charge.
Some medical aids, of course now, are supported.
But maybe,
essential vaccinations needed for newborn babies are not supported for nothing
by now.
]

Number four, benchmark successful cases of the systems
in other cities or in private companies, furthermore in overseas,
and apply them to our system,
considering the distinct characteristics of our city and country.

In conclusion, I'd like to say this :

[
no matter what they say,
it is important for public officials to have the attitude
that they are capable enough to solve the problem of low birth rate
to the fullest extent.
]

This is the end of my presentation.
thank you for listening.