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backup school
Meaning: An alternative choice you pursue if your first choice doesn’t work out.
Example: When her dream college rejected her, she went to her backup school and thrived.
make my own magic
Meaning: To create impressive results through personal effort or ingenuity.
Example: Without mentors, he made his own magic by building a community from scratch.
sneak downstairs
Meaning: To move quietly and secretly to a lower floor, usually to avoid being noticed.
Example: As a kid, I’d sneak downstairs to play games after bedtime.
Note: Phrasal verb — “sneak” often implies secrecy or rule-breaking.
stay up late
Meaning: To remain awake beyond the usual bedtime.
Example: She stayed up late to finish her design draft before the pitch.
Note: Common everyday phrasal verb about schedules and routines.
come across (a show)
Meaning: To find or encounter something by chance.
Example: I came across a documentary that changed how I think about cities.
Note: Phrasal verb — often used with media, ideas, or people.
see the invisible
Meaning: To reveal or detect things that are normally hidden or imperceptible.
Example: Data visualizations help executives see the invisible in their operations.
light up
Meaning: To become illuminated or highlighted; figuratively, to become excited or joyful.
Example: Her face lit up when she spotted her old friend in the crowd.
Note: Phrasal verb — literal (illumination) and figurative (emotion).
zero in on
Meaning: To focus precisely on a specific target or detail.
Example: The analyst zeroed in on three KPIs that explained the downturn.
Note: Phrasal verb — common in research and troubleshooting contexts.
go through (boxes)
Meaning: To pass through or examine thoroughly.
Example: She went through the archive to find the missing contract.
Note: Phrasal verb — physical passage or careful checking.
reflect back
Meaning: To bounce back after hitting a surface; figuratively, to mirror thoughts or feelings.
Example: The coach reflected back the team’s goals to keep them aligned.
Note: Phrasal verb — technical in physics, figurative in communication.
X-ray vision
Meaning: The (metaphorical) ability to see through or detect hidden things.
Example: Audits give leaders X-ray vision into broken processes.
teach (my) spells to a robot
Meaning: To encode skills or instructions so a machine can perform them.
Example: We taught the robot our pick-and-place “spells” for the packaging line.
Note: Figurative phrasal phrasing — “spells” as algorithms or routines.
adapt itself to
Meaning: To adjust to new conditions or environments autonomously.
Example: The app adapts itself to your habits after a week of usage data.
Note: Phrasal verb — common in AI/automation contexts.
open up new possibilities
Meaning: To create new opportunities that didn’t exist before.
Example: Remote work opened up new possibilities for global collaboration.
Note: Phrasal verb — often used for innovation and discovery.
first responders
Meaning: Emergency personnel who arrive first at the scene, like EMTs or firefighters.
Example: The new locator tool helps first responders find survivors faster.
low visibility
Meaning: Conditions where it is difficult to see due to smoke, fog, darkness, etc.
Example: Drones can navigate safely even in low visibility with thermal cameras.
the cherry on top
Meaning: A final, pleasant addition that makes something even better.
Example: The bonus week off was the cherry on top after a tough quarter.
one step closer
Meaning: Nearer to achieving a goal or reaching a desired state.
Example: Each prototype brings us one step closer to a production-ready device.
AR headset
IPA: /ˌeɪˈɑːr ˈhɛd.set/ (UK & US)
Meaning: A wearable device that overlays digital information onto the real world using augmented reality.
Meaning: A wearable device that overlays digital information onto the real world using augmented reality.
Example: She used her AR headset to locate her lost shirt by visualizing wireless signals.
wireless signals
IPA: /ˈwaɪə.ləs ˈsɪɡ.nəlz/ (UK & US)
Meaning: Invisible electromagnetic waves, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, used for communication and detection.
Meaning: Invisible electromagnetic waves, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, used for communication and detection.
Example: Wireless signals scattered through the environment allowed the headset to detect hidden objects.
declutter
IPA: /diːˈklʌt.ər/ (UK), /diːˈklʌt.ɚ/ (US)
Meaning: To remove unnecessary items from a space to make it more organized.
Meaning: To remove unnecessary items from a space to make it more organized.
Example: The robot could declutter the basket to retrieve the hidden keychain.
Other Listening Exercises
Could AI Give You X-Ray Vision?
In progressB1 · 6:47