Vocabulary Exercises

Ex. 1. Match the words and word combinations in the left column with the correct definitions in the right column. Then complete the sentences below with words in the suitable form from the left column.

1. fringe benefit a) post-Second-World-War generation in the USA with a great increase in birthrates

2. to surge b) (e.g. of a job) not requiring much effort

3. quandary c) to hoodwink; deceive; trick; mislead smb

4. hefty d) homeless child

5. toddler e) to move forward; to increase suddenly or abnormally

6. to fret about smth f) state of doubt; dilemma

7. wastrel g) to resort to or put into use (e.g. a law, ruling, penalty) as pertinent

8. to invoke smth h) child who has just begun to walk

9. wrenching i) to worry; to be troubled

10. the “baby-bust”/ j) payment or service received in addition to the

baby-boom generation salary earned at a job; usually includes health and life insurance

11) to pull the wool over k) colloq. big and strong

over smb’s eyes

12) cushy l) causing emotional stress and anguish

1. President, Congress and state legislatures have provided more generous … to indigent working mothers with dependent children. But they have made it more difficult for non-working mothers to … public assistance.

2. Economists have detected an increase in wages among never-married single mothers, even as the supply of such low-wage workers … .

3. The situation is most … for middle-income parents who cannot afford quality care and who are not subject to government assistance.

4. An in-depth study shows that a sixth of all school-age children turn into … for part of every day to fend for themselves.

5. One of the … policymakers are faced with is the fate of commercial day-care centers, as those make up nearly 40 per cent of the licensed spaces across Canada.

6. Some parents enroll their children in baby-sitting cooperatives, as they … the kids’ being isolated with a nanny.

7. According to an ongoing study on … by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, children in high-quality center-based care outperform kids in other kinds of care in verbal interaction and cognitive skills.

8. What’s most important, is that the caregiver be responsive – and that she take her job not as a … piece.

9. The revived interest in center care follows a … infusion of cash that has, in some places, improved its quality and affordability.

10. … might prefer to think of their generation as the leaders of social progress, but the facts show otherwise.

11. The vast majority of some 2 million Canadian children receive care from untrained sitters, who often try … parents’ eyes by submitting fake references.

Ex. 2. Match the words and word phrases on the left with synonyms or synonymous expressions (A)/antonyms or antonymic expressions (B) on the right.

A 1) to fill the void a) neglectful, indifferent

2) exhaustive research b) to think the world of smb

3) to plummet c) to hoodwink smb

4) “latchkey kids” d) to be at the heart of the issue

5) to get in with the wrong crowd e) to bridge/fill the gap

6) lackluster f) to fall steeply; shrink

7) to be in the forefront g) unsupervised kids; kids in “self-care”

8) child-minder h) to get involved with troublemakers

9) to pull the wool over smb’s

eyes i) in-depth studies

10) to sing smb’s praise j) a nanny/care-giver/sitter

B 1) to go out of the workplace a) to surge/escalate

2) an overriding problem b) to be stripped of all pretence

3) to take a personal toll c) to get in with the wrong crowd

4) to band together d) in the care of a sibling

5) to create a totally false image

of oneself e) a non-issue

6) (childcare) of distressingly

poor quality f) to disintegrate

7) to know smb fractionally g) high-quality supervision

8) to get smb on the right path h) to pour into the laborforce

9) under adult supervision i) to become a national preoccupation

10) to plummet j) to know smb backwards

Ex. 3. Read the text and fill in the blanks with suitable words or word combinations in the correct form from the box below.

family-care setup be riddled with potholes verbal interaction

low-income reputable agency high-quality supervision

full-time vanishing pay off handsomely sign up

childcare option entrust to switch smb into in-depth

dividing-line turnover and absenteeism caregiver preschool

enriching activities fit in with nursery hours invoke

“gut feeling” affluent visibly beneficial day care arrangement