conceive

 conceive

= to form an idea or plan in your mind 

Mark conceived a plan to expand his IT business.

Mark conceived a new app while enjoying his morning coffee.

Mark conceived a strategy to help his company succeed.

Susan conceived an idea for a university food festival. 

Susan conceived a plan to visit a different restaurant each week.

 

Some synonyms and antonyms for “conceive”:

Synonyms:

Imagine

Devise

Formulate

Envision  

Antonyms:

Forget

Ignore

Dismiss

Abandon 

Question: What does “conceive” mean in this sentence?

Mark conceived a plan for his business.

A) Forget a plan

B) Form an idea

C) Follow a rule

D) Share a meal  

Operation: Secret Snack

Susan conceived an idea for a university food festival. As a proud football player, a dedicated foodie, and an undercover aspiring secret agent known to her uncle as "Susan Bond," she always dressed in sharp black shirts and trousers. While brainstorming for the annual campus food booth, she scratched her chin and whispered into her wrist comms, "What is the ultimate fuel for a professional spy on a high-speed mission?"

After weeks of deep research into espionage nutrition, she finally cracked the code. Spy food had to be stealthy, quick, and completely ridiculous.

When the festival began, Susan proudly set up her stall beneath a dramatic banner that read: "The Spy Food!"

What did the food turn out to be? Instead of fancy international cuisine, her entire table was stacked high with microscopic bags of invisible cotton candy, spy-pen licorice that leaked temporary green ink, and "classified" cheese sandwiches wrapped in shredded top-secret documents.

The bizarre menu completely surprised the bustling campus audience. Students whispered and gighed, wondering if eating a donut would self-destruct in five seconds.

Just then, Mark strolled past the booth. Between running tech companies, managing sports cars, and fishing on weekends, Mark always loved a good joke. Spotting his clever niece, Mark clapped his hands and laughed aloud.

"Brilliant!" Mark declared, winking at the crowd. "It is very good for a spy to eat during a mission! Nothing beats an invisible snack when you are dodging laser beams."

Boosted by Mark’s endorsement and the sheer curiosity of hungry students, the booth went viral. Sales skyrocketed instantly, breaking every campus record in university history.

That evening, Susan, Mark, and Chloe gathered at a local diner to celebrate. While Chloe enjoyed a normal, ordinary cup of coffee, Susan polished off a victory burger. They clinked their glasses together, celebrating the ultimate triumph of Operation: Secret Snack.

Questions

Question 1: Story Details

What made Susan's food booth stand out at the university food festival?

A) She sold very expensive gourmet meals cooked by professional chefs.

B) She served strange, spy-themed items like invisible cotton candy and secret-document sandwiches.

C) She sold sports car accessories and fishing gear to students.

D) She gave away free coffee to everyone who walked past her table.

Question 2: Vocabulary Check

Read the sentence from the story: "Susan conceived an idea for a university food festival."

Based on this sentence, what does the word "conceive" mean?

A) To forget a plan completely

B) To buy something expensive from a store

C) To form an idea or plan in your mind

D) To cook a meal for a large group of people

conduct

 conduct

= behavior—especially the way someone acts

Mark’s conduct at work was always professional.

Mark showed respectful conduct during meetings in the IT industry.

Mark’s conduct improved after he started weekend meditation.

Susan’s conduct in the university was friendly and polite.

Susan showed good conduct when meeting new friends on campus.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "conduct":

Synonyms:

behavior

behavioral

actions

demeanor

Antonyms:

misbehavior

disorder

carelessness

rudeness

 

Question: What does “conduct” mean in “His conduct was good”?

A) Bad weather

B) Real and definite facts

C) Behavior

D) Sports car model

The Ultimate Coding Irony

Mark’s conduct at work was always professional. As a successful IT engineer who loved fast sports cars and strong coffee, he always maintained a polite and polished demeanor in the office, even if his actual programming was sometimes a bit messy.

On this particular Friday, the real Mark spent the whole day at the office writing a brand-new software program. As soon as he finished, Mark proudly shouted at the screen, "Perfect code with a perfect man!"

All the work was completed, and Mark left early with a relaxed mood to go enjoy the day.

At the same time, back at Mark's house, his advanced android—the robot Mark—remotely hacked into the company system to check all the work the real Mark had just done in the office.

After checking the files, the robot Mark giggled and spoke to itself, "So many careless mistakes!"

In fact, the robot found its human creator's programming errors so hilarious that the robot Mark giggled for almost three hours without stopping. Then, its power was used up and changed to sleep mode.

When Mark went back home later that evening, he knew nothing about what had happened, except he saw the robot Mark was sleeping on the sofa, completely unaware that his own robot thought his coding was a disaster.

Question 1

What does the word "conduct" mean as it is used in the sentence "Mark’s conduct at work was always professional"?

A) The physical clothing and shoes a person wears to the office.

B) The way a person behaves and acts in a specific environment.

C) The speed at which a computer program runs code.

D) The electrical wiring inside a modern robot.

Question 2

Based on the story, why did the robot Mark giggle for almost three hours without stopping?

A) Because it watched a funny comedy movie on television.

B) Because Susan told it a hilarious joke about football.

C) Because it checked the work the real Mark did in the office and found many careless mistakes.

D) Because its battery was completely full and malfunctioning.

appalling

 appalling 

= very bad, shocking, or horrifying

Mark found the appalling traffic frustrating on his way to work.

The appalling quality of the coffee made Mark skip his morning cup.

Susan thought the appalling smell in the cafeteria was unbearable.

The appalling test results made Susan study harder. 

The appalling noise during the lecture distracted Susan.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "appalling":

Synonyms:

horrifying

dreadful

shocking

terrible

Antonyms:

pleasant

wonderful

delightful

good

Question:

What does "appalling" mean?

A) Very bad

B) Very good

C) Exciting

D) Ordinary

The Scooter Rescue

Mark found the appalling traffic frustrating on his way to work. One sunny morning, he drove his red shiny sports car to his office. He felt like a movie star until—BAM!—a truck full of rubber chickens crashed ahead. The road turned into a parking lot. Mark felt frustrated and began to get mad because he had a lot of work to do. He had an important meeting at nine o'clock!

Because of the traffic jam, Mark discovered that his red shiny sports car didn't work! The engine made a sound like a sick cat. While sitting in the car and going nowhere, he suddenly thought of Susan and called her to help.

Then, Susan used her scooter to find Mark on the highway. She was wearing a pizza helmet and carrying three boxes. Mark shouted, "Hey, Susan, I'm here! I need your help!" Susan waved her hand. She actually used her scooter to deliver pizza to a client. Anyway, Mark was more important than anything. Susan helped him first. Mark slowly parked his sports car on the highway, and Susan drove him to the office with her scooter! They zoomed past angry drivers, and the wind blew Mark's hair into a crazy bird's nest.

Mark went to his office on time and said to Susan, "A lifetime pizza and bubble milk tea for your reward!" Susan laughed and accepted it. She even gave him a free slice of pepperoni. It was the tastiest business meeting ever.

Question 1:

Why did Mark feel frustrated in his sports car?

A) Because Susan forgot to bring pizza.  

B) Because the appalling traffic stopped him from getting to work.  

C) Because his girlfriend Chloe stole his car.  

D) Because he did not like bubble milk tea.

Question 2:

What does "appalling" mean in the sentence "Mark found the appalling traffic frustrating"?

A) Very beautiful and relaxing.  

B) Very bad, shocking, or horrifying.  

C) Very fast and exciting.  

D) Very small and unimportant.

stark

 

stark

= strong, clear, or sharply defined

強烈、清晰或鮮明定義的;

There was a stark difference between these two football teams.

這兩支足球隊之間有明顯的差異。

The painting showed a stark contrast between light and shadow.

這幅畫展示了光與影之間的鮮明對比。

The stark cold of winter made everyone want to stay indoors.

冬天刺骨的寒冷讓每個人都想待在室內。

There is a stark gap in resources between urban and rural schools.

城市和農村學校之間在資源上存在明顯差距。

Some synonyms and antonyms for "stark":

Synonyms:

Clear

Sharp

Distinct 

Severe

Antonyms: 

Vague

Faint

Soft  

#English #Vocabulary #EnglishLearning #Grammar #英単語 #英語学習 #TOEIC #IELTS

What does "stark" mean?

A) Soft

B) Clear and strong

C) Colorful

D) Small

contradict

 contradict

= to go against or conflict with something

Mark’s sales figures contradict the claim that his business is struggling.

Mark’s IT report contradicts the assumption that the software is working perfectly.

Susan’s growing list of friends contradicts the claim that she avoids meeting people.

Susan’s empty plate contradicts her promise to eat only a little.

Susan’s invitation to the new students contradicts the idea that she is shy about making friends.

 

Some synonyms and antonyms for “contradict”:

Synonyms:

oppose

conflict

deny

dispute  

Antonyms:

agree

support

confirm

affirm  

Question: Which sentence uses contradict to mean “go against or conflict with something”?

A) Mark’s report contradicts the rumor.

B) Mark reads a book.

C) Susan enjoys lunch.

D) Susan meets a friend.  

The True Cost of Love (and Sports Cars)

Mark was sipping his third espresso when he received the bad news from the Quality Control department. He frowned at his computer screen. The report contradicted the assumption that the software was working perfectly.

"Oh, really?" Mark whispered to himself, rolling his eyes. As a successful businessman in the IT industry, he hated bugs almost as much as he hated slow traffic.

After two hours of typing furiously, Mark finally fixed all the glitches. He leaned back in his comfortable office chair and sighed in relief. It was time to relax and figure out what to eat for dinner. He put on his headphones, opened YouTube, and clicked on a classic music video: Jennifer Lopez's Love Don’t Cost a Thing.

He chuckled at the lyrics. "Love don't cost a thing? Hmm... credit cards aren't exactly romance," he pondered.

Later that evening, Mark left work to meet his practical and lovely girlfriend, Chloe. They had booked a table at the most expensive luxury restaurant in the city. Over plates of fancy lobster and sparkling cocktails, Mark decided to ask her a random question.

"Have you ever heard that song? Love Don't Cost a Thing?"

Chloe wiped her mouth with a silk napkin. "Yes, it’s a very old song. Why?"

"Do you agree with it? The love doesn't cost a thing?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.

Chloe smiled warmly. "Oh, I believe it doesn't cost too much, I bet."

They had a wonderful dinner, laughing and enjoying the romantic atmosphere. After paying the massive bill, Mark walked Chloe to his absolute pride and joy: his shiny red sports car.

Before Mark could open the driver's door, Chloe suddenly held out her hand. "Can I drive your car? You drank a bit of a cocktail, honey. It's not good to drive!"

Mark hesitated. He loved that car more than his weekend fishing trips. "Alright," he replied nervously. "But please be careful!"

Then, the bad thing happened. When Chloe got behind the wheel, she stepped on the gas pedal a little too hard. She drove too fast, panicked, and BAM! She bumped straight into a traffic light!

Luckily, they didn’t get hurt at all. However, Mark’s pocket definitely got hurt! Looking at the crushed front bumper of his beautiful vehicle, Mark suddenly shouted at the sky, "Love don't cost a thing?!"

This time, love cost exactly ten thousand dollars to repair his shiny red baby!

Questions

1. Why did Mark shout "Love don't cost a thing?!" at the end of the story?

A) Because he was happily singing along to the Jennifer Lopez song on the radio.

B) Because Chloe crashed his sports car, meaning his "love" would actually cost a lot of money to fix.

C) Because the luxury dinner was completely free.

D) Because Robot Mark broke his car on a Friday.

2. Read this sentence from the story: 

"The report contradicted the assumption that the software was working perfectly." 

Based on the definition of the word, what does "contradicted" mean in this sentence?

A) To completely agree with and support an idea.

B) To fix a broken computer program very quickly.

C) To go against or conflict with what people originally thought.

D) To make a loud noise when crashing a car.