1. Lesson 28

2. Section one • hurdle: a problem, difficulty, or part of a process that may prevent you from achieving sth • dread: a feeling of great anxiety and fear about something that may happen • sting: cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort • jitter: a small irregular movement • secretarial: of or relating to a secretary or to a secretary's work • petrified: extremely frightened, perhaps too frightened to think or move

3. falter: lose confidence and stop doing sth or start making mistakes stammer: speak with difficulty, hesitating and repeating words or sounds stage fright: a feeling of fear or nervousness that some people have just before they appear in front of an audience ogre: a large, cruel, frightening man who often eats people Squirm: move body from side to side, usually because one is nervous or uncomfortable revere: regard with feelings of respect and reverence

4. mercenary: profit oriented, only interested in the money upbringing: the way that one’s parents treat him and the things that they teach you when he is growing up irrelevant: not connected with what one is discussing or dealing with sidle: walk in a quiet or cautious way, as if one does not want anyone to notice him fidget: keep moving hands or feet slightly or changing position slightly, for example because one is nervous, bored, or excited twiddle: twist sth. or turn quickly with fingers

5. clutch: hold tightly, usually because one is afraid or anxious bunch: a group of people who share one or more characteristics or who are doing something together excerpt: short piece of writing or music which is taken from a larger piece prospectus: a detailed document produced by a college, school, or company, which gives details about it clip: a small device, usually made of metal or plastic, that is specially shaped for holding things together

6. cocky: so confident and sure of one’s abilities that one annoys other people interrogate: (a police officer) question sb. thoroughly for a long time in order to get some information sober: not drunk frumpy: primly out of date laid-back: unhurried and relaxed serene: calm and quiet

7. Section two • poll: a survey in which people are asked their opinions about something, usually in order to find out how popular something is or what people intend to do in the future • auditor: an accountant who officially examines the accounts of organizations • portion: a part of sth. • gorgeous: very beautiful and attractive • crisp: pleasantly hard • exemplar: someone or something that is considered to be so good that they should be copied or imitated

8. senate: the smaller and more important of the two parts of the parliament in some countries slim: very small (chance or possibility) ballot: a vote in which people select a candidate in an election, or express their opinion about sth

9. Section three • consonant: a sound such as 'p', 'f', 'n', or 't' which you pronounce by stopping the air flowing freely through your mouth • formidable: extremely impressive in strength or excellence