Glossary diversity

GLOSSARY
diversity [daɪ'vɜːsɪtɪ] noun [S or U]
when many different types of things or people are included in something:
Does television adequately reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the country?
There is a wide diversity of opinion on the question of unilateral disarmament.


exceed [ɪk'siːd] verb [T]
to be greater than a number or amount, or to go beyond a permitted limit:
The final cost should not exceed $5000.
The success of our campaign has exceeded our wildest expectations.
She was found guilty on three charges of exceeding the speed limit.


franchise (BUSINESS) ['frænʧaɪz] noun [C]
a right to sell a company's products in a particular area using the company's name:
a fast-food franchise
a franchise holder


franchisee [frænʧaɪzi:] noun [C]
someone who is given or sold a franchise


outlet (SHOP) ['autlet] noun [C]
a shop that is one of many owned by a particular company and that sells the goods which the company has produced:
a fast-food outlet
a retail outlet


hemisphere ['hemɪsfɪə] noun [C]
half of a sphere, especially the Earth:
the northern hemisphere


GDP noun [U]
SPECIALIZED ABBREVIATION FOR Gross Domestic Product: the total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year:
If the GDP continues to shrink, the country will be in a recession.


global (WORLD) ['gləub(ə)l] adjective
relating to the whole world:
a global catastrophe/problem


penetrate (MOVE) ['penɪtreɪt] verb
a) [I or T] to move into or through something:
Amazingly, the bullet did not penetrate his brain.
In a normal winter, the frost penetrates deeply enough to kill off insect eggs in the soil.
The organization had been penetrated by a spy.
The company has been successful in penetrating overseas markets this year.
b) [T] If your eyes penetrate dark surroundings, you manage to see through them:
Our eyes couldn't penetrate the dark/the gloom of the inner cave.


penetrate (UNDERSTAND) ['penɪtreɪt] verb [I or T]
to study or investigate something in order to understand:
It's hard to penetrate her mind.
He penetrates deeper into the artist's life in the second volume of his autobiography.


premise ['premɪs] noun [C]
an idea or theory on which a statement or action is based:
[+ that] They had started with the premise that all men are created equal.
The research project is based on the premise stated earlier.


on-the-job
happening while you are working:
No formal qualifications are required for the work - you'll get on-the-job training.


snail [sneɪl] noun [C]
a small creature with a soft wet body and a round shell, that moves very slowly and often eats garden plants


at a snail's pace
extremely slowly:
The roads were full of traffic and we were travelling at a snail's pace for two hours.


trade (BUYING AND SELLING) [treɪd] noun [U]
a) the activity of buying and selling, or exchanging, goods and/or services between people or countries:
The country's trade in manufactured goods has expanded in the last ten years.
Seventy per cent of the country's trade is with Europe.
The two countries have signed a trade agreement for one year only.
The UK trade deficit widened/narrowed last month.
The chemical industry has a large and growing trade surplus.
b) business activity:
Since the supermarket opened, many small local shops have lost up to 50% of their trade.
In hot weather, shops do a roaring/brisk trade in (= selling a lot of) cold drinks and ice creams.