C1 22-23/5/17

p.141

mind you (also mind) British English used when saying something that is almost the opposite of what you have just said, or that explains or emphasizes it

He looks very young in this photo. Mind you, it was taken years ago.

I love hot weather, but not too hot, mind.

I don’t say I wanna live there, mind you.

u name it

bleak-> cold and without any pleasant or comfortable features

sparse-> existing only in small amounts

monotonous

cloudless

snow-capped

rustic /ˈrʌstɪk/

night-time

rolling

lush-> plants that are lush grow many leaves and look healthy and strong

rich

open

idyllic /ɪˈdɪlɪk, aɪ- $ aɪ-/

ex‧panse /ɪkˈspæns/ noun [countable]  a very large area of water, sky, land etc

expanse of

an expanse of blue sky

vast/wide/large etc

expanse the vast expanse of the ocean

blot noun [countable] 

1 a mark or dirty spot on something, especially made by ink ink blots

2 a building, structure etc that is ugly and spoils the appearance of a place

The new power station is a blot on the landscape.

3 something that spoils the good opinion that people have of someone or somethingblot on

The increase in juvenile crime is a blot on our time.

I don’t go in for the chocolate box vista

plough (also plow American English) /plaʊ/ noun [countable] 

1 a piece of farm equipment used to turn over the earth so that seeds can be planted

2 → under the plough

Wilderness /ˈwɪldənəs $ -dər-/ ●●○ noun [countable usually singular] 

1 a large area of land that has never been developed or farmed

 the Alaskan wilderness

p. 143

be instrumental in (doing) something

formal to be important in making something happen 

He was instrumental in developing links with European organizations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

Intensifying but to a limited degree with a gradation

Fairly -> quite -> pretty -> rather