serious; earnest; sober; honest; sincere
banter; teasing; chaffing; merely asking the price; just looking at goods; window-shopping
the number of people; many people; a large number of people
to decrease (in size or number); to diminish; to abate
tedious; boring; dull; to feel bored; to get bored (with); to get tired (of)
textbook; coursebook; schoolbook
self-study; teaching oneself; studying by oneself (at school) while the teacher is absent
each (person); everyone; individual; respective
lower back; waist; hips; body (of hair, noodles, paper, etc.); resilience; spring
father and mother; parents
privacy; secrecy; confidentiality
situation; (present) state of affairs; circumstances
several people; some people; a few people; a number of people
participant; entrant; player; competitor
after (practically) no time; immediately after; just; having no time to
withdrawal; secession; separation; breakaway
person; -er; (arch.) expert; (arch.) geisha; (arch.) prostitute
to get fed up with; to get sick of; to become disgusted with
originally; from the start; from the beginning; none the worse (for); (coming out) even; in the same position (as before)
hope; promise; expectation; anticipation; side of a structural member
sneer; derision; scornful laugh; cold smile
three (long cylindrical things); three-of-a-kind (in a dealt hand)
high achiever; student with good academic results
declining birth rate; decline in the number of children; sub-replacement fertility
student preparing for or taking examinations (usu. entrance exams); test-taker
racking one's brains; worrying oneself; being anxious
continuing one's education into university
very; very much; greatly; considerably; highly; exceedingly
being in charge of (esp. a class or subject); taking charge of; class teacher; homeroom teacher; form teacher
head of year; teacher in charge of all classes for a whole year
club activities; extracurricular activities
deputy head teacher; vice principal
principal; head teacher; headmaster; headmistress
final; eventual; ultimate
dropping out of school; withdrawal from school; expulsion from school; dismissal; leaving school (university, etc.) after completing a course
unobstructed view; perspective; forecast; outlook; insight; foresight
department (in an organization, company, etc.); division; club (at a school, university, etc.); team; part; portion
sports club (e.g. at school); sports department (e.g. in a newspaper)
comparatively; relatively; fairly; considering ...; for ...; despite ...
to peel; to skin; to pare; to bare (teeth, fangs); to open wide (eyes)