leap: a leap is a big jump but it can also be used to suggest a sudden change.
in the limelight: limelight was originally a form of stage lighting before electricity. The expression 'in the limelight' now means being 'the centre of attention'.
at the height of: at the time when the situation was at its most intense.
defected: left a country with a particular political regime in order to escape that system.
to wow: to please, to impress.

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from a BBC news report.
Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.
leap / in the limelight / at the height of / defected/ to wow
1.

North Korea has denied sending spies into South Korea to murder the most senior official ever _____________ from the Communist country.
2.

It's certainly the case that the way most brides and grooms choose to preserve their brief moment _____________ has been evolving, away from the stuffy and predictable.
3.

"It gets people on board to have a look and they're ___________ by it. It's showing people that these boats are affordable, that they're not just for billionaires."
4.

Many see Australia moving away from its old allegiances, towards a future firmly within the Asian region. But can it make the emotional and cultural _______ to replace Europe and America at the centre of its consciousness with Asia?
5.

The Pistols, having recently sworn on tea-time telly, were ____________ their notoriety, many of the tour dates were cancelled, and protesters gathered to sing carols and pray for the misguided souls inside the town's Castle Cinema.