FIXED EXPRESSIONS
1. We may win, we may lose – it’s just the luck of the _______.(phụ thuộc vào số phận) A. chance B. draw C. odds D. fate
2. They’re having serious problems. Their relationship is on the _______.(gặp khó khăn, dễ bị tan vỡ) A. cliffs B. rocks C. stones D. grass
3. She’s a bit down in the............at the moment – her husband has just lost his job.(buồn bã, tuyệt vọng) A. world B. dumps C. heart D. bottom
4. I wish you would stop sitting on the...............and decide whose side you’re on.(tránh đưa ra quyết định) A. fence B. crossroads C. wall D. middle
5. I’m ..............to listen to your pathetic excuses,” She said. A. sick and tired C. in no mood B. having enough D. sick to death
6. If you need help, please don’t hesitate to call me. I can be there _______. A. in a fix B. in a flash C. in a daze D. in the bag
7. To say it is the best novel written in the last twenty years is going far _______.(cường điệu, quá đà) A. a long way B. over the top C. through a bad patch D. to great lengths
8. Inspector Morts was determined to get to the _______ of the mystery.(tìm ra nguyên nhân gốc) A. ground B. end C. bottom D. point
9. Getting away from the stresses of work would do you a _______ of good.(cực kì có lợi) A. sense B. taste C. virtue D. power
10. Although Gail thought she should have won first place, she _______ her pride and congratulated her rival.(làm gì đó
khiến mình cảm thấy xấu hổ) A. exerted B. swallowed C. bore D. aroused
11. The new professor is way ahead of the _______with his research into genetics.(đi trước thời đại) A. twist B. circle C. spin D. curve
12. Many companies seem to reach the _______ of disaster before anybody has tried to get something done. A. side B. precipice C. edge D. brink
13. I had spent two months worrying about it and I was glad to get it off my _______.(thú nhận, nói được ra) A. shoulders B. head C. chest D. mouth
14. The founder of the company decided to take a back _______ and let the board members run the business.(giữ vai trò không quan trọng) A. stage B. seat C. row D. door
15. The tendency is to respond to anger with anger, but in these situations, it pays to keep a cool _______.(giữ bình tĩnh) A. brain B. mind C. head D. top
16. Let me know of any pertinent developments, keep me in the ______.(giúp ai nắm bắt được tình hình) A. sphere B. ring C. circle D. loop
17. Once a major politician endorsed the young man’s candidacy, everyone ______ on the bandwagon and started
supporting him, too.(đồng tình, hùa theo) A. walked B. stepped C. jumped D. climbed
18. Charlotte ______ the new girl immediately, within hours of meeting each other they were best of friends.
A. took issue with(hoàn toàn phản đối)
B. took heart from(được khuyến khích, được làm cho thoải mái) C. took a
shine to(thích ai đó ngay lập tức)
D. took his hat off to(tán dương, thưởng ai đó)
19. After testing positive on a doping test, the renowned athlete was advised to lay low and avoid the press like the ______.(tránh hoàn toàn) A. plague B. hawk C. wildfire D. wind
20. Naturally, her parents were thrilled to ______ when they found out she had passed the exam with an A.(cực kì hài lòng) A. shreds B. heaven C. goodness D. bits
21. Normally, when he was late, he gave a pathetic excuse, but not this time, what he said had a ______ of truth about it.
(có vẻ khả thi, có thể tin được) A. figment B. glimmer C. ring D. shred
22. The football fans were coming in _______ to watch the final game. An hour before the kickoff the stadium was packed full.
A. fingers and thumbs (hậu đậu, ngượng ngùng) B. bits and bobs(mảnh nhỏ)
C. dribs and drabs(định kì, từng chút một) D. bibs and tuckers
23. The Government is trying to ________when it says it will spend more on the health service without raising taxes.
A. chew the fat(nói với ai 1 cách thân thiện, gần gũi) B. wave the flag(ủng hộ)
C. square the circle(làm 1 thứ gì đó rất không khả thi)
D. put the lid(ngăn cản cho sự việc bớt tồi tệ)
24. The government is using the taxes from the working class to bail out the banks that ruined the economy? That really ________!
A. sows wild oats(có nhiều quan hệ người lớn)
B. spills the beans(tiết lộ bí mật)
C. takes the biscuit(gây sốc, tức giận)
D. upsets the apple cart(làm vỡ lở kế hoạch)
25. I've searched ________ for that old photo album, but I can't find it anywhere.(tìm ở khắp nơi) A. high and low B. long and short C. straight and narrow D. thick and thin
26. They will provide a lot of amusement hopping _______ over the rocks from one puddle to another. A. up and down B. in and out C. back and forth D. back to front
27. A: ‘Oh, I’m exhausted! I’ve been doing homework all day.’
B: ‘Come and put your _______ up for 5 minutes and I’ll make you a cup of tea.’(nghỉ ngơi) A. hands B. hair C. heart D. feet
28. John was _______ a week after the accident, but he has not been able to come to football practice yet.
A. up and about(có thể đi được)
B. vim and vigour(đầy năng lượng, nhiệt huyết) C. fingers and thumbs D. life and death
29. I had been feeling very down in the dumps after being given the sack, but took ________ when a prestigious
employment agency booked two interviews for me.
A. stride(đối mặt 1 cách điềm tĩnh) B. shine(bắt đầu thích)
C. heart(tự tin, dũng cảm) D. issue
30. The sales assistants were so rude to me, I decided to take my ______elsewhere. A. income B. custom C. capital D. fortune
31. She had a strong desire to be a dancer but failed to make the ______.(thành công) A. grade B. term C. mark D. degree
32. I felt a bit _______ and seemed to have more aches and pains than usual.
A. out of sorts(không vui, không khỏe) C. on the mend B. over the worst D. under the fever
33. The artist was so prolific in his youth that by the time he reached his forties, he was a living ______. A. icon B. fable C. myth D. legend
34. I hope virtual friendships are not the ________ of things to come.(có khả năng) A. scheme B. form C. shape D. frame
35. Everyone dissolved into ________ of laughter when they saw my haircut. A. sets B. spells C. fits D. bouts
36. This is a very busy office and in your new position you will have to be able to think on your ________!(hành động quyết đoán) A. toes B. legs C. feet D. knees
37. Please ________ these figures to memory, so that you will be able to answer the investors’ questions easily and confidently. A. memorise B. recall C. retain D. commit
38. The challenges Ann encountered while assisting the medical charity in Africa brought _______ the best in her personality. A. up B. out C. about D. around
39. The plane had moved onto the runway and the cabin crew were standing _______ take-off. A. by for B. in for C. up for D. up to
40. If we're going to bring this company back to its former glory, we'll need a marketing team that can do ________. A. justice B. business C. credit D. miracles
41. I offered to do the job, but soon found that I was ________ as it was more difficult than I had thought. A. pushing up daisies B. knocking on wood C. in over my head D. off my hands
42. Now that you have more money, you’ll be able to ________ a little; you have no excuses any more. A. live it up B. make a break C. cut and run D. fly off the handle
43. Although he came to work the day before his retirement, everyone knew he was just ________. A. going with the flow B. going through the motions C. going against the grain D. going along with them
44. It gets my ________ that she expects to look after the children every afternoon. A. goat B. horse C. dog D. beetle
45. The documentary gave him such a ________ that he gave up smoking immediately. A. terror B. fear C. fright D. dread
46. It stands to reason that a touch of humor and optimism can work ____. A. on all cylinders B. spectacles C. wonders D. your fingers to the bone
47. Few people can do creative work unless they are in the right _____ of mind. A. frame B. trend C. attitude D. tendency
48. Fiona’s offered to help you. Don’t ask why – never look a gift _____ in the mouth. A. horse B. cow C. deer D. dog
49. The party was already _____ by the time we arrived. Everyone was singing and dancing. A. in full swing B. up in the air C. in the red D. under a cloud
50. Hats like this may have been fashionable in the 60’s, but now they are _____ the times. A. beneath B. under C. over D. behind
51. You say that this small spare part cost you $100? I am sure you paid through the _____ for it. A. eye B. nose C. ear D. lips
52. The Chairman ruled the speaker’s question ______. A. out of line B. out of tune C. out of order D. out of condition
53. When several companies showed interest in buying the film rights to his novel, he knew he had __________. A. upped the ante B. scooped the bag
C. caught the fat one D. hit the jackpot
54. She applied for paid leave but her boss rejected her application ________. A. out of hand B. in hand C. at hand D. on hand
55. We had to pay for our food but not for the drinks. They were on the ________. A. house B. cafe C. compliment D. consumption
56. Jerry has been burning the midnight ……… over the last few days; his final exam is soon. A. lamp B. light C. candle D. oil
57. We did our best to fix the broken computer but our efforts bore no …………… . A. success B. fruit C. luck D. end
58. I knew my mother would …………… a face the minute she saw my new haircut. A. drag B. lift C. pull D. raise
59. There are a lot of computer programmes nowadays, but really good ones are few and far ………… . A. between B. apart C. away D. amongst
60. He is such a kind and caring young boy - he wouldn’t hurt a …………… . A. bird B. worm C. fly D. bug
61. Could I pick your ____________on the subject before the meeting? A. brains B. mind C. head D. intellect
62. I found the information for the project in the encyclopedia but I couldn’t give ____________and verse on it. A. chapter B. unit C. poem D. extract
63. Speaking about his long battle with his illness struck a ____________with the audience. A. wire B. string C. rope D. chord
64. As he was running for a charity which was _____ to his heart, he felt even more determined to complete the race. A. warm B. near C. next D. close
65. When I got stuck in the elevator, I was scared out of my ________. A brains B head C wits D nerves
66. She was so ill that it was ________ whether she would live or not. A. win or lose
B. come and go C. touch and go D. on and off
67. Should you fail, the sacrifices made by your family would be meaningless and reside _______. A. on your conscience B. at your wits’ end C. off your own boat D. under your thumb
68. I was out of __________ with you on this matter, but let’s not quarrel about it. A. empathy B. harmony C. keeping D. sympathy
69. Poor management brought village shops to teeter _______ of collapse although community-owned shops, Internet
retailing and home delivery schemes were becoming more popular. A. In the teeth B. on the brink C. on the razor’s edge D. on the threshold
70. Mind that the baby shouldn’t touch the knife; it’s as sharp as a ________. A. blade B. sword C. cut D. razor
71. Children born out of _______ shouldn’t be made fun of. A. marriage B. marriage license C. wedlock D. home
72. I’ve just heard that argument before and quite frankly it just doesn’t ________! A. face the music B. hit the nail on the head C. carry weight D. hold water
73. Uncle Tom’s a ________ who prefer his own company to anyone else’s. A. drowned rat B. lone wolf C. lame duck D. top dog
74. Vicky walked into the room ________ as brass and made her demands to the group. A. bright B. bold C. proud D. loud
75. In Britain major decisions are made in the ________ of power in Westminster. A. aisles B. corridors C. hallways D. landings
76. The management are making ________ to increase the company’s efficiency. A. measures B. steps C. moves D. deeds
77. I found the training exhausting as the coach always pushed us to the _______. A. restriction B. border C. limit D. frontier
78. She loves reading – she always has her _______ in a book. A. nose B. eyes C. face D brow
79. Mr. Discontent wanted to complain to the waiter but was afraid of making a(n) ______. A. act B. drama C. play D. scene
80. ____________, the people who come to this club are in their twenties and thirties. A. By and large B. Although C. To a degree D. Virtually