The Complete Guide To The TOEFL Test

Section 1 • Guide to Listening Comprehension

87

10. When the train stopped,

a mysterious looking woman in a black raincoat ___________ .

(he

train and found her seat.

12.

Do you

_... your new roommaliC, or do you two argue?

13.

"That run-down old house (iut navid bought looks terrific."

"Yes, he's

it

_ beautifully, hasn't he?"

14.

"Has Edward

. ________ you lately?"

"No, he hasn't. I don't think he has my new telephone number."

15.

"Will the concert start soon?"

"It should ______

_ ____.___ any minute no\v."

16.

Living by the ocean really ___

____ your ____ . Once you've lived here, you never

want to leave.

17.

This is the last stop. Everyone has to

_____ the bus here.

get the hang of something

learn how to do something

give a hand

applaud; clap

give a hand (with)

assist

go easy on

not punish SC\ trely

go on (with)

continue

go overboard

do too much; buy too much

go with

(1) accompany

(2) look good together; complement (for example, two articles of clothing)

go without saying

be clear; be obvious

grow up

to mature; to become an adult

hand in

give back to;

return

hand out

distribute

hangon

wait

hard to come by

difficult to find

have a heart

be compassionate; show mercy

have a hunch

have an intuitive feeling

have a word with (someone) talk to someone briefly

have on

wear

have one's hands full

be very busy; have a challenging job

have the time of one's life

have fun; have a great time

hear fIrsthand (from)

get information directly from someone

hear from

be contacted by; be in touch with

hear of

know about; be familiar with

hit it off

become friendly (especially at a first meeting)

hit the road

leave; go away

holdon

wait

hold on (to)

grasp

hold still

not move

hold up

delay

1.

Everett was born in the South, but he ________ in Michigan.

2. At the beginning of the class, the instructor

the quizzes and told the

students they had ten minutes in which to finish.

3.

After ten minutes, the students

___ ._.__ their quizzes to the instructor.

4.

"Have you ever

William Carlos Williams?"

"I believe so. He was a poet, wasn't he?"

"Yes, but I'm going to

my studies in graduate school."

7.

while I take your photograph.

I don't want the picture to be blurry.

"That

. In fact, she'll probably have the best grade in the class."

13.

"What _______ .

your flight?"

"There was a big snowstorm in Denver that delayed a lot of flights."

14.

"Have you

Maureen since she went to Hawaii?"

"Yeah, I got a postcard from her yesterday. She said she's ____________

____ her

and never wants to come home."

18.

It's getting late. I'd better

if I want to get home by midnight.

19.

"Can 1_______

______

you now, Professor Rivera?"

"I've got to go to class right now. Drop by my office later, and we'll talk then."

20.

"You sure bought a lot of groceries."

"Yeah, I guess I ______

. I should never go grocery shopping when I'm hungry."

in a nutshell

in summary; in brief

in favor of

in agreement with; supporting

in hot water

in trouble

in no time

very soon: \'ery quickly

in person

face to face (not by telephone, letter, etc.)

in store

in the future;

coming up

in the dark

not knowing: confused

in the long run

over a long period of time

in the same boat

in the same situation; having the same problem

iron out

solve (a problem)

join the club

have the same problem as other people

jump to conclusions

form opinions without sufficient evidence

keep an eye on

watch; take care of; look after

keep an eye out (for)

look for

keep on (with)

continue

keep track of know where something or someone is

keep up (with)

maintain the same speed as

kill time

spend time doing unimportant things (before an appointment, for example)

know like the back of one's hand

be very familiar with

layoff

put out of work

learn the ropes

become Lli~;iliar with; get used to; get the hang of

leave out

not include;

omit

leave someone/something alone

not disturb

let someone down disappoint

let up

decline in intens;ty (rain ror example)

look after

take care of. mind

look for

try to locate

look forward to

anticipate (with pleasure)

look into

investigate

"Guess we're ___. _.

. ._______.___ ~..... _. I've got to study too."

13.

"Should we stop and spend the night at this motel?"

"No, let':-- __._

driving for a few more miles."

14.

If you find a baby animal in the woods, don't touch it. Just _

it

15.

I

al! over town

. a good used car, but 1 couldn't tind one.

16.

Stella's SI ;ter _____._

her baby while Stella is at work.

17, "Ifyou don't know how to use this software, why don't you ask Joanne to help?"

"1 did ask her, but I'm still _

______ _____ . I didn't understand a word she said."

"It took her awhile, but I think she's finally __________ ._~ there."

22.

Are you

..__. ___. . _.. __ this proposal or against it?

23.

"Are you familiar with tl1is neighborhood?"

"I grew up here, so 1 ~__

_ ___ my ____

look up to

respect; admire

make a fool of oneself

act embarrassingly

make a point of

make a special effort

make ends meet

balance a budget

make sense (of)

be logical and clear; understand

make up

invent; create

make up one's mind

decide

Section 1 • Guide to Listening Comprehension 91

mixed up

confused

music to one's ears

something that sounds pleasant

a nervous wreck someone who is very nervous

next to nothing

very little (money, for example); cheap

no doubt about it

certainly;

definitely

no harm done

there was no damage done

not at all

not in any way; not to any Licgrce

not believe one's ears (or eyes)

be unable to believe what one hears (or sees)

not think much of

not like; not have a good opinion of

odds and ends

small, miscellaneous items

an old hand (at)

an experienced person

on edge

nervous

on end consecutively, without a break (days on end, for example)

on hand

easily available

on needles and pins

nervous; an'inus

on one's own

independent'

on second thought

after reL.,blclering

on the go

always busy; alwaY",llJ"'clng

on the tip of one's tongue

:drnost able to remember

on the whole

in general

out of (something)

nO! j;,,\ing something

out of one's tnind

insane: illogical; irrational

out of order

broken;

not functioning propcr!~

out of the question

definitely not; impossihk:

over and over

again and again;

repeatedly

over one's head

not understandable (a joke, for example); obscure

"Wait, no-

___ ~___ _____________

, I think I'll have the chicken."

3. Is this story

rrue, or did you just __..

it

6.

I don't have much cash

but I can get some from an automatic teller

machine.

7.

What a confusing movie! Tcouldn't

__ _

it.

8.

"You did a fine job on this research paper. especially on the hlbliography."

"Thanks. T

___ getting the bibliography exactly right. I did

it ______ .

____ until it was perfect."

9. "What's Fntz's c\H!~in'" name'"

"It's ___________

_____ my _______ , but I can't quite remember."

10.

"Hello. I'd like to rest"ne ;t room'

r this \yeekend."

'Tm afraid that's __~~ ______ _

____

_______ . The hotel is fully booked this

weekend:'

1R. "How did vou do on your final exams'"

"Great! I

them all ___ .___

_.

19. I'm going to

__ this magazine _. ___.

t<.>r now and read it later.

ring a bell (with)

sound familiar to

rough it

experience somewhat difficult or primitive conditions

rule out

say something is impossible: eliminate

run a temperature

have a fever

run for office

try to get elected

run into

(1) meet unexpected I,: bump into

(2) collide with

run late

be late; be in a hurry

run of the mill

ordinary

run out of

exhaust the supply of

save one's breath

don't bother asking someone

search me

I don't know; 1 have no idea; beats me

see (someone) off

accompany (to an airport or train station, for example)

see to

take care of;

check on; fix

serve one right

receive the proper punishment; get the penalty one deserves

short for

a nickname for

show around

orient; give a tour

show off

try to attract attention by unusual behavior

show up

arrive

shut down

close

sign up (for)

enroll (f<.>r a class, for example)

sing another tune

change one's opinion; feel differently

size up

measure; estimate

sleep on it

postpone a decision until the next day

slowly but surely

gradually; steadily but not quickly

snowed under

very busy

so far,

so good

up until now, there are no problems

sooner or later

at some indefinite future time

speak one's mind

say what one is thinking

speak up

speak more loudly

speak up for

support verbally

spell out (for)

make something very clear; explain in detail

Section 1 • Guide to Listening Comprehension 95

2.

"This pipe is leaking again."

"We'd hetter have a plumher _____

it."

3.

I was late because I _________________

... ___ gasoline.

4.

Write down your ideas ___._. __._

If you wait to write them down, you may forget

them.

5.

When the factory _____ _ _______ , hundreds of workers were laid off.

8.

"Have YOll ever heard of an actor named Anthony ReecP"

"Hmmm. I don't think so. The name doesn't

me at all."

9.

"Frank duesn'{ take a hint very well, dOl'~' he l "

"No, you han' to

things ___ ___ ______ Frank. lie likes even thing crystal clear."

13.

I don't like to go to parties too early.

I'd rather.

a little bit late.

14.

It's expensive to _ .____ ._____

these days. Political campaigns cost a lot of

money.

15.

"So, do YOll plan to buy this motorcycle or not?"

"I'm still not sure. Can I ____

it and let you know tomorrow morning?"

17.

"I'm collecting money for the Red Cross. I think I'll ask Pat to contribute."

., ______ your .. __.. . __ . Pat never contrihutes to anything."

18.

"Are you going to medical school?"

";'\Jot this year,

hut I wouldn't _____

it

in the future."

19.

I ________

. _

myoId friend Leslie downtown yesterday. 1 hadn't seen her for months.

20.

"1 undcrsta nd you're learning how to speak Russian."

'Yes, and it was really hard for me,

especially at ttrst. Now, though, 1'm _______

...____ getting the hang of it."

21.

"Your sister's name is Jessie?"

"That's what everyone calls her-it\

____

_._. ______ Jessica."

22.

"Have a busy night at the restaurant·

"We weren't just husy-we were

_____

.! I've never seen so many customers'"

23.

"I feel terrible.

1 have a terrihle cold or maybe even the flu,"

"Are you______

.___ ' If you have a fever, then you probably have the flu."

24.

My brother and I agree on most issues,

but 1 sure don't ___

him ____.__ this proposal to build a new stadium.

spick and span

extremely clean; spotless

stack up against

compare with

stamp out

eliminate; wipe out

stand for

(1) tolerate;

pm lip with

(2) symbolize represent

stand out

be noticeahle

stay out

not come hOIlH>

stay out (or up) to all how·s

come home (or go to bed) very late

stay up

not go to bed

stick with

not change; stay with

stock up on

get a large supply of something

a stone's throw from

not far away from; close to

stop by

visit informally; go to see

straighten up

clean up; make tidy

stuck with

have something one cannot get rid of

take a break

stop working for a short time

take a lot of nerve

require a lot of courage

take a lot out of (someone)

be hard on someOIW; drain energy from someone

take advantage of

lItilize; make use of; exploit

take after

resemble; look like (especially an older relative)

take apart

disassemhle

take it easy

relax;

calm down

1. Vaccines have permitted doctors to virtually

a number of diseases, including

smallpox and polio.

2.

"How late do you usually ____>___

?"

"I'm normally in bed by eleven on weekdays."

3.

"How late do you usually

on weekends?"

"1 sometimes don't come home uatil two or three in the morning."

4.

"Do you __ _

__ your mother or father?"

"1 don't think I look mllLil like either one of them."

5. Earl had no troub1e

_____

the engine on the lawn mower, hut then he couldn't put

it back together.

6.

You look a little tired. Why don't you _____________

_> _______ and finish your homework

later?

7.

The teacher won't

_____ cheating. When she caught one student cheating on the

mid-term exam, she gave him a zero on that test.

8.

"I tried and tried to find a huyer for this old car."

"Looks like you're___

it for now."

9. "My brother is going to invest all his savings in a new business venture."

"That

_____ _____ ________

> I'd be afraid to take a risk like that."

10.

"I give up. I can't solve this chemistry problem."

____ ______

it Eventually, you'll figure it out."

11.

We have to leave the apartment ________

. The landlord said that if it wasn't

clean when we moved out, we'd lose part of our security deposit>