Шушунова Наиболее употребителные идиоматические 2011

Quiz 1: Money

1.This job is my bread and butter, so

a)I don't really need it.

b)I don't get paid for it.

c)I can't afford to lose it.

2.She gave us a ballpark figure for the cost because she

a)didn't know the exact amount.

b)knew how much a ballpark cost.

c)wanted to tell us the exact amount.

3.Kylie has decided she wants a nest egg, so she's

a)gone to the shop to get one.

b)saving as much as she can.

c)learning how to grow one.

4.Which type of person is most often accused of corruption involving vested interests in companies?

a)English teachers

b)dairy farmers

c)politicians

5.He cooked the books of his business, and now he

a)has been arrested.

b)can't read them.

c)has to eat them.

6.Harold has very deep pockets, and

a)he doesn't have much money.

b)he keeps losing his keys.

c)he spends a lot of money.

7.If you buy something that's dirt cheap, the quality will probably

a)be excellent.

b)be very low.

c)be quite high.

8.Pete lost a hundred dollars on a bet, and then said "Oh, well. Easy

come, easy go. ''

He wanted us to think that

a)he was very upset about it.

b)he didn't care about it.

c)he could easily win it back again.

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9.Larry was always trying to think of ways to make easy money because he

a)didn't like working much.

b)liked to work hard .

c)couldn't make difficult money.

10.Government officials in the Republic of Amoralia feather their own nests by

a)catching birds.

b)taking bribes.

c)working hard.

Quiz 2: Money

1.Most people have been feeling the pinch because of

a)falling prices.

b)steady prices.

c)rising prices.

2.My company went out of business because we

a)wanted to increase sales.

b)couldn't make a profit.

c)couldn't make a loss.

3.It was obvious that many people had greased the chief of police's palm because he had

a)become very poor.

b)become very rich.

c)become very greasy.

4.If you are in the black, you

a)are owed money.

b)owe money.

c)don't owe money.

5.If someone is in the red they

a)are owed money.

b)owe money.

c)don’t owed money.

6.If people find something that makes them a lot of money, they often kill the goose that laid the golden egg because of

a)their kindness.

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b)their greed.

c)their anger.

7.Bob asked if I could give him loan, and I said, "I'm not made of money, you know.

Why don't you

a)ask someone else for a loan?"

b)ask me to borrow some money?”

c)lend someone else some money?”

8.After Julie made a killing on the stock exchange, she

a)did her time in jail.

b)recovered in a hospital.

c)celebrated in a nightclub.

9.I’ve got a bad headache this morning. I guess I’m paying the price for

a)drinking too much alcohol last night.

b)some aspirins I bought last night.

c)the hotel we stayed in last night.

10.They got to see the final game, but they paid through

the nose for their tickets because

a)they weren’t selling well.

b)they were so hard to get.

c)they didn't have much money.

Quiz 3: Money

1.These Persian carpets cost the earth, so

a)they must be good quality.

b)they can't be very good.

c)let's get them while they're cheap.

2.Our friend said "For my money, bookshops charge too much compared to online bookstores."

This means

a)he buys books from online bookstores.

b)he thinks bookshops charge too much.

c)he can't afford books sold in bookshops.

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3.Fiona earns just enough to make ends meet, so

a)she's looking for a better-paying job.

b)she's saving up for a car.

c)she has plenty of money.

4.Larry is a very generous guy and he

a)never picks up the tab.

b)always picks up the tab.

c)occasionally picks up the tab.

5.This girl I knew in high school has had an unusual life. She went from rags to riches after she

a)got a job in a bank.

b)lost millions of dollars gambling.

c)became a top international model.

6.Before we could talk turkey about the deal, we had to

a)see the samples.

b)pay the money.

c)go to Turkey.

7.Carrie will have to tighten her belt because

a)she's been putting on weight.

b)she’s lost her job.

c)she's short of time.

8.Newspapers reported that some basketball referees have received under-the-table payments for

a)refereeing their games.

b)influencing the score in some games.

c)playing golf in their free time.

9.Thanks to some very good wheeling and dealing, Graham

a)won the game of cards.

b)passed his driving test.

c)got the building contract.

10. James says the one thing in life that's worth its weight in gold is

a)a good education.

b)a gold necklace.

c)a life sentence.

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Unit 2

20 Idioms based on Numbers

a one-track mind

If someone has a one-track mind, they spend most of their time thinking about one subject;

• Brian's had a one-track mind since he started his own company. All he thinks about now is business and making money.

a zero-sum game [AmE]

a situation in which one person can win only what another person loses;

кто-то теряет , кто-то находит; выигрыши уравновешиваются проигрышами

• The stock market has become a giant zero-sum game in which one investor gains what another investor loses.

• In a zero-sum game, if you add the total gains of the participants and the total losses of the participants, the sum will always be zero.

Origin: From game theory, a branch of applied mathematics that is used in the social sciences, especially economics.

Variety: This idiom is typically used in American English but may be used in other varieties of English too.

against all (the) odds

If you do something against all odds, you do it even though there were many problems and it didn't seem possible to do; несмотря на все трудности; наперекор всему;

•He had a serious accident and was close to death but, against all odds, he recovered and now he's fine.

•No-one thought we could do it but, against all the odds, we won the Olympic gold medal.

back to /at square one

in the same situation you were in before you started to do something, with no progress made; начать все сначала, с нуля; вернуться к началу;

•We were going to start the new company next month, but it's back to square one now that Omar has changed his mind about investing in it.

•After they lost the election, the Liberal Party had to go back to square one and come up with some new policies and some new ideas.

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kill two birds with one stone

to achieve two aims with one action; убить двух зайцев

• I need to go to the bank, and if I drop the books off at the library on the way I'll be killing two birds with one stone.

once and for all

completely and finally; окончательно, раз и навсегда;

•Jim said he's decided once and for all that he's going to stay single and never get married again.

•I was tired of getting new glasses every few years so I decided to solve my eyesight problem once and for all and have laser surgery.

once in a blue moon very rarely

•My daughter lives in Brazil and she only comes to see us once in a blue moon; maybe every two or three years if we're lucky.

one in a million

If you say someone is "one in a million", you mean they're an exceptionally good person ; уникальный , один на миллион;

•My grandmother was the kindest and sweetest old lady ever. She was one in a million.

Note: In American English, "one in a hundred" and "one in a thousand" are also used, and they have the same meaning.

par for the course

If something is par for the course, it's what you'd expect it to be;

обычно, нормально; то, чего следовало ожидать

•Bill hasn't paid his rent on time, but that's par for the course. He's always late.

•I had an appointment to see my doctor at three but I had to wait an hour. I know waiting is par for the course when it comes to doctors, but it still annoys me.

Note: This idiom is most commonly used in reference to something that is typically not very good, rather than something that is typically good. For example, it's more common to say that coming late is par for the course for someone than to say coming on time is par for the course for someone.

Origin: From golf, in which par is the number of shots a good player would be expected to take to complete a hole. If par numbers for all the holes on a course are added up, you find the par for the course.

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put all your eggs in the one basket

to put all your efforts or resources into one person, one thing or one plan, and if things don't work out, you lose everything ; рисковать всем; поставить все на карту;

•My stockbroker says I should buy shares in a lot of different companies, and not put all my eggs in the one basket.

•Our company should distribute many different products from many different companies. If we put all our eggs in the one basket, we'll get into trouble if there's a problem with that one product or company.

put in one's two cent's (worth)

to add one's comments to a discussion; высказать свое мнение;

•I decided not to put in my two cents worth when my friends were talking about money.

the year dot/ the year one

a time far in the past; с незапамятных времен

• There have been people living in Australia since the year dot, but Europeans have only been there for about two hundred years.

• People have been interested in the stars and the moon since the year one.

Note: "The year dot" is more common in British and Australian English, while "the year one" is more common in American English.

zero in on

to start to give all your attention to a particular person or thing;

сосредоточить свое внимание исключительно на (чем- л.);

•The newspapers have zeroed in on his private life.

•I like the way our lecturer zeroes in on the central issues without spending too much time on all that boring background information.

zero tolerance

a policy of punishing people for even very minor offences by using the law in a very strict way; (решительное) неприятие; никаких поблажек; политика жестких мер;

• Because of the school's zero-tolerance policy, our boy was expelled for smoking just one cigarette.

• How can a society based on Christian morals and forgiveness of sin have a zero-tolerance approach to petty crime?

Variety: This idiom is typically used in American English but may be used in other varieties of English too.

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Quiz 4: Numbers

1.Roberto said he didn't have a one-track mind. He said he

a)could speak two languages, not just one.

b)thought about many things, not just one.

c)was interested in many things to do with money, not just one.

2.In a zero-sum game, any gains made by one player will

a)be greater than their losses.

b)increase the sum in the game.

c)equal the losses of another.

3.Harry was born into a very poor family, but against all odds he became

a)a very poor adult.

b)a very rich man .

c)a really nice guy.

4.The team decided to go back to square one after they

a)qualified for the tournament.

b)failed to qualify.

c)won the tournament.

5.The report is due tomorrow morning, and Nina is behind the eight ball because

a)her computer crashed and she can't print it .

b)she's still waiting for a few pages to print.

c)it's after 8 o'clock and she isn't asleep yet.

6.We were all dressed to the nines because we were

a)going to a wedding.

b)going to play golf.

c)going to the beach.

7.I'll sometimes have forty winks if

a)I see a pretty girl.

b)I get something in my eye.

c)I feel a bit sleepy.

8.Sid and Nancy were going to get married, and then Nancy had second thoughts so

a)they decided to wait.

b)they're getting married sooner.

c)they're getting a divorce.

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9.Johnny was very grateful and said "Man, I really owe you one!" after I'd

a)saved his drowning son.

b)passed him the salt.

c)opened the door for him .

10.I tried hard to (add my comments) during the discussion between my father and my uncle.

a)put in my two cents worth.

b)cut both ways.

c)put two and two together.

Quiz 5: Numbers

1.Bella's in two minds about keeping her job. She says she's tired of working as a waitress, but she

a)would love to be a chef.

b)likes being a waitress.

c)isn't sure if she can get another job.

2.Sandra killed two birds with one stone by going to Paris. She practiced her French before her exam and she

a) got better at speaking French.

b)read a book on French history.

c)went to her friend's wedding.

3.I'm tired of having to get my teeth fixed all the time, so I've decided to solve the problem once and for all by

a)cleaning them more.

b)getting false teeth.

c)not chewing my food.

4.We live in a town in the desert now. It's hot and dry most days, and once in a blue moon it will

a)be sunny all day.

b)rain quite a lot.

c)be cooler at night.

5.Our friend Jose was one in a million. He was

a)very rich.

b)very special.

c)very strange.

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