LEXICAL TÂM

Marches and demonstrations in Vietnam have become increasingly militant, and, sadly, the government reacted by _______ down harshly on this civil unrest.

A. backing

B. bearing

C. clamping

D. drawing

Clam down on: hạn chế,kiểm soát nghiêm ngặt

If institutions balk, waiting to cross that _______ when you come to it could be disastrous.

A. bridge

B. fingers

C. legs

D. path

waiting to cross that bridge when you come to: đến đâu tính đến đó / nươc đến chân mới nhảy

The family were roundly subjected to insults, smutty comments and had a multitude of _______ cast on them about their manhood for the duration of their walk around the town.

A. aspersions

B. criticisms

C. doubts

D. vilifications

Cast aspersions on: bôi nhục,sỉ nhọ ai

Prescott will begin to reconstruct his relationship with both Gilchrist and the employers in the next few days, unprepared to _______ the amount of cash the government will contribute to the deal.

A. account for

B. allow for

C. bargain on

D. contemplate on

bargain on: expect something to happen

Why should we have to pay a lifetime of premiums, making some insurance company masses of money, just on the _______ that one day we can make a claim?

A. fighting chance

B. mischance

C. off-chance

D. perchance

On the off-chance: khả năng,cơ hội mong manh= slim chance

Having _______ to urban illness and death in winter, prevention is directed at around 50000 excess deaths that still occur annually in Britain in cold weather.

A. perception

B. perspective

C. reference

D. regard

Regard to: liên quan,đề cập đến

Recession is _______ in the minds of politicians and chief executives as they gossip at the conference.

A. paramount

B. predominant ( vượt trội )

C. uppermost

D. uttermost

Uppermost: chiếm ưu thế

Being revealed as a drug addict, one who illegally purchased drugs on the black market - many of which are obtained by stealing from people who really need the medication - is _______ justice.

A. figurative

B. flowery

C. metrical

D. poetic

Poetic justice: án phạt đáng đời,gieo gió găp bão

He has often sought to justify repression on the _______ of threatened coups against his government.

A. guises

B. ploys

C. pretences

D. pretexts

On the pretexts of: với cái cớ,vs ly do là

The standard Milky Way model comprised a thin disk of bright young stars surrounded by a sparsely _______ halo of old stars.

A. colonised

B. inhabited

C. occupied

D. populated

Sparsely populated: dan cư thưa thớt

In any case, unfortunately, there is a _______ chance of finding alternative employment in this despoiled area, which to an untutored eye looks rich in natural assets.

A. big

B. fat

C. good

D. huge

A fat chance of: 1 sự đen đủi

From mass production clothing to managing factory lines to understanding the nature of different fabrics, he kept _______ and that has brought him where he is today.

A. a millstone around his neck B. a sword in the stone

C. his heart of stone

D. his nose to the grindstone

Keep sb nose to the grindstone: làm việc cật lực

. It was a dark, starless night and, without a compass, we were left__________around for directions.

A. groping

B. grabbing

C. probing

D. prodding

Groping around : mò mẫm

Filing may be a__________procedure, bit it is essential for the smooth runnign of the office.

A. strenuous

B. tedious

C. weary

D. stuffy

Tedious: tẻ nhạt,nhàm chán ( công việc )

. The toll makes using the Panama Canal too costly for some__________vessels.

A commerce

B. profiteering

C. business

D. merchant

Merchant vessels: tàu buôn

The Egyptian coast guard received a(n) __________signal from the ship at 11.34 last night.

A. distress

B. anxiety

C. stress

D. disquiet

distress signal : tín hiệu cứu nạn

Most armies around the world use satellite technology to __________ orders.

A. emit

B. impart

C. release

D. relay

Relay: receive and pass on (information or a message).truyền lệnh

It was imperative for the authorities to __________the epidemic.

A. succeed

B. localise

C.spread

D.define

Localise:( limit something to a particular area),khoanh vùng

His efforts, though futile, are still__________.

A. refined

B. intimidated

C.pious

D.commendable

Commendable: đáng khen ngợi ( Dù cho những nỗ lực của anh ta là vô ích nhưng vẫn đáng khen ngợi )

. He was reserved by nature, even__________ .

A. cordial

B. morose

C.amiable

D. Approachable

Morose: ủ rũ,buồn rầu ( bản tính của anh ta đã rất dè dăt,lại lúc nào cũng ủ rũ)

You shouldn't pick _______ him just because he's different

pick on: chỉ trích = criticise sb

Table salt is composed _________ two elements, sodium and chlorine.

compose of

______ the whole, I enjoyed the movie.= by and large = at large = in general : nói chung/ nhìn chung

on the whole: nhìn chung

The boss was really hot ____ the collar when you told him you lost the contract

be hot under collar: become angry

I have to study day and night to keep ____ top.

keep on top: giữa vị trí đầu bảng

He showed great ingenuity ____ solving the problem

show ingenuity in doing sth: tài tình trong việc gì

We had to take _____ the deliveries to make sure every piece was in good condition

take out: đăng kí

#: - nhổ ( răng..) , loại ra

- mượn ( tiền ở ngân hàng )

- đổ ( rubbish )

- đăng ký mua ( báo chí....)

- giết ai

What chemical is this? It's giving _______ a horrible smell

give off: tỏa ra mùi

The guide rounded _________ the party of tourists and led them to the cathedral.

Round sb/ sth up: tập hợp lại

Owing to circumstances ________ our control, the flight to Rome has been cancelled

beyond our control: ngoài tầm kiểm soát

I got the job _____ the strength of your recommendation

on the strength of= because of sth

You must be weak _______ the head if you believe that

weak in the head: stupid

The shock put years _______ him

put years on sb: làm ai già hơn tuổi

Prospects of success in the talks were put _______ zero.

at zero.= none

She was weighed down with parcels

weigh down with: đảm nhận nhiều việc

His appearance was the subject _______ some critical comment

be the subject for: chủ đề cho

She went ___ the roof when I told her I'd crashed her car

go through the roof = hot under the collar: tức giận

If you do that again I'll have the law ______ you.

Have the law on sb : thông báo ai đó đến cảnh sát

The government's decision is a real kick _______ the teeth for the unions

a real kick in the teeth : 1 cái gì gây thất vọng và sốc

She resembles her brother _______ looks

resemble sb in looks: giống vẻ bề ngoài

I'm tired and stressed and the kids have been acting ____________ all day. They don't seem to know how to behave properly

Act up : behave badly

. I met Harold in the supermarket. He was asking ______________ you and I said you were fine and really happy about this new job you've got.

Ask after sb: hỏi thăm ai, đặc biệt về sức khỏe

I'll ask your boss ___________ for dinner tonight if he isn't busy. It will make a good impression, don't you think?

Ask over : mời ai đến nhà chơi

If your boss accuses you of missing yesterday's meeting on purpose, I will back you __________ by saying you had to do something for me.

back up: giúp đỡ, support ai

I can hardly read this document. Go and blow it ________ so it is at least twice the size

blow it up: phóng to

These statistics are too confusing. We need to break them__________ into the four different seasons of the year for a clearer picture.

Break down : chia thành các phần nhỏ(hư hỏng / suy sụp ( cảm xúc)/ phá bỏ)

If someone phones me while I am in the meeting, I will have to break ___________ for a few minutes as I am expecting a really important call.

break off: dừng lại / bỏ dỡ ( = give up)

After the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian empire was broken _________ into several pieces.

break up : vỡ thành nhiều mảnh

Sales are up 10% on this period last year. We need to build __________ that if we are to save this company.

Build on sth : :dùng thứ gì đó làm tiền đề xây dựng cho những thứ cao hơn: dựa vào

When I told her about her mother's illness being incurable, she broke _________ tears

- Break into tears = burst out crying

- Break into laughter = burst out laughing

His English was roughly ______ with my Greek, so communication was rather difficult!

A. levelled

B. on a par

C. equal

D. in tune

On a par with : ngang tầm (chất lượng, sự quan trọng...), tương đương với (ai hay cái gì)

Well, I'm sorry, that's all I can offer you. ______ .

A. Take it or forget it

B. Get it or forget it

C. Take it or leave it

D. Leave it or take it

Take it or leave it: lấy hay không thì tùy

He promised me an Oxford dictionary and to my great joy, he ______ his word.

A. stood by

B. stuck at

C. went back on

D. held onto

Stand by one's word: giữ lời hứa = deliver on one's promise

The police are ______ certain who the culprit is.

A. in some ways

B. more or less

C. here and there

D. by and by

more or less: cỡ đó,không ít thì hiều

Employees who have a ______ are encouraged to discuss it with the management.

A. hindrance

B. grievance

C. disadvantage

D. disturbance

Have a grievance : có mối bất bình về điều gì

- grievance ( against ) : lời kêu ca phàn nàn

Although the patient received intensive treatment, there was no ______ improvement in her condition.

A. decipherable

B. legible

C. discernible

D. intelligible

Discernible improvement: cải thiện rõ rệt,đáng kể

The prospect of picking up any survivors are now______

A. thin

B. narrow

C. slim

D. restricted

Slim prospect/chance : cơ hội mong manh

His happy-go-lucky attitude means that on the field he exhibits a ______ disregard for the rules.

happy-go-lucky ( a) vô tư lự

A. required

B. glaring

C. permissible

D. flagrant

Flagrant :trắng trợn

He was selected to play despite a string of ______ performances.1 chuỗi bài trình diễn

A. satisfactory B. reasonable C. outstanding D. mediocre

Mediocre: ( xoàng )of only moderate quality; not very good

Without written evidence, we don't have a ______ on.

A. leg to stand

B. foot to stand

C. leg to lean

D. foot to lean

have a leg to stand on: có lý lẽ để biện minh cho mình

Now's a ______ time to tell me you're going out this evening - I've spent the whole day preparing supper for you.

A. suitable

B. reasonable

C. right

D. fine

Fine time: đúng lúc

As you are the strongest in the group, you can take the ______ .

A. lead

B. head

C. part

D. way

Take the lead: dẫn đầu

Although she had never used a word-proceesor before, she soon got the ______ of it.

A. feel

B. touch

C. moved

D. hang

Get the hang of : học cách làm một việc gì đó đúng đắn, đặc biệt khi nó không dễ dàng và rõ ràng.

I overslept this morning and caught the last bus to school by the skin of my ______ .

A. mouth

B. leg

C. neck

D. teeth

By the skin of my teeth: suýt,ngay sát giờ

The sky got very dark and soon it began to ______ down.

A. roar

B. bath

C. bucket

D. soar

Bucket down : mưa như trút

Her latest novel is coming ______ in paperback soon.

come across = run into = bump into = stumble on/upon: tình cờ gặp

come off: bong tróc ; thành công

come out: được xuất bản / lộ ra

come about : xảy đến, xảy ra

Your skirt needs taking ______; it's too large.

take in: lừa ; hiểu ; làm cho vải nhỏ lại ( do quá rộng)/ hấp thụ = absorb

He's such a hard man to ______ as he's always flitting from one site to another.

A. pin in

B. lock in

C. narrow down.

D.nail down

nail down: hiểu hoàn toàn cái gì = take in = make out

Don't be put ______ by his manner. He always acts that way

put off : bực tức, không thích

His proposal met ______ total opposition from the committee.

meet with: gặp phải , nhận được ( thường là ủng hộ, tán thành hay phản đối)

You ought to stand ______ your little brother when the others tease him

stand up for: bảo vệ, ủng hộ

I was prepared to back ______ her story because I knew it was the truth

back up: ủng hộ; sao lưu

My brother has a flair ______ languages and can speak more than six.

have a flair for sth: có năng khiếu về cái gì

A local hotel has been found guilty of ______ incidents of food poisoning.

A. holing up

B. shutting off

C. covering up.

D.tucking away

cover up: che giấu, bưng bít

How would you set ______ teaching a dog to perform tricks?

set about ving : bắt đầu làm gì

He was led ______ by her flattery but soon discovered how insincere she was.

lead on sb: lừa ai ( đặc biệt là tình cảm => lừa tình)

We had to queue ______ before we could get into the cinema last night.

queue up : xếp hàng

The meeting didn't ______ until late.

A. end up

B. break up

C. come about.

D.fall through

break up: chia tay; kết thúc

Would you like to try ______ this new electric cooker?

try out : kiểm tra, test thử

Although they tried, they couldn't hold ______ their laughter.

hold in : kìm nén ( cảm xúc)

The student was eligible ______ a full grant to study at university

eligible for : đủ khả năng , tư cách cho

. I've been _____ at this report for hours. I'm really fed up with it.

A. slogging away

B. stowing away

C. whittling away

D. surfing away

slog away : say sưa, miệt mài

The anaesthetic is wearing _____ and my mouth is beginning to feel quite sore now.

wear off: hết tác dụng

ex: doze off = drop off

There have been many complaints that universities are _____ their degree courses in order to attract more students.

A. pelting down B. playing down C. dumbing down. D.coming down

dumb down : đơn giản hoá ( làm cho cái gì thiếu chính xác và đơn giản hơn để dễ hiểu , thường là xấu, tiêu cực)

When parents are stressed at work, they sometimes _____their children.

A. take it out on

B. miss it out on

C. have it in for

D.make it out of

take it out on sb: trút giận lên ai

Therefore, _____ accordance with our regulations, you will be issued with a formal written warning

in accordance with sth: theo đúng như

Our aunt is really intolerant _____ anyone who has a different point of view to her own.

be intolerant of: không chấp nhận ai/ hành vi/ ý tưởng khác với họ

Following the financial scandal he left the job _____ disgrace.

in disgrace: trong tình trạng nhục nhã, thất sủng

Open-air markets, for example, always carry huge in-store advertisements when they _______ the prices of products.

A. slash

B. reduce

C. increase

D. highlight

+ Slash (the) prices/costs: giảm giá xuống với một số lượng lớn và đột ngột

+ Reduce prices/costs: giảm giá xuống (chỉ chung chung, không cụ thể nên nó có thể giảm ít hoặc nhiều, nhanh hoặc chậm)

=> Ta thấy cả đáp án A, B đều có nghĩa giảm giá khi ghép thành cụm với "prices", nhưng trong câu này, ngữ cảnh cho thấy việc các cửa hàng giảm giá vào dịp chợ trời thì dùng "slash" sẽ chính xác và hay hơn, bởi đó là dịp mà các cửa hàng giảm giá rất mạnh và trong nhanh chóng, đúng như bản chất của cụm "slash the prices".

It is always difficult for designer sportswear to _____into the market because there is too much competition from leading brands like Adidas.

A. invade

B. cut

C. break

D. interfere

break into the market: thâm nhập thị trường

When an interviewer from Playboy asked David whether he enjoyed doing "Tonight Show", he gave a vivid________of how it felt to face Carson.

A. imagination

B. vision

C. feeling

D. account

give an account of something: thuật lại chuyện gì

The president didn't agree with our new ideas for the company so we had to go back to the drawing ___________.

A. start

B. way

C. board

D. refreshment

Back to the drawing board: quay lại từ đầu để chuẩn bị một kế hoạch mới vì kế hoạch trước đã thất bại

You can count the number of times she's offered to buy me a drink on the ________ of one hand.

A. thumbs

B. wrists

C. fingers

D. elbows

count something on (the fingers of) one hand: điều gì đó mà xảy ra rất hiếm hoặc tồn tại với số lượng rất nhỏ

We had no fighting experience before so we were really__________by the seat of our pants.

A. flying

B. using

C. utilizing

D. winning

fly by the seat of one's pants: làm việc gì khó mà không có kinh nghiệm, kĩ năng cần thiết, làm theo cảm tính

She has dreamt about becoming a singer since she was a little girl, so she set her_______on winning the first prize.

A. heart

B. eye

C. mind

D. head

set one's heart on doing something: thực sự ham muốn điều gì đó, mơ ước về điều gì đó

He literally was at death's ______ when a kidney became available for transplant.

A. verge

B. egde

C. border

D. door

at death's door: bên ngưỡng cửa của thần chết, hấp hối, gần chết

As soon as Ferlin came to party, he immediately set his _______on Melin. Maybe he was captivated by her.

A. eyes

B. heart

C. decision

D. feeling

Clap/lay/set eyes on sb/sth: để ý, để mắt tới cái gì/ai đó ngay từ lần đầu gặp

Crocodiles see well, their eyes are equipped with three eyelids, each having a different function. Their eyeballs slide back out of_________way during an attack.

A. harm's

B. danger's

C. injury's

D. damage's

out of harm's way: ở nơi an toàn

She took up many hobbies when she retired that she had hardly any time _________.

A. in hand

B. out of hand

C. on her hands

D. at hand

have time on one's hands = have nothing to do: chẳng có gì để làm, rảnh rỗi

The drunken couple did nothing to keep the flat clean and tidy and lived in the utmost _______.

A. contamination

B. pollution

C. squalor

D. convenience

utmost squalor: sự dơ bẩn cực kỳ