Question 01: I could try to describe it for you, but it would be easier to draw it, since a picture

____ a thousand words.

(A) frames (B) defines (C) paints (D) obscures
 a picture paints a thousand words: a picture can express something more clearly or succinctly
than words can: một bức tranh hơn ngàn lời nói.

Question 02: The wall we were building fell over; I guess we’re back to ____ one.
(A) fact (B) platform (C) piece (D) square
 back to square one: back the very first stage of something; returned to an initial starting point:
làm lại từ đầu.

Question 03: I spoil my grandson because he is the apple of my ____.

(A) orchard (B) heart (C) yard (D) eye
 the apple of one’s eye: a cherished or favored person: người quan trọng nhất của ai.

Question 04: This is nowhere near the answer. You’re ____ up the wrong tree.
(A) cutting (B) barking (C) digging (D) painting
 bark up the wrong tree: to make the wrong choice; to ask the wrong person: nhầm, nhầm lẫn.

Question 05: “Mom is going to be so mad. You’re going to be in the ____ house tonight,” Tina
said to her little brother.

(A) bad (B) dog (C) out (D) bird

 to be in the dog house = to be off the team: in trouble or in a situation where someone is upset
or angry with you for some reason: nói ai đó gần gũi với bạn tức giận bạn vì điều gì.

Question 06: Jim and I ____ heads when we first met, but we are good friends now.
(A) rubbed (B) slapped (C) butted (D) covered
 butt heads: to completely disagree or get into a heated confrontation with someone: hoàn toàn
phản đối, tranh cãi nảy lửa với ai.

Question 07: That car is the nicest one on the market, it’s the cat’s ____, alright!
(A) purr (B) paw (C) meow (D) nip
 the cat’s meow: something or something highly enjoyable, desirable, or impressive, especially
in a fancy or elaborate way: rất ngầu, rất phong cách.

Question 08: “We past the worse of it. I think it will be all smooth ____ from here,” Jim said as
less snow was appearing on the road.
(A) gliding (B) rolling (C) cruising (D) sailing
 smooth sailing: progress or advancement that is free from hassle and easy to achieve: trở nên
thuận lợi hơn.

Question 09: “ I don’t think we will hear that song on the radio as often anymore. It is kind of on
the ____ out,” his buddy said to him.
(A) close (B) shut (C) way (D) put
 on the way out: becoming unfashionable or undesirable: trở nên lỗi thời.

Question 10: He seems to have a sixth ____ when it comes to predicting fashion trends.
(A) sense (B) grade (C) place (D) limb
 have a sixth sense: a extremely keen or accurate intuition, as about what will happen or the
best course of action: giác quan thứ sáu (liệu đoán chính xác điều xảy ra trong tương lai).

Question 11: “Keep your shirt ____. We will figure it out. There’s no cause for alarm,” Jimmy
told his boss when the computers stopped working suddenly.
(A) out (B) down (C) on (D) off
 keep one’s shirt on: to remain calm and wait for something: giữ bình tĩnh, từ từ đã.

Question 12: No one likes being the ____ of the joke.

(A) clown (B) end (C) laughter (D) butt
 the butt of a joke: the target of a joke; the person or subject being mocked or ridiculed: trở
thành đối tượng của trò đùa, giễu cợt.

Question 13: Since the man was rather inexperienced, I took his advice with a grain of ____.
(A) sand (B) wood (C) salt (D) sugar
 take something with a grain of salt: reservations or the understanding that some rumor or
piece of information may not be completely true or accurate: nửa tin nửa ngờ điều gì.

Question 14: Most bosses won’t send you out on a job until you get your feet ____.
(A) dry (B) wet (C) green (D) hot
 get one’s feet wet: to get a little first-time experience with something: có kinh nghiệm/ làm
quen với cái gì.

Question 15: He had to pull his car over to sleep. He was too punch- ____ with fatigue to drive
safely.
(A) happy (B) affected (C) flappy (D) drunk
 punch-drunk: exhausted or fatigued to the point of disorientation or incoherent thought:
choáng váng (học, say,...).

Question 16: Solider can’t ____ their posts while on guard duty without getting into big trouble.
(A) loose (B) jump (C) desert (D) throw
 desert one’s post: If you desert the armed forces, you leave without permission and with no
intention of returning: rời bỏ/ khỏi vị trí (quân đội).

Question 17: His hair looked like he had stuck his ____ in a light socket.
(A) comb (B) finger (C) bulb (D) plug
 stuck one’s finger in a light socket: tóc bị dựng lên như thể bị giật điện.
Question 18: “You are speeding, James. Do you have a ____ foot, or something?” Jane asked her
husband.
(A) fake (B) wooden (C) club (D) lead
 stuck one’s finger in a light socket: to have a tendency to speed when driving: có xu hướng
chạy xe nhanh (đam mê tốc độ).

Question 19: I hate his unpredictable mean temper. I always have to walk on ____ around him.
(A) eggshells (B) bottle caps (C) glass (D) dry twigs
 walk on eggshells: to act with great care and consideration so as not to upset someone: làm
việc gì đó 1 cách rất cẩn thận vì lo rằng điều đó sẽ làm cho ai đó không hài lòng.

Question 20: Mike hasn’t paid his rent in three months. It looks like he’s waiting for his landlord
to ___ him out.
(A) pull (B) lead (C) kick (D) drown
 kick sb out: to force a person to leave some place: tống cổ ai rai khỏi nơi nào.

Question 21: “Quit telling me what to do! Back seat ____ are very annoying!” James said, as he
swerved to avoid the pedestrian.
(A) managers (B) drivers (C) cushions (D) oracles
 back seat driver: an annoying passenger who tells the driver how to drive; someone who tells
others how to do things: người ngồi ở ghế sau nhưng luôn bảo tài xế phải làm thế này thế kia, gây
khó chịu cho tài xế.

Question 22: “Don’t be such a ____ Thomas. It will work. There will no problem, “ Mary said to
her husband as she tried to convince him to buy laminate flooring for the back bedroom.
(A) doubting (B) quirky (C) mistrusting (D) wavering
 doubting Thomas: a skeptic: hoài nghi.

Question 23: “You’d better talk to your wife and work out your problems, John, because a house
divided against itself cannot ____,” he thought to himself.
(A) sleep (B) sell (C) fall (D) stand
 house divided against itself cannot stand: If a group's members are in perpetual disagreement,
the group will eventually cease to exist: nếu các thành viên của một nhóm, tổ chức không có sự
thống nhất ý kiến, liên tục có sự bất đông thì rất khó tồn tại.

Question 24: “I can’t go drinking with you guys. The ball and ___ won’t let me. She wants me to
stay at home tonight,” Ted told his friends.
(A) hammer (B) bat (C) goal post (D) chain
 ball and chain: a wife: người vợ.

Question 25: Our whole class failed our last statistics exam and now we back to the ____ again.
(A) basics (B) future (C) front (D) manuals
 back to the basics: returning to the simple and most important things: quay trở lại với những
điều cốt lõi và căn bản nhất.

Question 26: Ethel is such an annoying, noisy neighbor. She always watches everything we do.
She needs to mind her own ____.
(A) garden (B) adobe (C) beeswax (D) gig
 mind your own beeswax: to not interfere in someone else's affairs; to not pry or be nosy:
không can thiệp, không tọc mạch vào chuyện người khác.

Question 27: I can’t believe I made it up that hill on my dirt bike. I was at full throttle the whole
way and going balls to the ____.
(A) court (B) chain (C) bat (D) wall
 balls to the wall: with maximum effort, energy, or speed, and without caution or restraint: hết
tốc lực, hết sức mình, không chần chừ, do dự.

Question 28: The little boy asked his mother why a baker’s ____ was thirteen. She replied that it
comes the former custom among bakers of adding an extra roll as a safeguard against the possibility
of 12 weighting light.
(A) dozen (B) product (C) quantity (D) delivery
 baker’s dozen: thirteen; one more than a usual dozen: 13.

Question 29: I don’t like to drink alcohol often – just every once in a ____ moon with my friends.
(A) full (B) new (C) half (D) blue
 once in a blue moon: very rarely: rất hiếm khi, hầu như không.

Question 30: He went ____ after his boss fired him. Now he’s in jail.
(A) done (B) fraught (C) ballooned (D) berseck
 go berseck: to go crazy, especially in anger: trở nên điên cuồng.