Additional Language Exercises
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 698.
3 Match the idioms that follow with their interpretations.
| 1. (all) in a fog | m) feeling confused or unsure of what one is doing; |
| 2. ancient history | i) something well known; |
| 3. blackboard jungle | f) a school where the pupils are regarded as violent or uncontrollable; |
| 4. blot one's copybook | a) spoil one's record; behave in such a way as to make people change their good opinion of one; |
| 5. cannot hold the candle to smb. | h) to be not nearly so good as (someone); |
| 6. cock-and-bull story | d) a story that is so foolish or stupid that it is unlikely to be believed; |
| 7. cover a lot of ground[6] | t) (esp. of a teacher or lesson, a writer or report) to deal with many different subjects or to deal with one subject very thoroughly; |
| 8. cut it out | b) coll. (a command to stop doing something, esp. to stop behaving in an annoying way or stop talking foolishly[7]; |
| 9. do one's homework | c) to become familiar with or learn the details of a subject before talking to someone or writing about it; |
| 10. go over old ground | s) to deal with material that is already familiar to the listeners or readers; |
| 11. on the carpet | g) coll. about to be scolded, esp. by one's employer or someone of higher rank; |
| 12. keep/hold in check | p) to control or hold back (a person, one's feelings, etc.), esp. not allow (someone or oneself) to become too excited or active; |
| 13. make the grade | l) coll. to do as well as is expected; succeed; |
| 14. not have all day | j) coll. not to have much time to do something; |
| 15. object lesson | e) a very clear example, e.g. of how to do something, which others should learn from or take as a warning; |
| 16. parrot fashion | r) repeating certain words or ideas without really understanding their meaning; |
| 17. pull oneself by one's own bootstraps | q) to become successful through one's own efforts, without help from other people and in spite of the disadvantages; |
| 18. straight off the reel | n) coll. without pausing in one's speech; |
| 19. strain at the leash | k) to show great eagerness (to do something or to be free from rules or limits); be impatient; |
| 20. the child is father of the man | u) the character of a fully grown person is the product of childhood influences; |
| 21. with a capital T/S/P | o) coll. (used to suggest that a person is an extreme example of the kind described, holding very strong opinions or having very fixed habits); |
4 Fill in the spaces with relevant idiomatic expressions from the exercise above.
1. When the teacher came into the room, he said, "Cut it out! Stop the talking and get on with your work!" 2. Nobody can hold a candle to her as far as languages are concerned. 3. This Grammar book covers a lot of ground; any student can use it as a good reference. 4. The TV presenter should have done his homework before asking the studio guest questions. 5. The way he handled this situation provided an object lesson in how to deal with angered visitors. 6. The teacher told the children to get ready quickly. We haven't got all day, you know", she said. 7. Many of the singers can't speak Italian and have to learn the words parrot fashion. 8. He is a teacher with a capital T. 9. He is such a bad teacher that the children are completely in a fog about their school work. 10. We have all heard about your accident – it's ancient history. 11. He was the teacher's favourite pupil until he blotted his copybook by failing all his examinations. 12. The noisy children had to be held in check by their teachers as they went past the library. 13. He gave me the information I asked for straight off the reel. 14. The teacher warned the boy that if she heard any more of his cock-and-bull stories he would be severely punished. 15. My teacher told me not to worry about missing his first three lessons since he would only be going over old ground. 16. His boss had him on the carpet for arriving late at work. 17. Any girl can apply to join a six-week course – and those who make the grade will be issued diplomas. 18. Look at the recently elected leader – a lady who has pulled herself up by her own bootstraps. 19. The teacher realised that the boy disliked school and was straining at the leash to join his older brothers and earn his own money.
5 Match the proverbs with their meaning.
| I. | Discontent is the first step in progress. | (d) | If a person is dissatisfied with something, he will take pains to change it. |
| II. | Tell tales out of school. | (g) | Make public something that should be kept private. |
| III. | Experience is the mother of wisdom. | (e) | People learn by their mistakes. |
| IV. | He that would eat the kernel must crack the nut. | (f) | A person cannot expect to get anything without working for it. |
| V. | A Jack of all trades and master of none. | (h) | To get on in the world, a person should concentrate on one thing and learn to do it well |
| VI. | Learn to walk before you run. | (i) | Knowledge cannot be acquired all at once. It must be gained step by step. |
| VII. | Ninety percent of inspiration is perspiration. | (b) | All brilliant ideas are useless without an aptitude for had work. |
| VIII. | One is never too old to learn. | (a) | However much you know there is always more to learn. |
| IX. | A little learning is a dangerous thing. | (c) | People with little knowledge are often unaware of their ignorance and are easily misled. |
| Unit 3 Part 2 | EDUCATION | Key |
6 Listen to a text and, as you listen, give titles to the 11 paragraphs you hear.
| <== previous lecture | | | next lecture ==> |
| So what is a happy medium? | | | Storm warning |