CHAPTER 1.

LEXICO – IDIOMS – PHRASAL VERB

PRACTICE TEST 2 - KEY
1. The designer was given free ____ to produce any design he wanted.
A. rein B. range C. ride D. rope
2. They were ____ over by his kindness and didn’t know what to say.
A. turned B. knocked C. hooked D. bowled
3. The office was closed for a week for refurbishment and now the staff have to deal with the ____ that
built up during their b .
A. backstage B. backlash C. backl og D. backdrop
4. Even though there have been setbacks, because of their determination I’m sure they’ll achieve their
goals, ____.
A. suffice to say B. be that as it may C. so be it D. come what may
5. John and Sarah lived in the back of ____ and it always took us a whole day to drive there.
A. the country B. isolation C. nowhere D. beyond
6. My parents looked back with ____ on the days when all of us lived at home and which, they said, were
the best years of their lives.
A. nostalgia B. reminiscence C. homesickness D. recollection
7. I don’t trust him and it really goes against the ____ to give him the money.
A. cloak B. grain C. rice D. grapevine
go against the grain: trái ý muốn
8. It’s time we had a ____ talk with each other in an effort to clear the air.
A. heart to heart B. eye to eye C. face to face D. cheek to cheek
heart to heart: chân tình
9. As she didn’t understand the teacher’s question, she merely gave him a ____ look.
A. clear B. dim C. blank D. hopeless
a blank look: cái nhìn ngơ ngác
10. Sister Morrison might take ____ with me on that matter.
A. words B. discussion C. issue D. matter
take issue with: không đồng ý với, tranh cãi với
11. I don’t think that revealing your past to your boyfriend scared him ____.
A. back B. down C. off D. through
scare sb off: xua đuổi ai
12. There were probably moments when you wondered if anyone spoke the truth or was ____.
A. spoilt for choice B. below par C. off the beg D. on the level
on the level: có thể tin được
13. Substantial members of the ____ members ignored the union advice.
A. all and sundry B. flesh and blood
C. head and shoulders. D. rank and file
rank and file members: nhân viên
14. Many victims of the earthquake pay ____ to the ones who took them out of rubble.
A. respects B. homage C. tributes D. deference
pay homage to: tỏ lòng thành kính
15. The movie takes considerable liberties ____ the novel that it is based on.
A. to B. out of C. at D. with
take liberty with: đưa ra những thay đổi không đáng có
16. Don’t believe Samuel. He just ____ an act that he is the most miserable person in the world.
A. puts on B. puts into C. settles up D. settles in
put on an act: giả vờ
17. Diagnosed with tumor in the brain, she refused to meet her ____ but turned to religion for help.

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 A. paleontologist B. oncologist C. entomologist-nhà côn trùng hok D. seismologist
oncologist: bác sĩ ung bướu
18. Their father was a hero in World War II, whose account has awakened ____ memories of the old
days.
A. down-in-the-dumps B. disconsolate
C. poignant D. grief-stricken
poignant: đau lòng
19. I don’t like intellectual novels, serious music or films; my tastes are quite ____.
A. flat-topped B. lowbrow C. shamefaced D. slow-witted
lowbrow: không đòi hỏi tư duy nhiều
20. The sixth time he called me at night was the ____.
A. lost cause B. last straw C. touch and go D. hot air
the last straw: giọt nước tràn ly
21. There’s no doubt about the outcome of the trial. The man is a ____ criminal.
A. self-conscious B. self-contained C. self-confessed D. self-centered
self-confessed: tự thú nhận
22. Rebecca ____ on our conversation to tell us that James had just been rushed to hospital.
A. cut in B. faced up C. got ahead D. broke up
cut in on: xen vào
23. ____ her job, her sons and the housework, she doesn’t have a minute for herself.
A. What with B. If it weren’t for C. Barring D. Given
what with: dùng để liệt kê một loạt lí do
24. It’s ____ that he never mentioned our argument; I wonder why he didn’t.
A. special B. rare C. curious D. eccentric
curious: kì lạ
25. He praised his wife for her dignity under the ____ of the tabloid press.
A. onslaught B. assault C. onset D. offensive
onslaught: sự công kích dữ dội
26. Brain cancer requires ____ treatment such as surgery.
A. aggressive B. confrontational C. malignant D. rigorous
aggressive treatment: sự điều trị khắc nghiệt
27. The government has been forced into a ____ after the revelation of a cover-up.
A. climb down B. getaway C. outbreak D. breakout
climbdown: sự nhượng bộ
28. I don’t know if Ash would be right for the job; he’s a bit of an unknown ____.
A. quality B. qualification C. quantity D. identity
an unknown quantity: chưa biết rõ năng lực
29. Searching for one man in this city is like looking for a ____.
A. salt of the earth B. sand in the desert
C. needle in a haystack D. drop in the ocean
look for a needle in a haystack: mò kim đáy bể
30. The Conservatives declared their intention of ____ the whole Act once they came into power.
A. repulsing B. repelling C. impelling D. repealing
repeal: bãi bỏ
31. The growth of psychobiology owes ____ to major conceptual advances in the way people think about
the brain.
A. much B. as much as C. much which D. there is so much
owe much to: nhờ rất nhiều vào

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32. The class went to see the performance of Macbeth because it ____ in well with the project they were
doing on Scottish history.
A. crammed B. stood C. tied D. booked
tie in well with: có mối liên hệ chặt chẽ với
33. I have tried every product on the market and still I can’t rid these curtains of the ____ of cigarette
smoke.
A. fumes B. fragrance C. stench D. aroma
stench: mùi hôi
34. Her condition seems to be ____. We’ll have to take her to intensive care.
A. ameliorating B. deteriorating C. amputating D. imitating
deteriorating: trở nên tồi tệ
35. Not only is little Jonny’s grammar incoherent and his spelling atrocious but also his pronunciation ____.
A. slothful B. sluggish C. hazard D. haphazard
haphazard: bừa bãi, lung tung
36. I need to ____ your offer very carefully before I make a decision.
A. look over B. see out C. figure out D. mull over
mull over: suy nghĩ kĩ
37. There’s nothing to ____ as it’s a general knowledge quiz.
A. come round to B. face up to C. swot up on D. come up with
swot up on: ôn bài
38. The account of their journey has been ____ together from personal letters and diaries.
A. pieced B. set C. pulled D. got
piece together: lắp ghép
39. The noise from the unruly fans celebrating their team’s victory didn’t ____ until early in the morning.
A. shut off B. give away C. let up D. fall over
let up: dịu đi
40. Following years of intense training, the accomplished athlete ____ the medal triumphantly.
A. took off B. went off C. ran off D. carried off
carry off: giành được
41. We’d been working hard for a month and so decided to go out and ____.
A. paint the town red B. face the music C. read between the lines D. steal the show
paint the town red: vui chơi, thư giãn
42. The country is an economic ____ with chronic unemployment and rampant crime.
A. lost cause B. basket case C. false dawn D. dark horse
basket case: A company, country, or economy that is doing so badly and has so many
problems that it is likely to fail completely
43. You’ve got to ____ to succeed in advertising.
A. go to your head B. have your wits about you
C. have your head in the clouds D. gather your wits
have your wits about you: bình tĩnh, cảnh giác
44. The Prime Minister will decide whether to release the prisoner or not; that’s his ____.
A. prerogative B. derogatory C. abdication D. humanity
prerogative: đặc quyền
45. The Secretary of State handled the matter ____ and prevented a war.
A. adroitly B. intensely C. abjectly D. slightly
adroitly: khéo léo
46. The robbery was carried out in ____ daylight and with hundreds of witnesses present.
A. open B. wide C. broad D. clear
in broad daylight: giữa ban ngày

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47. Most of the examination is written but there is also a(n) ____ part which I am really worried about.
A. vocal B. verbal C. oral D. wordy
on oral part: phần thi vấn đáp
48. ____ with anger, Mr. Jensson stormed into the local tax office and demanded to see someone about
his case which had dragged on for nearly three years.
A. Brimming B. Pouring C. Stewing D. Seething
seethe with anger: đầy giận dữ
49. When I say I want you to be here at six o’clock, I mean six o’clock ____. You cannot be late under
any circumstances!
A. on the edge B. at the moment C. on the dot D. in detail
on the dot: đúng giờ
50. The opposition protests against the government now threaten to get out of ____ and the security
forces are likely to make arrests around the country today.
A. reach B. kilter C. hand D. the ordinary
get out of hand: ngoài tầm kiểm soát
51. Fingerprints are the most ____ types of evidence used in criminal cases because it’s one of the most
reliable forms of identification
A. culpable B. incriminating C. liable D. offending
incriminating: buộc tội
52. The inconsiderate driver was ____ for parking his vehicle in the wrong place.
A. inflicted B. harassed C. condemned D. confined
be confined for: bị giam cầm
53. Another, perhaps inspired by the nursery rhyme, is that a(n) ____ for sweet things during pregnancy
makes you more likely to be having a girl, while a boy will make you crave savoury, salty foods, meat
and cheese in particular.
A. inspiration B. affinity C. predilection D. propensity
predilection: sự ưa chuộng, thèm thuồng
54. Most of the old road has been ____ by the great interstate highways
A. overdone B. superseded C. excelled D. overwhelmed
supersede: thay thế
55. She got very ____ working such long hours
A. tumble-down B. downcast C. run-down D. down - and – out
run-down: kiệt sức
56. Just because we’ve had a good year, this does not mean that we cannot do better: we must not ____.
A. have our head in the clouds B. bury our heads in the sand
C. count our blessings D. rest on our laurels
rest on our laurels: ngủ quên trên chiến thắng
57. As soon as the problem at work blew up, he instantly thought about how he could come out of it
looking good. He is such a ____ person.
A. self-evident B. self-conscious C. self-centred D. selfless
self-centred: ích kỉ
58. We carried on down the path, ____ of the notice warning of avalanche risk.
A. careless B. carefree C. heedless D. blind
heedless of: không chú ý
59. The judge declared a ____ today due to unfair media coverage and the trial will be restarted again
early next year.
A. postponement B. annulment C. cancellation D. mistrial
mistrial: vụ xử án sai

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60. His performance was so spectacular that he was ____ out for praise by the team manager at the end of
the game.
A. singled B. filtered C. distinguished D. selected
single out: chọn ra
61. He’s just getting up my ____ so much at the moment.= get on ones nerves
A. feet B. chest C. nose D. mind
get up one’s nose: làm ai bực mình
62. Something’s wrong with this room, but I can’t quite ____ what it is.
A. put my finger on B. know off-hand C. give my right arm to D. lay eyes on
put one’s finger on sth: chỉ ra
63. Group E is now wide open with all four teams ____ a chance of qualifying for the knock-out phase
going into the final group matches.
A. in with B. up for C. in for D. up with
in with a chance: có cơ hội
64. There’s so much good theatre and cinema in London, really one is ____ for choice.
A. overcome B. ruined C. spoilt D. overwhelmed
be spoilt for choice: có nhiều sự lựa chọn
65. The structure parameters of these chucks are ____ those of K11 3-jaw self-centring chucks.
A. much the same as B. nearly as C. nothing like as D. nowhere near as
much the same as: giống
66. There are ten prisoners on the ____.
A. loose B. run C. track D. go
on the loose: thoát ra ngoài
67. Sometimes, we don’t appreciate the ____ pleasures of life such as a beautiful sky, a cup of coffee with
a friend or seeing a good film at the cinema.
A. sheer B. simple C. normal D. plain
simple pleasures: hạnh phúc bình dị
68. They dismissed him as "disrespectful, very arrogant and ____ rude".
A. totally B. downright C. outright D. heavily
downright rude : rất thô lỗ
69. The statement from the ministers contrasts ____ with comments by European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncke.
A. sharply B. heavily C. utterly D. flatly
contrast sharply with: tương phản nhiều với
70. I know how to use computers, but I don’t really understand the ____ of how they work.
A. ins and outs B. odds and ends C. dribs and drabs D. waifs and strays
ins and outs: chi tiết
71. The doctor says that it’s ____ whether Mary will be okay.
A. prim and proper B. spick and span C. touch and go D. up and coming
touch and go: không chắc chắn
72. Our staff take pride in providing ____ service.
A. mundane B. atrocious C. impeccable D. lousy
impeccable: hoàn hảo
73. It was a ____ move to buy your house just before property prices started to rise.
A. astute B. crafty C. shrewd D. wily
shrewd: khôn ngoan
74. They adopted a sensible, ____ policy on defence spending.
A. state-of-the-art B. trick-of-the-trade C. run-of-the-mill D. middle-of-the-road
middle-of-the-road: ôn hòa

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75. He’d be ____ if he found out what you’re doing
A. annoyed B. irritated C. livid D. cross
livid: giận dữ (không cần giới từ phía sau)
76. A lot of older people are ____ because they’ve been complaining all their lives
A. irate B. crotchety C. indignant D. infuriated
crotchety: dễ nóng nảy
77. She had a ____ row with Eddie and stormed out of the house.
A. blazing B. heated C. firing D. smouldering
have a blazing row: tranh cãi dữ dội
78. Intimate relationships were limited to a stack of old nudie magazines with ____ pages, which he kept
on the floor beneath his cot.
A. head-on B. nail-biting C. narrow-minded D. well-thumbed
well-thumbed pages: có nhiều trang bị sờn (vì đọc quá nhiều)
79. He awoke with a ____ heart, sweating with fear
A. plucking B. flexing C. gritting D. pounding
a pounding heart: tim đập thình thịch
80. We reached ____ in the meeting and failed to come to a solution.
A. standstill B. gridlock C. standoff D. stalemate
reach stalemate: bế tắc
81. He was ____ aware of his lack of experience
A. widely B. painfully C. deeply D. heavily
painfully: đau khổ
82. As an average retail investor I consider myself ____ capable of understanding the operation of
crossing networks
A. perfectly B. bitterly C. widely D. highly
perfectly capable of: có khả năng hoàn hảo
83. The littlest thing tends to anger my mother, so I feel like I have to walk on ____ whenever I’m at her
house.
A. eggshells B. nutshells C. bombshells D. seashells
walk on eggshells: cẩn thận
84. Students can be expelled at the ____ of the principal
A. disposition B. dispersal C. discretion D. disposal
at the discretion of: theo sự quyết định của
85. He became emotionally ____ from his friends and family after the illness.
A. distant B. faint C. secluded D. far-away
distant from: xa lánh
86. The sound of his footsteps gradually ____ away.
A. died B. passed C. vanished D. dwindled
the sound dies away: âm thanh nhỏ dần
87. He is disliked because of his sly and ____ ways of getting what he wants.
A. calculating B. callous C. inquisitive D. meticulous
calculating: tính toán
88. She dismissed him with a ____ nod of the head.
A. blunt B. curt C. reckless D. ruthless
a curt nod of the head: sự gật đầu
89. His performance is described in the paper as "a ____ display of physical agility".
A. breathtaking B. gripping C. harrowing D. piercing
breathtaking: hấp dẫn
90. The police are sometimes more ____ with female offenders.

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 A. lax B. lenient C. easygoing D. withdrawn
leninent: khoan dung
91. Don’t be taken in by his lying, ____ words.
A. slack B. scrupulous C. treacherous D. feeble
treacherous words: những lời xảo trá
92. With the amount of traffic nowadays, even a trip across town is ____ with dangers.
A. beset B. surrounded C. assaulted D. devoid
be beset with dangers: đầy nguy hiểm
93. He was forced to ____ control of the company.
A. discard B. relinquish C. quit D. surrender
relinquish: từ bỏ
94. Getting up at 8 o’clock was early by her ____.
A. reasons B. standards C. limits D. levels
by one’s standards: theo thói quen, cách nhìn
95. The passion of Argentinian football fans ____ no bounds.
A. recognizes B. holds C. sees D. knows
know no bounds: không có giới hạn
96. My library books are a week ____.
A. undue B. overdue C. unpunctual D. belated
overdue: quá hạn
97. Every shelf is ____ with ornaments.
A. muddled B. bundled C. cluttered D. burdened
be cluttered with ornaments: đầy những đồ trang trí
98. There was a danger of the country reverting to its ____ sin of complacency
A. redeeming B. overriding C. besetting D. overwhelming
besetting: ám ảnh (khó khăn, nguy hiểm)
99. Police are investigating a(n) ____ of burglaries in the Kingsland Road area.
A. rate B. influx C. tide D. spate
a spate of burglaries: lũ trộm
100. He kept telling us about his operation, in the most ____ detail.
A. elaborate B. knotty

C. graphic D. burning
graphic detail: chi tiết sinh động