Exercise 1: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences

51. James kept trying to ______ his duties, but his manager told him if he didn’t start taking responsibility
for his work he would have to leave the company.
A. beaver away B. weasel out of C. chicken out of D. clam up
 Weasel out of sth: to avoid responsibility
 Clam up : being silent suddenly
 Beaver away : work hard for a long time

52. Our English teacher had a high opinion of herself and would always __ into class as if she were a queen.
A. sprint B. skip C. strut D. stride
 Strut (into) (v): to walk in a proud way trying to look important
 Sprint (v) running fast
53. After testing positive on a doping test, the renowned athlete was advised to lay low and avoid the press
like the ______.
A. plague B. hawk C. wildfire D. wind

54. Apart from one or two ______ of brilliance from Owen, England put on a rather poor performance.
A. flashes B. spells C. storms D. strokes
 Flash of brilliance : a sudden clever idea
55. The police believe Morgan strangled his girlfriend in a ______ of jealousy.
A. burst B. fit C. flash D. spell
 Fit (n) :a sudden, uncontrolled period of doing something or feeling something
In a fit of jealousy: sudden outburst of jealousy
56. Normally, when he was late, he gave a pathetic excuse, but not this time, what he said had a ______ of
truth about it.
A. figment B. glimmer C. ring D. shred
 To have a / the ring of truth: seems to be true
57. Having gained a _____ victory in the general elections, they proceeded with their ambitious programme.
A. galloping B. staunch C. landslide D. close-up
 Landslide victory :is an election result in which the victorious candidate wins by an overwhelming
margin
58. We can’t buy it. We have already $400 ______ at the bank. We would run up huge debts.
A. overspent B. overtaken C. overdrawn D. overdone
 Overdrawn (a): take more money than you have in bank account
59. It is hoped that this meeting will pave the way for ______ peace.
A. long-lasting B. long-running C. long-standing D. long-winded
60. Naturally, her parents were thrilled to ______ when they found out she had passed the exam with an A.
A. shreds B. heaven C. goodness D. bits
 Thrilled to bits : extremely pleased
61. I know she is a bit miserable at the moment, but she’ll soon ______ up when she finds out that I have
booked us a two-week holiday in Barbados.
A. perk B. look C. pump D. joy
 Perk (sb) up : to become or cause someone to become happier, more energetic
 Pump up sb : make sb happier
62. There is no need to get so ______ about being turned down. There are other advertising agencies out
there, you know.
A. destitute B. descendant C. despondent D. despicable
 Destitute (a) possessing nothing
 Despondent (a) sad and hopeless
63. All he has done since losing his job is ______ around the house all day.
A. mourn B. depress C. mope D. wallow
 Mope around: to move aimlessly, because you are unhappy or disappointed
64. He likes nothing better than to spend his Sunday mornings ______ in the gardens.
A. pottering about B. hanging around C. whiling away D. winding down
 potter about/around (sth) : to spend time in a pleasant, relaxed way doing small stuffs
65. The three tours are run _______ so we can only choose one.
A. concurrently B. recurrently C. concurringly D. cursively
66. Kitchell says the city was a _______ of all American culture during the '60s.
A. microclimate B. microcopy C. microcosm D. microscope
 microcosm (n) a small place, society, or situation that has the same characteristics as something
much larger
 microscopy (n) kỹ thuật hiển vi
67. The idea of a nap in the middle of the day is quite _______ to British people.
A. foreign B. distant C. remote D. unheard
68. The island of Tahiti _______ sandy beaches and crystal clear water.
A. brags B. gloats C. boasts D. swaggers
 boast (v) to have or own something to be proud of
69. I don't like intellectual novels, serious music or films; my tastes are quite ______
A. flat-topped B. lowbrow C. shamefaced D. slow-witted
70. A lot of older people are ______ because they've been complaining all their lives
A. irate B. crotchety C. indignant D. infuriated
 indignant (a) angry because st is unfair
 crotchety (a) easily angered
 irate (a) very angry
71. Margie was an _______ traveller; even dangerous conflict would not stop her from visiting a place.
A. intrepid B. inquisitive C. ingenious D. insightful
72. The floral bouquets we entered into the competition were a _______ of colour, but unfortunately, we did
not win first prize.
A. wham B. riot C. drop D. buzz
 Be a riot of color : very bright, coloful
73. Don’t forget to _______ your sources; you don’t want to get accused of stealing information.
A. quote B. cite C. name D. refer
74. Travelling to Norway and experiencing the Nothern Lights first hand was always at the very top of
Mary’s _______ list.
A. luggage B. lag C. basket D. bucket
75. The football fans were coming in _______ to watch the final game. An hour before the kickoff the
stadium was packed full.
A. fingers and thumbs B. bits and bobs C. dribs and drabs D. bibs and tuckers
 Bits and bobs : trivial things of different kinds
  In dribs and drabs : gradually appear in small amounts
 Bibs and tuckers : one’s finest clothes
 Be all fingers and thumbs : move your hands clumsily
76. The Government is trying to ________when it says it will spend more on the health service without
raising taxes.
A. chew the fat B. wave the flag C. square the circle D. put the lid
 Square the circle : doing sth impossible
77. The government is using the taxes from the working class to bail out the banks that ruined the economy?
That really ________!
A. sows wild oats B. spills the beans C. takes the biscuit D. upsets the apple cart
 Upset the apple cart : cause trouble
 Take the biscuit : to be the worst or best of its kind
78. I've searched ________ for that old photo album, but I can't find it anywhere.
A. high and low B. long and short C. straight and narrowD. thick and thin
79. I don't think Paul will ever get married — he's the stereotypical _______ bachelor.
A. settled B. confirmed C. fixed D. determined
80. I'm afraid we got our _______ crossed — I thought my husband would be picking up the children and he
thought I was doing it.
A. minds B. purposes C. wires D. fingers
81. It’s a pleasure to be in her company as she is always so _______ and welcoming.
A. adamant B. jubilant C. obnoxious D. amiable
82. They will provide a lot of amusement hopping _______ over the rocks from one puddle to another.
A. up and down B. in and out C. back and forth D. back to front
83. Celebrities feel special when they are surrounded by a(n) _______ of loyal followers.
A.brigade B. entourage C. fraternity D. squad
 Entourage (n) đoàn tùy tùng
 Brigade (n) lữ đoàn
84. An angry _______ stood outside parliament, shouting and threatening violence.
A. cast B. crew C. flock D. mob
85. “I have a reservation for _______ of six. The name’s John.” “I’ll show you to your table”.
A. band B. circle C. party D. platoon
 Platoon (n) small group of soldiers
86. Millions of people left Italy for the USA during the Italian ___ of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
A. clique B. diaspora C. horde D. troupe
87. She was a ______Catholic and, so far as I am aware, morally unassailable.
A. firm B. devout C. staunch D. strict
 Devout (a) sùng đạo
 Staunch (a) kiên định
 Unassailable (a) undefeatable
88. The police are going to ______down on illegal stock exchange activities in the streets.
A. dragging B. kicking C. dumbing D. clamping
89. The media regarded Gorbachev as the ______favorite to dethrone the old champ
A. last-minute B. odds-on C. so-called D.well –earned

90. A: ‘Oh, I’m exhausted! I’ve been doing homework all day.’
 B: ‘Come and put your _______ up for 5 minutes and I’ll make you a cup of tea.’
A. hands B. hair C. heart D. feet
91. John was _______ a week after the accident, but he has not been able to come to football practice yet.
A. up and about B. vim and vigour C. fingers and thumbs D. life and death
 Vim and vigour (n) enthusiasm
 Up and about : making a recovery
92. I ate some tinned sardines that had expired and ended up feeling so sick that I __ all the food I had eaten.
A. brought up B. passed out C. packed up D. went off
93. I had been feeling very down in the dumps after being given the sack, but took ________ when a
prestigious employment agency booked two interviews for me.
A. stride B. shine C. heart D. issue
 Take heart : feel encouraged
95. The sales assistants were so rude to me, I decided to take my ______elsewhere.
A. income B. custom C. capital D. fortune

96. She had a strong desire to be a dancer but failed to make the ______.
A. grade B. term C. mark D. degree
 Make the grade : perform well enough to succeed in sth
 Make a mark : be remarkable
97. We ______ deny that we have ever cheated or tampered illegally with any match ball in any game
during our careers.
A. categorically B. fully C. distinctly D. highly
98. I felt a bit _______ and seemed to have more aches and pains than usual.
A. out of sorts C. on the mend B. over the worst D. under the fever
 Out of sorts : slightly ill
 On the mend : recover after an illness
99. A woman who appears to be a __________ person who lives under bridges turns out to be has a
metamorphose into a princess and has a regal personage.
A. tumble-down B. downcast C. run-down D. down-and-cast
 Tumbledown (a) (a building) in bad condition
 Downcast (a) sad and hopeless
100. Some people can just ______ a cold, but my colds seem to linger for weeks
A.shrug off B.cough up C.pull through D.stamp out
Exercise 2:

1. Startling
2. Centenarians
3. By-product
4. Replacement
5. Implications
6. Unprecedented
7. Projectiles
8. Non-communicable
 By-product (n) sản phẩm phụ
 Replacement level (n) mức sinh thay thế
  Non-communicable diseases (n) bệnh không lây, bệnh mãn tính
Exercise 3
1. Exceedingly
2. Customarily
3. Precautions
4. Intake
5. Deposition (n) : sự lắng đọng