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No.41
Idioms
Gap Filling
to be on the table drive a hard bargain enter into give and take
go-between happy medium break off cut a deal meet halfway
To resolve a long-lasting labor strike, a local department store chain has been forced to (1)
_______________ arbitration with the workers’ union. A (2) _____________ has already been selected to
mediate a settlement.
The strike began when chain management refused to (3) _____________ with union leaders, and now
the chain has been hurt by a tarnished reputation and declining sales. As a result, the union leadership sees
little reason to (4) ________ the company ________ regarding the issues that currently (5) ______________.
One of the most important issues involves achieving a (6) _______________ between benefits for
part-time workers and those for regular salaried employees. The union is now in a position of strength and
plans to (7) ________________ in the beginning of the talks. However, the real hope is that the wide
discrepancy can be narrowed through a process of (8) ______________ by both sides. It is also hoped that
both sides will continue to negotiate and not (9) _____________ talks prematurely.

Multiple Choice
1/ Jessie was all excited about visiting the amusement park, but unfortunately I have to tell her that we can’t
go. I hate to _____ like that.
A/ get into the spirit B/ keep a straight face C/ break her heart
2/ You can tell from the high quality of his products that he _____ his work.
A/ takes pride in B/ has it out with C/ doesn’t give a thought to
3/ Could you tell the children to go to their room? They’re just _____.
A/ stealing the show B/ getting in our hair C/ throwing us for a loop
4/ The smell from the farm next door is almost intolerable to me. I don’t know how you can _____ it.
A/ kick yourself for B/ harp on C/ put up with
5/ Sally looks like she needs some comfort and advice. Do you think I should offer her _____?
A/ a shoulder to cry on B/ my pride and joy C/ the last straw
6/ All the players and fans on both sides of the field were ______ as the big champions game started.
A/ taken aback B/ fired up C/ stuck up
7/ I can tell by the serious look on your face that you ______.
A/ come back to haunt B/ take a back seat C/ mean business
8/ Ok, so Irma lied about the actual cost of the purchase. That doesn’t mean that Tony should _____ it.
A/ make a big deal of B/ have an ax to grind C/ have words with
9/ With opinion polls indicating certain re-election, the president ____ by announcing that he would not run for
office again.
A/ dropped a bombshell B/ went with the crowd C/ blew his own horn
10/ ____ that your brother can’t visit us. I was looking forward to seeing him.
A/ What on earth B/ What a shame C/ What a hard pill to swallow

Grammar and Structure

1/ Jack: Did you known Jim’s car broke down on the highway late at night?
Jane: Unfortunately, that’s a situation anyone _____.
A/ might have to confront with B/ might be confronted with
C/ might be confronted D/ might have been confronted
2/ ____, I haven’t seen Catherine all day.
A/ Come to think of it B/ To come to think of it
C/ Coming to think it D/ Coming to think of it
3/ ____ earning a great deal of money as a painter, Ivan Aivazovsky opened an art school and gallery in his
hometown of Feodosiya.
A/ Rather B/ Since C/ Upon D/ Until
4/ In your place, I _____ to others to help. There’s no way of getting the project finished yourself.
A/ would have turned B/ must have turned C/ will turn D/ would turn
5/ ____ chair the meeting.
A/ John was decided to B/ It was decided that John should
C/ There was decided that John should D/ John had been decided to
6/ We all wished to be treated _____.
A/ as equals B/ as equally C/ as equals D/ equals
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7/ The great French novelist Honore de Balzac would make _____ revision when he was proofreading his work
that _____ was left of the original text in the end.
A/ too many/ not enough B/ such a lot of/ a few
C/ plenty of/ not many D/ so much/ little
8/ She _____ fainted when she heard that her son had died.
A/ rather than B/ nothing but C/ all but D/ near
9/ I’ll be kind to her _____ she decide to leave me.
A/ in case B/ whereas C/ so as not D/ lest
10/ Jasmine’s parents died when she was just a baby, so I _____ family she ever had.
A/ was all the B/ was the whole C/ have the whole D/ have all the

Guided Cloze Text

Kiwi Surprise
When a work project gave me the opportunity to return to New Zealand, I spent several weeks ( 1)
____ a country I had left in my early twenties. I’d forgotten about the petrol stations where men in smart
uniforms (2) _____ to you. They fill your tank, check your oil and still (3) _____ you less than one third of the
British price for fuel. And the people rush your assistance if they see you (4) _____ over a map. Or the blissful
absence of tips. Locals simply cannot understand why anybody should expect you to pay extra for friendly
efficient service.
Given that New Zealand has about 30,000 kilometers of coastline, it should come as no ( 5) ______
that social life (6) ______ around the sea. When Auckland office workers leave their desks at the end of the
working day, they don’t (7) _____ home. Instead, they (8) ______ a beeline for the marina and spend the
evening under sail on the Hauraki Gulf. There are more yachts in Auckland than in any other city in the world-
no wonder if it’s called the City of Sails. Even those who can’t afford a (9) ______ of their own will always
know someone who has one, or at the very least, will windsurf the offshore breezes at speeds that make the
commuter ferries appear to stand (10) _____.

1/ A/ regaining B/ recapturing C/ refamiliarizing D/ rediscovering

2/ A/ assist B/ attend C/ supply D/ serve
3/ A/ charge B/ ask C/ require D/ demand
4/ A/ pointing B/ doubting C/ clamoring D/ puzzling
5/ A/ wonder B/ surprise C/ amazement D/ news
6/ A/ centers B/ revolves C/ turns D/ gathers
7/ A/ move B/ aim C/ head D/ divert
8/ A/ have B/ do C/ get D/ make
9/ A/ vehicle B/ hull C/ vessel D/ receptacle
10/ A/ still B/ dead C/ afloat D/ upright

Sentence Transformation
1/ It is only to look at. You can’t use it, sir. SHOW
It’s only ………………………………………………………………………………… use, sir.
2/ The police have been very thorough in their efforts to find the man. NETS
The police have …………………………………………………………… to find the man.
3/ In my opinion, there’s nothing else in the world to compare with the Parthenon. CLASS
The Parthenon …………………………………………………………………… in my opinion.
4/ You’ll get the maximum punishment when they find out what you’ve done. THROW
They’ll ……………………………………………………………………. when they find out what you’ve done.
5/ There are widely differing opinions on the morality of cloning humans. SCHOOL
There is …………………………………………………………………… on the morality of cloning humans.
6/ She talked so much I was unable to join in the conversation. WORD
I couldn’t get ………………………………………………………………… because she talked too much.
7/ He’s about to lose his temper when he paces quietly up and down. STORM
It’s the ………………………………………………………………………… quietly up and down.
8/ He still forgot to bring the camera, although I phoned to remind him.
Regardless …………………………………………………… he still forgot to bring the camera.

Error Correction
Consumers use logos as a key signifier of a brand; it’s often the first thing that comes to mind when a
person thinks of or hears a brand name. The logo, therefore, largely contributes to building brand salience.
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Changing your logo by the drop of a hat causes confusion and risks depleting any brand awareness that has
been built. 
Brands often underestimate their emotional impact on consumers. This emotional bond exists because
a brand and its reputation have the power to offer a consumer a sense of familiarity and safety about the
products they purchase. Put simple, the logo is a visual indicator of trustworthiness and acts almost like a
connection point between the brand and the consumer – consumers know why they are getting behind the
logo. The same logic applies between humans – familiar and recognizable faces provide us with a greater
sense of safety and trust.
As much as customers all try not to judge a book by its cover. The same goes for brands. They often
judge a brand based on its logo and aesthetic alone, and Gap has proven that changing your logo can damage
the extent on which people are able to recognize and trust you. Also, brands must be aware that consumers
do not tire of logos as quickly as employees might, and they are exposed to it much less frequently. If you
plan to change your logo, it’s a good idea to warn your customers first because they might care more than you
think.

Word form
genius grip practice perceive chief
document timid grass pass carpentry
The cinema, though, does have something in common with the confessional, video blog aspect of
YouTube. The popularity of the horror film the Blair Witch Project was inflamed by a vast. (1) ___________
Internet campaigns which (2) ____________ suggested that the film’s horrors were real. Plus, there’s a cousin
to this blurring of fact and fiction – confessional blogs which turn out to be faked by ( 3) _________________
actors. In the past, some (4) ____________ that you could see on TV or at the cinema had You Tube
qualities, in that the footage was shot by the participants themselves, although they needed a professional
cinema (5) ____________ to bring it to light. If the unhappy heroes of these films are making their videos
now, they would probably (6) _____________ directors and take them straight to You Tube.
Where straight cinema and You Tube come more closely into parallel is the use of continuous shot: the
persistent, unjudging, (7) _____________ gaze; an unedited, deep-focus scene in which our attention as
audience is not (8) ____________ or directed. The true You Tube gems are not the digitally (9)
____________ features. The most (10) ______________ material is raw, unedited footage in one continuous
take.

Reading Comprehension
The Balance in The Oceans
The oceans’ predators come in all shapes and sizes. For example, one of the less infamous ones is the
colorful starfish, which feeds on plant life, coral, or other shellfish such as muscles for sustenance. A more
bloodcurdling example, especially to human beings and most other species of fish, is the shark, though most
scientists agree that only ten per cent of the 450 plus species of sharks have been documented as actually
attacking a human. Still, there is another predator lurking invisibly in the bodies of water of the world, one
which poses one of the greatest threats to all species of ocean life –bacteria. Though many types of fish
are continually stalking and evading one another for survival, they all band together in an
attempt to keep bacteria levels at bay in order to allow their own existence to continue.
Bacteria play a dual role in the ecosystems of the oceans. On the one hand, they are beneficial as they
stimulate plant life through food decomposition, which releases the necessary chemicals for the growth of
plant life. This is called nutrient recycling and helps keep the oceans alive. But, on the other hand, bacteria
are a major predator for all fish because they attack fragile, weaker individuals. If they are allowed to run
rampant and not kept in check, they could virtually suffocate the oceans. In water, bacteria prove to be an
even greater threat than on land because, as they proliferate, they reduce the oxygen levels necessary for
organisms in the oceans to live. Further, when fish populations become depleted due to factors like
overfishing, microbes such as algae expand and threaten the fragile ecosystems of the ocean. Therefore,
ocean predators play a critical role by thwarting bacteria growth and maintaining the oceans’ equilibrium by
reducing vulnerable links in the food chain.
In many ways, the balance within the oceans’ ecosystems mirrors the human body. That is, all of their
components must work in harmony for them to stay healthy, efficient, and alive. If one of them is missing or
deficient, an entire system can be placed in jeopardy. In both the human body and the ocean, bacteria play a
vital role because, at manageable levels, they aid in protecting and cleaning each system of foreign agents
that can be of harm. On the other hand, if bacteria levels increase and become out of control, they can take
hold of a system, overrun it, and become debilitating. Therefore, both oceans and the human body have a
kind of custodian that maintains bacteria levels. In the human body, it is called a phagocyte. Phagocytes eat
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up sick, old, or dying cells, which are more prone to bacterial invasion, and thus keep the body healthy. Like in
the human body, bacteria can prove fatal to the living organisms in the ocean.
Like phagocytes in the human body ocean predators work as anti-bacterial custodians of the seas. In
essence, they are immune system and a vital link in the food chain because they remove small, injured, or
sickly fish from the ocean environment before bacteria can become too comfortable and multiply. By ridding
the ocean of weaker fish, predators allow the stronger ones to multiply, making their species stronger and
more resilient. Without their services and with their declining numbers, bacteria will blossom to levels that will
eventually overpower and kill even the strongest species of fish because of the depletion of their number one
source of life, all important oxygen.
While the greatest battle in the ocean may seem on the surface to be the survival of the fittest fish, a
closer look reveals something completely different: fish versus microorganisms. Clearly, most living organisms
in the oceans are hunters by nature, but this way of life does not merely provide a food sources for a
dominant species. It also maintains a healthy level of bacteria in an ocean’s ecosystem, thus ensuring the
continuation of all species of life within. Major predators are necessary, like antibacterial cells of the human
body, to keep this delicate balance in synch. If their numbers continue to decline and humans ignore their vital
role in the ocean, dire consequences will definitely result.

1/ The word ‘lurking’ in the passage is closest in meaning to _____.

A/ attacking B/ increasing C/ waiting D/ approaching
2/ According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of ocean predators?
A/ The shark is the deadliest one for all other kinds of life in the oceans.
B/ One of the most threatening to all fish populations is bacteria.
C/ Starfish do little damage to the population of mussels and shellfish.
D/ Most of the killers that hide in the oceans are unknown to humans.
3/ Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about bacteria?
A/ They can be extremely detrimental to fish if their numbers increase.
B/ They are able to feed off themselves when other food sources are limited.
C/ They present themselves in numerous shapes and forms as well as colors.
4/ The author discusses ‘nutrient recycling’ in paragraph 2 in order to ______.
A/ show how bacteria act similarly in the ocean and the human body.
B/ explain the different roles of nutrients and oxygen for species of fish.
C/ indicate that bacteria do have a positive impact in the oceans.
D/ note how chemicals from bacteria are able to stimulate plant growth.
5/ Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the sentence in bold. (“ Though…
continue”)?
A/ Evasion tactics help fish escape from the threats posed by an increasing number of bacteria.
B/ Various species of fish prey upon one another in order to lower bacteria levels in the ocean.
C/ High bacteria levels in the ocean help most species of fish to survive by providing them with food.
D/ Rivals or not, all fish help one another survive by preventing bacteria from proliferating.
6/ The word “thwarting” in the passage is closest in meaning to _____.
A/ encouraging B/ preventing C/ slowing D/ sustaining
7/ According to paragraph 2, bacteria are dangerous to ocean life because _____.
A/ they have the capability to attack both strong and weaker fish
B/ they could monopolize the critical breathable gas in the ocean
C/ they get rid of vulnerable links, like dying fish, in the food chain
D/ they blossom out of control when overfishing becomes dominant
8/ The word “debilitating” in the passage is closest in meaning to ______.
A/ stimulating B/ hindering C/ elevating D/ weakening
9/ The author’s description of phagocytes mentions all of the following EXCEPT _____.
A/ They rid the human body of potentially dangerous organisms
B/ They act in a similar manner as the predators of the ocean
C/ They dispose of bacteria to make weakened cells revive
D/ They are cleaning agents in humans to maintain bacteria levels.
10/ The word “it” in the passage refers to _____.
A/ nature B/ way of life C/ food source D/ dominant species

THE END
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