COLLOCATIONS AND IDIOMS – EXERCISE 12DA1

1. Although we argued with him for a long time, he ______ his ground.
A. remained B. stood C. kept D. persisted
2. I can’t go out this morning. I’m up to _____ in reports.
A. eye B. ears C. feet D. fingers
3. My father ________ when he found out that I’d damaged his car.
A. saw pink elephants B. hit the ceiling
C. brought the house down D. made my blood boil
4. I haven’t had an accident yet but I’ve had a number of _____ shaves.= narrow escapes
A. near B. narrow C. close D. tiny
5. While Long has turned over a new _______ , his brother is still racing around in fast cars and causing
trouble.
A. leaf B. page C. face D. book
6. You can talk till the _______ come home – you’ll never make me change my mind.
A. sheep B. cows C. dogs D. chickens
7. The escaped prisoner fought _______ before he was finally overpowered.
A. head over heels B. tooth and nail C. heart and soul D. foot and mouth
8. He is always full of ___ . He can play football all day without tiredness.
A. beans B. millet C. rice D. peaches
9. Since he started his own business, he has made money hand over _______.
A. palm B. fist C. cheek D. head
10. You should _________ before buying because it is very expensive.
A. cost an arm and a leg B. take it for granted
C. pull your leg D. take it into account
11. I ______ to answer all their questions.
A. did my level best B. worked my fingers to the bone
C. pulled my weight D. kept my chin up
12. The President is determined to _______ for peace.
A. pull his socks up B. make a meal
C. go the extra mile D. raise a finger= help sb
13. We cannot afford to carry members who are not _______.
A. doing things by halves B. making a meal of it
C. knowing beans about it D. pulling their weight
14. If you know what you really want, you should ______ to get it.
A. pull their weight B. go all out
C. pull your socks up D. fight tooth and nail
15. She _______ in order to send her children to school.
A. cut corners B. worked her fingers to the bone
C. made a meal of it D. called it a day
16. When you’re ________ trying to start a business, you should utilize every minute you have.
A. breaking your back B. raising a finger
C. pulling your socks up D. going through thick and thin
17. It’s obvious that she’s lying through her _____.
A. hat B. teeth C. head D. back
18. This information is too important, you can’t sweep it under the ______.
A . tracks B. carpet C. back D. hat
19. After all, he only __________ . He never does what he promised .
A. speaks with a forked tongue B. has one foot in the grave
C. smells a rat D. jumps through hoops
20. I was surprised to find he’d gone behind my _____.
A. hat B. back C. thought D. leg
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21. Supermarkets buy goods at _____ prices.
A. steady B. fixed C. stuck D. hooked
22. The boy bought a toy gun that is ______ to distinguish from a real gun.
A. impractical B. unable C. impossible D. incapable
23. I'm on friendly _______ with my friends at my school.
A. relationship B. link C. term D. contact
24. Nowadays, the number of people who are out of ______ is rapidly increasing .
A. order B. work C. danger D. luck
25. Ha Long Bay is always a tourist ________ when summer comes.
A. attract B. attractive C. attraction D. attractiveness
26. The two boys look ______ , but they are not brothers.
A. similar to B. like C. alike D. same
27. The tanks were ______ for the battle-field.
A. heading B. going C. running D. travelling
28. The company allows some customers to buy goods on _______ and pay for them later.
A. cash B. cheque C. card D. credit
29. The competition attracted a large ____ of carpenters from the whole country.
A. deal B. number C. lot D. amount
30. Could you do me a(n) ______? My bike’s front tyre is flat.
A. favour B. help C. assistance D. support
31. You should _____ attention to what teacher is saying if you want to get high mark.
A. pay B. draw C. gain D. attract
32. She makes a great effort in order to graduate with ______ colours.
A. jumping B. walking C. flying D. red
33. We have stopped buying goods from that shop as most of them are _____ poor quality.
A. in B. under C. with D. on
34. My watch was _________. Could you have the time ?
A. out of order B. out of reach C. out of work D. out of the blue
35. They escaped from the smoke-filled house just in the _______ of time.
A. nick B. moment C. course D.fullness
36. These days, more and more teenagers __________ a crime at the early age.
A. make B. commit C. have D. do
37. She completed the 500 meters in ______ time.
A. record B. folded C. broken D. taken
38. You need _____a chance if you don’t miss it again.
A. seize B. jump C. take D. gain
39. He was given a dose of morphine to ______ his pain.
A. release B. repair C. retain D. relieve
40. You have 2 days to ______ a decision whether to go or not.
A. carry out B. make C. do D.take

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