Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 1 – Lesson 10 MCQ Test

Lesson 10 – lvanko the Bear’s Son

Idioms

in the middle of = at the center of; in the midst of

The scarecrow is in the middle of the field.
He was standing in the middle of the street.
She turned off the TV in the middle of the show.

A: What were you doing when I called you?
B: I was in the middle of studying for tomorrow’s big test.

in vain = for nothing; fruitless; vainly

He tried in vain to get more food from the table.
The trip was cancelled. He had packed in vain.
She washed her car in vain. It rained that afternoon.

A: This is an important game. We have to win it.
B: I know. If we don’t win, our three months of practicing will have been in vain.

instead of = in place of; rather than; in preference to

He chose the hamburger instead of the pizza.
She went to New York instead of Paris.
They met on Sunday instead of Saturday.

A: Let’s go on a picnic instead of watching a movie.
B: Okay. It’s a nice day to be outdoors.

just in time = almost not in time; at the last minute

The policeman caught the thief just in time.
You are just in time for dinner.
She got to the airport just in time to catch her plane.

A: Wow! It’s raining hard. We came in the house just in time.
B: I know! If we would have stayed outside one more minute, we would be very wet right now.

keep away (from) = avoid; stay away

There are some areas that swimmers should keep away from.
Keep away from that old house!
The shy boy kept away from the other children.

A: Why did mom tell us to keep away from that dog?
B: Because that dog is dangerous! It bit three kids last summer.

keep in mind = don’t forget; remember; bear in mind

Keep in mind that he usually eats with chopsticks.
I’ll keep that in mind.
Keep in mind that you’ve got a meeting at 3:00.

A: I’m going to play soccer with my friends this afternoon!
B: Okay, but keep in mind that dinner is at 6:00.

keep in touch = continue to communicate; stay in contact (with)

He gave me his phone number so we could keep in touch.
They kept in touch for twenty years.
Please keep in touch while you are traveling.

A: I’m going to live in America next year.
B: After you go, please keep in touch with me.

keep on = do not stop; continue

Keep on pushing!
His alarm went off, but he kept on sleeping.
It’s late, but I have to keep on working.

A: Why did you sell your parrot?
B: He kept on singing Elvis songs.

keep an eye on = watch; monitor

They wanted to keep an eye on the strange newcomer.
I’m going to the bathroom. Please keep an eye on my bag.
My parents are gone, so I have to keep an eye on my little brother.

A: Keep an eye on the time. I have to leave at midnight.
B: OK. It’s only 11:15 now.

keep out (of) = stay out (of)

Keep your hands out of my honey!
The children were kept out of the graveyard.
The high fence kept wolves out of the farm.

A: Why did you keep out of the game?
B: I don’t know how to play very well.

laugh at = ridicule; sneer

People always laugh at his nose.
The thoughtless teacher laughed at the student when he made a mistake.
They laughed at him when he tripped.

A: Why is Jimmy crying?
B: The other children laughed at his haircut.

lead to = go to a particular place

The road leads to the castle.
The guide will lead us to the village.
The dog led the police officer to the robber’s house.

A: Where does this stairway go?
B: It leads to the parking garage.

leave out = exclude; miss out; omit

The message was nice, but they left out the A’s!
He packed his suitcase, but he left out one pair of socks.
This argument is between you and me. Leave my brother out of it.

A: Do you want a hamburger?
B: Yes I do, but please leave out the pickles.

listen to = give attention in order to hear; hear

He likes to listen to music
She listens to the radio on her way to work.
We sat outside and listened to the birds singing.

A: Why is Rita doing so badly in school?
B: She never listens to her teacher.

little by little = slowly; bit by bit; gradually

Little by little. the snail moved along the road.
Peter learned Spanish little by little.
Little by little, they built their house.

A: Your computer is expensive. How did you buy it?
B: I worked for three years and saved my money little by little.

live on = keep oneself alive with food or money; survive (on)

The bird lives on worms.
The poor man lived on bread and water.
In college, I lived on only $50 a week.

A: Let’s go out for a nice dinner.
B: Good idea! I am tired of living on spaghetti and water!

long for = want very much

She longs for romance.
The orphan longed for a home.
He longed for a motorcycle of his own.

A: I’m longing for the ocean.
B: Okay. Let’s go to the beach.

look after = care for; take care of

She must look after her puppy.
I had to look after my little sister.
Please look after my plants while I am gone.

A: I’ll be gone for one week. Will you look after my dog?
B: Yes. I’ll give him food and walk him every day.

look around = look in all directions

He is looking around for bananas.
We looked around the room for the remote.
The new student looked around the class.

A: I still haven’t found my bag!
B: Look around at school tomorrow. Maybe it’s there.

look at = have a look at; take a look at; stare at

They looked at each other for a long time.
The doctor looked at the X-ray. Dawn looked at the painting.

A: Look at those beautiful flowers!
B: Wow! I don’t think I’ve seen any like those before.

LVANKO THE BEAR’S SON 

A long time ago in Russia, a farmer’s wife got lost one day in the woods. A bear found her and married her. The bear would not let her keep in touch with her husband. The woman and the bear had a son, Ivanko. He was half bear and half boy! Ivanko grew up little by little and soon the woman longed for the farm again. One day, the boy and his mother ran away.

The farmer was happy to see his wife but he laughed at Ivanko. (Keep in mind that the boy was half boy; half bear.) Instead of sending Ivanko away, the farmer told him to kill a sheep so that they could have a big dinner.

Ivanko asked, “Which sheep should I kill?”

The farmer said, “Kill the first one that looks at you.”

Ivanko went into the yard. All of the sheep looked at him at the same time. Ivanko began to kill all the sheep. The farmer stopped him just in time. He cried out, “Why?”

Ivanko said, “They all looked at me at the same time.”

The farmer knew that it would be in vain to scold the boy, so he said, “Put all of this meat into the barn. Keep your eye on the barn door. There are wolves around here!”

Ivanko watched the door very carefully, but in the middle of the night, it began to rain. Ivanko took the door off and looked around for a dry place. He took the door to his room and kept on watching it.

The next day, all of the meat was gone. The farmer yelled at Ivanko, “I told you to look after the meat! You didn’t keep out the wolves.”

Ivanko said, “No, sir. You told me to keep an eye on the barn door.”

The farmer knew that Ivanko would lead to the ruin of his farm! Soon they would have nothing left to live on. The farmer thought of a way to keep Ivanko away from the farm.

The farmer said, “Listen to me, Ivanko. I need some rope. Can you go to the lake and make some rope out of the sand there?”

Ivanko went to the lake, sat down, and began to try to make rope out of sand. While he was working, a goblin came up out of the lake. The goblin said, “I will help you if you can carry my horse around the lake more times than I can.” The goblin pulled his horse out of the lake, picked it up, and carried it around the lake 3 times. Then Ivanko jumped on the horse and rode it around the lake 20 times.

The goblin said, “You are a clever boy. You carried the horse between your legs!” He used his magic to help Ivanko. Let’s not leave out the best part of the story, though: The Goblin’s magic turned the rope into gold! Ivanko’s family became rich.