Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 1 - Lesson 5 MCQ Test
Lesson 5 – The Wait-and-See Man
Idioms
call up = telephone; contact by telephone
He called up for more bananas.
He called me up at 2:30 in the morning.
I always call up my grandmother on her birthday.
A: I am hungry, but I don’t want to cook.
B: I am hungry too. Let’s call up the pizza place and order a cheese pizza.
calm down = become quiet; cool down
Some people have a cup of tea when they need to calm down.
After the storm, the sea calmed down.
The child calmed down when we gave him his teddy bear.
A: Help! There’s a spider on the desk!
B: Calm down. It is not going to hurt you.
can’t afford = be unable to pay for; don’t have enough money
I’d love to buy that house, but I can’t afford it.
I can’t afford to buy a Mercedes Benz.
He can’t afford a new suit.
A: Mom, can you buy me that computer?
B: I’d like to, but I can’t afford it. It’s too expensive.
can’t help (~ing) = can’t avoid; be unable to stop; have no choice but to; can only
They can’t help laughing at his strange appearance.
Susan couldn’t help eating all the cookies.
I can’t help falling in love with her.
A: Please don’t laugh at me when I sing!
B: I can’t help it. You sound really funny!
can’t stand = dislike intensely; can’t tolerate; can’t bear; hate
I can’t stand opera music.
She can’t stand traffic jams.
They like pickles, but they can’t stand mustard.
A: Let’s go see the new James Bond film.
B: No, thanks. I can’t stand action movies!
care for = look after; take care of
The mother cares for her children.
Most people don’t care for their house plants properly.
Janet appreciated the way Rick cared for her when she was sick.
A: How should I care for this plant?
B: You have to give it water every day.
catch up with = come up with; overtake
He just couldn’t catch up with her.
I missed a week of school, so I had to catch up with my class.
We ran to catch up with Larry.
A: Your team is really far behind.
B: Yes.I don’t think we can catch up with yours.
check in = register at a hotel; or an airport; ect.; sign in
When you arrive, check in by signing your name on the list.
You must check in at the front desk.
Please check in with me when you get here.
A: What time does your plane for Paris leave?
B: It leaves at ten 0’clock, but I have to check in by eight 0’clock
cheer up = get in a better mood; help someone feel happier; lighten up
He is trying to cheer up his friend.
He cheered up when he got a card and flowers.
Cheer up! Tomorrow, things will be better.
A: Where are you going?
B: I am going to Ann’s house. She is sad because her dog died, so I am going to try to cheer her up.
come by = pay a visit to; drop by; stop by
Why don’t you come by my leaf sometime?
The mailman usually comes by at ten 0’clock.
Ellen will come by this afternoon.
A: Do you want to come by my house and see my new CD player?
B: Sure, but I can only stay for a few minutes.
come out of = leave a place
The frog was still wet after he came out of the water.
The bear came out of the cave.
She finally came out of the room.
A: Come out of the sun before you get a sunburn.
B: That’s a good idea. I’ll sit in the shade with you.
come over = pay a short visit
She liked it when her grandfather would come over on Sundays.
Danny comes over to play after school.
Jack, why don’t you come over for dinner?
A: Do you want to come over to my house this weekend?
B: That sounds fun! Thank you for inviting me.
come true = happen as wished
Some people think that a four-leaf clover will make your dreams come true.
Joe’s dream at last came true.
I hope all your dreams will come true.
A: I can’t believe I won a trip to Europe! It is like a dream come true.
B: Wow! You are really lucky.
come up to = reach; approach
The grass came up to his knees.
I got more and more nervous as I came up to the door.
The man came up to me and asked me for money.
A: How deep is the water in the swimming pool?
B: Not very deep. It only comes up to my waist.
congratulations on = praise
congratulations on your birthday!
Congratulations on your new baby!
Congratulations on graduating from high school!
A: Congratulations on winning the speech contest!
B: Thank you. It was a great contest and I’m surprised I won.
consist of = be made (up) of; be composed from; comprise
A common fast-food meal consists of a hamburger, fries and a drink.
The package consisted of three books, some photos, and a candy bar.
The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
A: What did your English test consist of?
B: It consisted of 30% speaking, 30% listening, and 40% writing.
cooperate with = work together; act together
They always cooperate with each other.
Our team lost because we didn’t cooperate with each other.
Sally cooperated with Paul on the science project.
A: Why don’t you want to be Bill’s partner any longer?
B: We can’t cooperate with each other.
cope with = deal successfully with; manage successfully
The mother is finding it hard to cope with her troubled son.
I think I can cope with my new schedule.
She has to cope with traffic every day.
A: You look really sick. Do you want to go to see a doctor?
B: I can cope with the pain until tomorrow. It’s eleven 0’clock and too late to go now.
count on = depend on; rely on; trust
The politician said, “You can count on me!”
You can count on him to do good job.
I can count on my parents for support.
A: I’d be happy to help you study.
B: Thanks. I can always count on you.
cry out for = ask for; call for
When the baby was hungry, she cried out for food.
They are all crying out for change.
Children often cry out for a candy.
A: What did you do when the man stole your purse?
B: I cried out for help and a security guard caught the thief.
THE WAIT-AND-SEE MAN
Long ago in China, a young farmer bought a female horse. Many of the farmer’s neighbors would come by to see the horse. He spent many hours caring for her. The young farmer was counting on having many young horses to sell. One day, however, the horse ran away. The young farmer’s friends tried to cheer him up, but he was too sad. He knew that his family couldn’t afford to buy a new horse. However, the farmer’s father continued to smile. Finally, the young farmer couldn’t stand his father’s smile any longer. He asked, “What are you so happy about?”
His father told him calmly, “It is sad to lose a horse, but you never know what good things might happen because of this. We should wait and see.”
A few months later, the horse returned and it brought a beautiful, strong male horse with it. The farmer called up all of his friends. They came over to the young farmer’s house to offer him congratulations on his good fortune. The young farmer told his friends, “Now my dream of having many young horses to sell will come true!” But when the father came up to them, he looked worried.
The farmer’s father told everyone, “Having two horses does seem lucky. But I can’t help worrying that something bad will happen. We must wait and see.”
Then one day the farmer fell off the horse. His leg hurt and he cried out for help. His family heard his cries and came out of the house to help him. They took him to the hospital and checked in. The doctor came to examine the young farmer. He told him that his leg was broken and that he would not be able to work for many weeks. The farmer’s wife and child would have to cope with all of the farm work alone.
All of the farmer’s friends and family were upset, except the farmer’s father. He told everyone, “Yes, it does look bad, doesn’t it? But calm down. We should wait and see what good things may happen as a result of this.”
Only a few days later, the towns near the farm were attacked by armies from the north. All of the towns asked the people to cooperate with each other and make an army to defend their land. This army consisted of farmers rather than soldiers, and many young men died in the fighting. However, because the young farmer had broken his leg, he could not fight. The young farmer lived to become a very old man. The young farmer learned a good lesson from his wait-and-see father. He learned that both good and bad luck will catch up with you.
