很多同学在考完托福后突然发现，自己的听力真的提高了很多，在考试中学到了很多美国习语。本文特地把托福考试中常出现的重要习语总结出来，供准备参加2007下半年托福考试的朋友使用。为体现原汁原味，本文未对这些词组进行翻译，不过在每个词组后面都有相应的英文解释。

只要大家坚持用心去练，对听力提高会有帮助的，而且在考试的时候大家会发现这样的练习的效果特别好，当然这种感觉是建立在你大量练习和能力提高的基础上的。

above all - most importantly

account for - explain

as a matter of fact - in fact ,to speak the truth

as a rule - generally ; normally

about to - be ready to; be on the point of doing something

an old hand - be an experienced person

any day now -soon

approach sb -talk to sb

be fed up with - be out of patience with

be on one’s own - live independently

be on the safe side - take no chances

be out of something - have no longer in supply

be tired of - be bored with ,frustrated with

be up to ones’ ears - be extremely busy

be up to someone -be a person’s responsibility

be out for -trying to get

be out of the question - be unacceptable ,impossible

bite off more than one can chew - take on more than one can handle

break down - cease to n

break the ice - begin to be friendly with people one doesn’t know

break the news - inform or give bad news

brush up on - improve one’s knowledge of something through study

bump into - meet unexpectedly

by and large - in general

by heart - by memory

by all means - absolutely ,definitely

by no means - in no way

call off -cancel

cheer up - be happy

come down with - become sick with

come into -receive, especially after another’s death

come up with - think of

count on - depend upon

count out - eliminate

die down - become quiet ,become less

do without - manage without something

drop by - visit informally; pay a short visit

every other - alternate

fall behind - lag; fail to accomplish something on time

fall through - fail to happen or be completed

far cry form - completely different from; a long way

feel like - have a desire or wish for

feel up to - feel well enough to or be capable of

few and far between - not happening often; rate

figure out - determine; reason out by thinking

fill in for -take another’s place

fill sb. in - tell what sb. should know

fish out of water - out of one’s element or natural environment

flying colors -success, victory

for good - permanently; forever

for the time being - for now; temporarily

get away with - escape without punishment

get rid of - give something away; sell, destroy, or throw away something

get the ball rolling - start something; make a beginning

get the hang of - understand; learn

give a hand - help

go without saying - understood; clear without needing to be stated

go off -begin to ring

hang on - keep hold of; persevere; keep doing something

hard to come by - difficult to obtain

have a heart - have kind feelings; be understanding

have a hunch - have an idea based on feelings rather than reason

hold off - delay; postpone

hop to it - get started on something quickly

hit it off - get along well with someone

ill at ease - uncomfortable

in hot water - in trouble

in the air -uncertain

in the dark - keep someone without knowledge; information from someone

in the lone run - looking toward the future; eventually

ins and outs - all the details; the various parts and difficulties to be seen

iron out - remove the difficulties or find an answer for

jump to conclusions - arrive too quickly at a decision or opinion

keep an eye on - watch closely

keep one’s fingers crossed - wish that nothing goes wrong

keep on one’s toes - be ready for action; prepared

knock oneself out - make a great effort

learn the ropes - learn the rules and routines of a place or activity

little by little -gradually

make ends meet - to get just enough money for one’s needs

make out - manage; get along

mean to - intentional; on purpose

might as well - to have no strong reason not to

next to nothing - almost nothing; very inexpensive

not to mention - in addition

off balance - unaware; off guard

on the go - working or doing something all the time

on pins and needles - nervous; anxious; full of anticipation

on purpose - deliberately; intentionally

on the blink - not working properly; broken

on the center track - thinking or doing something correctly

on the tip of one’s tongue - to be about to remr something

once in a blue moon - rarely; almost never

out of it - not involved in

pick up the tab - pay the bill or the cost of something

piece of cake - easy

play by ear - act spontaneously; without planning

pill it off - accomplish

pull one’s leg - make fun of someone in a playgul way; make someone believe something that is not true

quite a few - many

raise the roof -angry

center away - immediately

run for office - compete for an elected position

save one’s breath - to keep silent because talking would not achieve anything

say that again - a saying that means; I agree completely

stone’s throw - short distance

search me - an answer that means; I don’t know

serves one center - is deserving of

sleep on it - think about something for a while

straighten up - clean up; make tidy

take a break - rest for a while; stop one’s work or activity

think nothing of it - that’s all center

throw cold water on - discourage; lessen enthusiasm for

to say the least - at the lowest estimate

touch on - mention a subject briefly

under the water - not feeling well

wait around - waiting in vain

wait on - attend as a servant; serve

well worth the trouble - it deserts the inconvenience or trouble

whole new ballgame - an entirely different situation

with flying colors - succeed very well

without a hitch - without difficulty or delay