Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 2 – Lesson 5 MCQ Test

Lesson 5 – At the office

Idioms

as of yet = until this time; so far

As of yet, she’s never had a boyfriend.
As of yet, he has not been paid by the company.
The date for the final test has not been announced as of yet.

A: Are the new computers in?
B: I’m sorry, sir. They have not arrived as of yet.

at one’s fingertips = easily available; at hand

He has the information at his fingertips.
I don’t have that information at my fingertips right now. Can you wait a minute?
Keep all of your important papers at your fingertips at all times.

A: Wow! Your Palm Pilot is really great!
B: Yeah. It keeps important information right at my fingertips.

brand-new = never used; totally new

It’s my brand new refrigerator!
Their brand-new car was stolen yesterday.
I bought a brand-new stereo to go with my television and DVD player.

A: Your shoes look very clean.
B: Actually, they’re brand-new.

cut in = go in front of someone unfairly; interrupt someone talking

I hate when people cut in line!
I hate it when people cut in line at the movies.
She was telling a joke but her brother cut in and told the rest of it.

A: That man just cut in front of us!
B: How rude!

dwell on = worry about or consider for a long time

I know you got a bad grade, but try not to dwell on it.
She could not help dwelling on the fact that her mother was sick.
I know you lost your wallet, but try not to dwell on it.

A: I can’t stop thinking about my old girlfriend.
B: Don’t dwell on her. I’m sure you will find love again.

get a hold of = contact; reach

Hello. Jimmy? You’ll never believe who I got a hold of!
He couldn’t get hold of his friend to tell him the plans were changed.
Please write down a phone number where we can get a hold of you.

A: Did you get a hold of Mike?
B: No. His line was busy.

learn (something) by heart = memorize; study to know without thinking

He’s my favorite! I’ve learned all his songs by heart!
She can’t read music, so she learns all the songs by heart.
I had to learn the whole book by heart in elementary school.

A: How did remember all those math equations?
B: I learned them by heart.

mix up = confuse

I often mix up my friends’ phone numbers.
I mixed up your names. Could you say that again?
The office mixed up the addresses and sent the wrong forms to the two customers.

A: You are supposed to come tomorrow, not today.
B: Sorry! I mixed up the dates.

take by surprise = surprise; come without warning

The phone call took him by surprise.
His friend’s visit took him by surprise.
When he asked her to marry him, he took her completely by surprise.

A: I can’t believe that your mother joined the army!
B: Yes. She took us all by surprise.

take time off = miss work for some time with permission

She took time off to enjoy a vacation in the sun.
I have to take time off next week to go to the doctor.
Our company is very strict about taking time off.

A: Why don’t we go to Paris next weekend?
B: I’m not sure if! can take time off work.

READ THE FOLLOWING STORY 

My boyfriend took time off from work one Friday to move to a new apartment. It was a lot of hard work. When I got home later that evening, I was exhausted. I wanted to give my boyfriend a call and cancel our plans for the next day.

My boyfriend also got a brand-new phone number for his new apartment, but as of yet I had not learned it by heart. I usually keep all the phone numbers I need at my fingertips in my day planner. Unfortunately, I had not written his number down. The only way I could think of to get a hold of my boyfriend was to call the operator and ask for Mike William’s phone number.

I called the number that the operator gave me, but I was taken by surprise when a woman answered the phone. “Hello,” she said.

I asked, “Can I speak to Mike?”

The woman said, “He is taking a shower right now.”

I was shocked. At first, I didn’t say anything.

“Is there anything that…?” she started to ask, but I cut in.

“Tell him to call his girlfriend when he gets out of the shower.” I hung up the phone quickly without waiting for the woman’s answer. I was a bit upset. However, I tried not to dwell on the fact that a woman was in my boyfriend’s apartment while he was in the shower. I knew Mike made friends with the neighbors when he moved in, so I assumed the woman was his neighbor. She was probably just helping him clean the place up.

An hour passed and Mike had not called me back. I called again, and a man answered the phone. “Hello,” he said. The voice was strange.

All of a sudden I realized that it was the wrong number. The operator had mixed up my boyfriend’s number with another man named Mike Williams. I said, “You’re not Mike!”

The man said, “And you’re not my girlfriend. I’ve been trying to explain that to my wife for over an hour.”