¡¡¡¡£¨1£© A mixed blessing£ºÓÇϲ²Î°ëµÄÊÂ
¡¡¡¡¡°Working in a big city is a mixed blessing. It is so convenient and comfortable there, but noise pollution and traffic congestion are two big headaches.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨2£© A narrow escape£º¾ÅËÀÒ»Éú
¡¡¡¡¡°The residents ran out of the burning building in time, but it was a narrow escape.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨3£© A nasty piece of work£ºÌÖÑáµÄ¼Ò»ï
¡¡¡¡¡°Beware of Tom! He looks nice at first sight, but finally you will find him a nasty piece of work.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨4£© A necessary evil£ºÌÖÑᵫ²»µÃ²»×öµÄÊÂ
¡¡¡¡¡°David is tired of administrative work, but, as the chief administrator of the department, he has to regard it as a necessary evil.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨5£© An odd man out£ºÄÑÒÔºÍËûÈËÏà´¦Õß
¡¡¡¡¡°At school, Bob was an odd man out; he seldom mingled with his peers.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨6£© An open book£º¾¡È˽ÔÖªµÄÊÂ
¡¡¡¡¡°David's daily life is an open book; he is a nice person to work with.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨7£© Plain sailing£ºÒ»·«·ç˳
¡¡¡¡¡°With the major obstacles removed, all should experience plain sailing from now on.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨8£© A plum job£ºÐ½³êÓźñµÄºÃ²îʹ
¡¡¡¡¡°Teaching can be considered a plum job here, but fewer and fewer young people regard it as a good career.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨9£© A put-up job£ºÔ¤ÏȲ¼ÖõĹ´µ±£»Æ¾Ö
¡¡¡¡¡°There is much publicity on foreign investment, but it may be a put-up job.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨10£© A safe bet£º±ØʤµÄÊÂ
¡¡¡¡¡°For many housewives, putting money in a good bank is a safe bet.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨11£© Second nature£ºµÚ¶þÌìÐÔ
¡¡¡¡¡°Wearing a seat belt is second nature to every motorist here.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨12£© One's sixth sense£ºÒ»¸öÈ˵ĵÚÁù¸Ð
¡¡¡¡¡°When the policeman saw a parcel near a building, his sixth sense told him that it could be a time bomb.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨13£© Small talk£º²»ÖØÒªµÄÏÐ̸
¡¡¡¡¡°As is often the case with staff meeting, it started off with small talk and then got down to business.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨14£© A snap decision£º¼±Ëٵľö¶¨
¡¡¡¡¡°The radical change of ruling or public housing came as a snap decision from the public housing authorities.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨15£© A soft option£º±È½ÏÈÝÒ×»òÓÐÀûµÄÑ¡Ôñ
¡¡¡¡¡°Helen considered staying with her mother a soft option because she did not have to worry about house-keeping.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨16£© A stepping stone£ºÌ¤½Åʯ
¡¡¡¡¡°A good degree from a good university serves as a stepping stone towards a person's career.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨17£© A sure-fire method/solution£º¾ø¶Ô¿É¿¿µÄ·½·¨/½â¾ö°ì·¨
¡¡¡¡¡°To link good performance with better remuneration is a sure-fire method to increase productivity.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨18£© Teething troubles£ºÔÝʱµÄÀ§ÄÑ
¡¡¡¡¡°Shortage of experienced staff and inefficient use of office equipment are teething troubles of any new company.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨19£© A wet blanket£ºÉ¨ÐËÕß
¡¡¡¡¡°Don't be a wet blanket by prohibiting people from doing this or that.¡±
¡¡¡¡£¨20£© Wishful thinking£ºÈçÒâËãÅÌ
¡¡¡¡¡°Buying a big car? No, it is only wishful thinking, since I don't have the means to do so.¡±
