Toefl exam Essentials

TOEFL EXAM ESSENTIALS
Question: What does the man mean?
a. He’s going out past midnight.
b. He thinks the midterm is at night.
c. He’s going to stay up late studying.
d. He’s not going to study—it’s too late.
The correct answer is c. If you don’t know an idiomatic
expression, think about what makes sense in the situation. You
can eliminate choices a, b, and d because they are not what is sug-
gested in the context of the conversation. 
Keep Your Ears Open for Idioms
“Keep your ears open” means to stay attuned—so keep your
ears open for idiomatic expressions while you are listening to
everyday conversations. Here is a sample of some idioms
used in North America:
all of a sudden: suddenly
All of a sudden, the dog ran into the road.
boil down: summarize; amount
He boiled down the report to a page and a half.
The report boiled down to a plea for more funding.
catch up: to complete something belatedly
I need to catch up on my sleep.
drop off: deposit or deliver
She dropped off the package at his house.
find out: discover, learn
I don’t know the answer, but I’ll find out for you.

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