143 (A) collect oneself (B) hump

Ross collect one's wits /collect oneself 鎮定下來, 恢復理智 I need time to collect my wits before seeing him again. 我需要先鎮定一下才能再次見他 You should try to let him collect himself then deal with the problem. 你應該讓他先冷靜下來再來處理這個難題 hump 駝峰 Some camels have one hump and the others have two. 駱駝有些是單峰的有些是雙峰

Ben collect one's wits /collect oneself 鎮定下來, 恢復理智 I was really scared, but I knew I had to collect my wits first. 我真的嚇到了，但是我知道我必須先鎮定下來。 hump 駝峰 over the hump: past the most difficult part of something We've almost done. We finally got over the hump with three months of hard work. 我們幾乎快完成了。我們用了三個月的努力克服最難的一關。 Suggestion: You can not use "have" and "done" unless there is a direct object. Instead of done, use "finish." "We've almost finished." You could also write: "We're almost done." By putting the "with" preposition at the end of the final sentence, it seems like you are clarifying why, even after getting over the hump, you are not done/finished yet. It seems like the sentences are about to read like this: "We finally got over the hump with three months of hard work remaining." Instead, lead with the prepositional phrase. "With three months of hard work we finally got over the hump." The sentences are correct in-and-of themselves but, in composition, the sentence you lead with is where you want the reader to focus. Your leading sentence was about almost being done. So, naturally, the reader/listener exects you to explain that in the second sentence. If you led with finally getting done, then that is what the reader/listener understands to be the most important. If that is what you want to emphasize, I would construct the sentences like this: "We finally got over the hump after three months of hard work. We are almost done. A couple notes: 1) "After" may be a better preposition because you are using time "three months" and getting over the hump was the culmination of that hard work. 2) Contractions like "we're" is perfectly acceptable in speech, but unless you are quoting somebody's speech, it may be best to write out the two words. 3) These are more in-depth methods about using English. They are not necessary for communicating information but, like using idioms, they do help convey tone and emotion.

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142 (A) play truant (B) chicken out

Ross play truant/play hooky 逃學 In my last year in the high school, I played truant a lot. 我在高中的最後一年常逃學 chicken out 因害怕而決定不做某事 He had a dentist appointment but he chickened out at the last moment. 他已預約治牙, 但到時候卻不敢去了。

Ben play truant/play hooky 逃學 Jack played truant seven days this month. Jack這個月逃學逃了七天。 Suggestion: These are both great sentences. Growing up, my mom used "hooky" and I have not heard in America, "playing truant." chicken out 因害怕而決定不做某事 You're not chickening out, are you? 你並不是不敢去，不是嗎？

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141 (A) drop in one's lap (B) at the drop of a hat

Ross drop sth in sb's lap 將某事推給他人負責 You've got to deal with this. Don't try and drop it in my lap. 這事你得去自己去處理，別想往我身上推 at the drop of a hat 不拖延地/反應很快 You can't expect me to move out of my apartment at the drop of a hat. 你別指望我說搬家就搬家 通常放在句尾

Ben drop sth in sb's lap 將某事推給他人負責 How can I know who drop the job in my lap? 我怎麼知道誰把工作推到我身上來？ Suggestion: More likely you mean "directly" in the second sentence. "Direct" can be, maybe, an adverb; but usually only if it is a specific technology (ex. "Send me a message, Facebook, if you need help.") You need to conjugate "drop" into "dropped" in the first sentence. Other verbs like "put" can be used in place of "drop." Also, "how can I know" is not the best way to phrase the question. There are a variety of alternatives, depending on what you are menaing by using "know." "How can I meet whoever dropped...?" "How can I find out who dropped...?" "How could I know who dropped...?" at the drop of a hat 不拖延地/反應很快 Call me direct if you need anything. I can come at the drop of a hat. 如果你需要什麼，直接跟我聯絡。我會很快過來。

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140 (A) so to speak (B) put year on sb

Ross so to speak 可以說; 可謂 The new regulations have been officially taking effect, so to speak. 新措施可以說已經正式實施了 用法類似in general, generally speaking, 通常用在句尾 put years on sb 使某人顯得老些 The shock put years on him. 這一場打擊使他見老 The way she dresses put year on her. 她打扮的方式讓她看起來很老

Ben so to speak 可以說; 可謂 John helps me with my math. He's my personal tutor, so to speak. John幫我準備數學。他可以說是我的個人家教。 put years on sb 使某人顯得老些 The breakup of his marriage put years on him. 離婚讓他顯得更老點。 Suggestion: These are both good. In the second sentence you may need to change "him" to "John" or whoever "he" is. This is a style issue when you have personal pronouns (him and his) that are different than the subject of the sentence (the breakup). But, this greatly depends on how often you use "John" in surrounding sentences.

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