1、托业必备短语大全（在文章中记短语） TOEIC_IDIOMSUNIT 1. NEGOTIATIONSWe met with representatives from the other company for over 4 hours yesterday. Jerry didnt waste any time. He took the bull by the horns and gave them our list of concerns right away. The he asked for a list of their concerns and put both lists on th
2、e white board, so he could be sure we were all on the same page. He told the group that we were going to have to think out of the box and suggest creative solutions. We talked for over an hour. Jerry likes to shoot from the hip, which makes some people uncomfortable because hes very direct. Because
3、we have such different corporate cultures, I didnt think the two groups would ever see eye to eye on the goals. However, during the second hour, Jerry said he was willing to bend over backwards and work very hard to address their concerns. I think that impressed them. He talked about the advantages
4、of the deal, and then he really laid it on the line and left the next move up to them. At one point, I thought the other company might back out and leave the table, but Jerry kept the discussion going. There was a lot of give and take; they finally met us halfway, and we cut the deal over dinner tha
5、t night. I was surprised that our relationship as competitors didnt get in the way. Jerry was able to convince them to look at those old conflicts are water under the bridge. He got them to focus on the future, and the result was clearly a win-win situation for both companies.1. Take the bull by the
6、 horns: directly confront a problem or challenge. He decided to take the bull by the horns and talk to the president about the problem. She took the bull by the horns and asked her boss for a raise.2. Be on the same page: have the same understanding about the situation or information. I want to make
7、 sure we share the same expectations. We need to be on the same page before I give you the money to do the work. I need to meet with Jim before the negotiations so we are on the same page when we meet with the other company.3. Think out of the box: be creative or non-traditional; approach a situatio
8、n or problem in a new way. Nothing weve tried so far has worked. We need to ask Gordon for his ideas because he thinks out of the box. Lets brainstorm some ideas hers. Concentrate on some new and different solutions. We need to think out of the box.4. Shoot form the hip: be very direct; express idea
9、s without planning. She likes to shoot from the hip, but honestly makes people angry sometimes. You usually know what he is thinking because he shoots from the hip.5. See eye to eye: to agree about or have the same perspective on something Id like her to be on my team. We see eye to eye most of the
10、time. We havent been able to agree. We dont see eye to eye on this.6. Bend over backwards: try very hard to please someone or to do something. She bent over backwards to try and make him happy, but he was never satisfied. I want you to bend over backwards for this customer. Its a very important acco
11、unt.7. Lay it on the line: be very direct or frank. I laid it on the line. I told him I didnt love him anymore. Were tired of all the careful words. Just lay it on the line for us.8. Back out: change or cancel an agreement or an arrangement. The investors backed out of the contract at the last minut
12、e, so we couldnt go ahead with the building. I dont trust her. She often backs out at the last minute.9. Give and take: cooperation or compromise. It took a lot of give and take, but I think we finally reached an agreement that satisfied every one. He was used to working alone. In his new job, he ha
13、d to learn to participate in the give and take.10. Meet someone halfway: compromise. If you can meet me halfway, I think we can reach an agreement. They met us halfway, so that could make a deal that worked for all of us.11. Cut the/a deal: reach an agreement. The cut the deal over lunch. We hope to
14、 cut a deal by Friday.12. Water under the bridge: a part issue or problem that is no longer a concern. Dont worry about that mistake. Its water under the bridge. Lets not focus on an old disagreement. We need to move forward. Those problems are just water under the bridge.13. A win-win situation: a
15、situation where everyone involved benefits or wins. The negotiations went well. We both got what we wanted most. It was a win-win situation. I enjoy working with her. We both contribute something useful. Its a win-win situation.UNIT 2. MEETING WORK DEALINESWe have a lot on our plate. For example, we
16、ve gotten three new projects just this week, and I dont know if we have the bandwidth to finish the work on time. Theres only one experienced engineer who really knows the ropes. We have two new employees who catch on quickly, but this is a very heavy schedule. We need to do a dry run with the proto
17、type before we release the software to the customer. Its critical that we have enough time to troubleshoot problems in this program and then get the bugs out before the release. The marketing department is already advertising this software as plug and play, so it has to be trouble free an very easy
18、to install. We can probably finish the first job by next Friday, but I think the next one will be down to the wire because we only have three days after that to finish it. I gave Don a heads up and told him to be ready to put in some overtime for the next several days. Well need a few days off after
19、 its over so no one gets burned out.1. On ones plate: something that is waiting to be done. We have enough on our plate right now. We shouldnt take on more projects right now. She has too much on her plate. She needs to assign some of the work to another person.2. Have the bandwidth: have the abilit
20、y or capacity to handle the work. Tech support is too busy. They dont have the bandwidth to handle the calls. The company is growing too fast. Im not sure they have the bandwidth to manage the change.3. Know the ropes: be familiar with job processes, procedures, or people. We asked the new employee
21、to talk to Jose because he knows the ropes and can show him around the plant. She knew the ropes, so she had to trouble getting the work done.4. Catch on: quickly and easily learn or understand something. Lets put him in charge of the new process because he catches on quickly. They promoted her afte
22、r only three months because she had caught on so quickly.5. A dry run: a rehearsal or practice session. We should test this prototype first. We need a dry run before we go into production. Id like to do a dry run with this speech before I present it to the whole company.6. Troubleshoot something: id
23、entify the problems in a program or process. We hired her to trouble shoot the problems in the process. Shell identify them, and then the team will correct them. We have to troubleshoot the problems in software programs.7. Get the bugs out: fix any problems in software program. We have to get the bu
24、gs out of this new program before the release date. This new software engineer can get the bugs out faster that anyone on the team.8. Plug and play: easy to install and easy to use. Ill be able to have this new program up and running in five minute. Its plug and play. I like their products because t
25、hey are so easy to use. Everything they made is plug and play.9. Down to the wire: close to the deadline. We have to work overtime because were down to the wire on this project. He doesnt plan his work well, so he always has to work down to the wire.10. Heads up: a warning that a change or new proce
26、dure is coming. Our boss gave us a heads up about the change in the procedure. Id like a heads up on any design changes so I can make adjustments.11. Be burned out: to feel very tired and not want to continue an activity. She was burned out. She had worked with children for many years and had lost h
27、er enthusiasm for the work. She decided to take a vacation because she was burned out from working seven days a week.CHAPTER 3. CHALLENGES / DIFFICULTIESIm feeling very frustrated. I have so much work to do, Im still waiting for tech support to upgrade my system to improve the processing speed. I fe
28、el like Im doing the job of three people. I tried multi-tasking, but even when I talk on the phone and read and answer my e-mail at the same time, I cant get everything done. Im also having problems with my staff. I have one person who always makes waves and causes arguments with the rest of the sta
29、ff. Whenever theres a bottleneck and work builds up so that we fall behind schedule, shes usually responsible. Our budget has been cut, so I have to find ways to save money; this means I have to cut corners on hiring, so I cant bring on any new people. I just have to make do with the current team. I
30、 was talking with Joe, the other supervisor, during a break. Hes in the same boat. He says his job has become a pain in the neck. His boss is always in his face about something. We both feel like were between a rock and a hard place. My wife is going to have a baby, so I need to have a steady income
31、. Joe is about 25 years older than I am. He was planning to retire next year, but he put all his eggs in one basket and invested in a high-tech stock that was supposed to make him a million dollars. Then the market went south and now hes really up a creek. He doesnt want to tell his wife about his b
32、ad investment, so now he has to keep working for a lot longer than he expected.1. Upgrade: improve, update, or change for the better. He needs to upgrade his job skills so hell be more employable. I upgraded my computer system so I could work better.2. Multi-tasking: doing more than one thing at the
33、 same time. I cant keep up with my work. I need to try multi-tasking so I can get everything done. He got a ticket for multi-tasking while he was driving. He was talking on the car phone and looking up another phone number while he was at the wheel. 3. Make waves: to cause troubles or problems. I do
34、nt want him on my team because he always makes waves and upsets the others. She made waves wherever she went, she didnt usually stay long in one company.4. A bottleneck: a person or place that stops or slows the easy flow of ideas or products. Theres a bottleneck in manufacturing at the third statio
35、n on the assembly line. We need to make some changes in the process there. That department is always a bottleneck for us when we try to get anything done quickly. They always delay the process.5. Cut corner: save money or time by substituting inferior materials or not carrying out all the required s
36、teps. The company cut corners on the new product by using a less expensive part in the design. We have to find a way to cut corners on this project because weve already gone over our budget.6. Make do: complete a task using only the available supplies or people. We dont have enough yellow paper, so
37、well have to make do with white. She run out of butter, so she made do with oil for the recipes. 7. Be in the same boat: be in the same situation as someone else. They are both engineers who worked for start-up companies and then left to start their own companies. They are in the same boat. Both wom
38、en have just had their first babies. They are in the same boat. 8. A pain in the neck: a difficult problem or person. This project has had problems from the beginning. Its a pain in the neck. I left that job because it was a pain in the neck.9. Be in someones face: make someone uncomfortable, be con
39、frontational. That salesman was really in my face. I didnt like him. He stood very close and was very persistent. Shes a difficult person to work with because she is always in your face. She likes to arguer.10. Be between a rock and a hard place: be a difficult position, unable to escape. Shes caugh
40、t between a rock and a hard place. She needs to invest in research and development to be competitive, but she has to spend all the money just to keep the company going. Hes between a rock and a hard place. If he does what his mother wants, his wife will be angry. If he does what his wife wants, his
41、mother will be angry.11. Put all ones eggs in one basket: put all ones money or energy in one place. Dont put all your eggs in one basket. Its less risky to have more than one investment. She put all her eggs in one basket, so when the price of fold dropped, she lost everything.12. The market toes s
42、outh: the value goes down/declines. We were doing well with our investments for retirement until the market went south. Now, were all worried. That country was exporting coffee for a good price, but then the market went south, and their economy is really hurting now.13. Be up a creek (without a padd
43、le): be in a difficult situation. If the programmer leaves without giving us any notice, well be up a creek without a paddle. Our child-care provider quit yesterday, and we are really up a creek trying to work with our new twins.UNIT 4. SALES AND MARKETINGPerson A: Did you attend Sallys presentation
44、?Person B: No, I missed it, but I read her e-mail.Person A: It was great. No one expected her to be so plugged in to the customers needs. She really blew them away. I think the new product release will jumpstart out sales this quarter. Its a long short, but I think we may reach the 5 million dollar
45、mark.Person B: The new program is very user-friendly, which should increase sales. Person A: I agree. I think that the new management has a good game plan. First of all, they have an excellent team. The new vice president has hired really good salespeople who interface well with the customers. She k
46、nows that good customer relationships are critical to our success. Shes also spending a lot on this new marketing campaign. She wants to go for broke. Person B: She certainly works hard. She put in about 90 hours last week. Even if she does strike out and the campaign fails, I think shell go down sw
47、inging. I love her positive attitude. I hope she hits a home run. If she does, well all benefit when the stock goes up.Person A: Its possible. I think she is really dialed in to the customers. She seems to be able to anticipate the market, which helps her to stay ahead of the game.Person B: I agree.
48、 This could add up to a win-win situation for all of us.1. Be plugged in/be dialed in: be connected or be knowledgeable about in a situation. If you want to know whats really going on, ask Jim. He is really plugged in. If you want to be dialed in, you have to communicate with lots of people.2. Blow
49、someone away: greatly impress someone; exceed expectations. He set impossible goals, and then he achieved them. It blew this boss away. She blew them away when she made her presentation. They had no idea she would be so effective.3. Jumpstart: so something to get an activity or institution working better or faster. Lets jumpstart this project. It is our first priority. The economy was lagging, so the government tried to jumpstart it by lowering the interest rates. 4. A long shot: a very difficult goal or a goal th
