很多托福考生都意识到美国习语的重要性，认为积累这些习语对提高听力有很大的帮助。为体现习语的原汁原味，本文未对这些词组进行翻译，不过在每个词组后面都有相应的英文解释。
　　  

  above all - most importantly
　　account for - explain
　　as a matter of fact - in fact ,to speak the truth
　　as a rule - generally ;normally
　　about to - be ready to; be on the point of doing something
　　an old hand - be an experienced person
　　any day now -soon
　　approach sb -talk to sb
　　be fed up with - be out of patience with
　　be on one’s own - live independently
　　be on the safe side - take no chances
　　be out of something - have no longer in supply
　　be tired of - be bored with ,frustrated with
　　be up to ones’ ears - be extremely busy
　　be up to someone -be a person’s responsibility
　　be out for -trying to get
　　be out of the question - be unacceptable ,impossible
　　bite off more than one can chew - take on more than one can handle
　　break down - cease to function
　　break the ice - begin to be friendly with people one doesn’t know
　　break the news - inform or give bad news
　　brush up on - improve one’s knowledge of something through study
　　bump into - meet unexpectedly
　　by and large - in general
　　by heart - by memory
　　by all means - absolutely ,definitely
　　by no means - in no way
　　call off -cancel
　　cheer up - be happy
　　come down with - become sick with
　　come into -receive, especially after another’s death
　　come up with - think of
　　count on - depend upon
　　count out - eliminate
　　die down - become quiet ,become less
　　do without - manage without something
　　drop by - visit informally; pay a short visit
　　every other - alternate
　　fall behind - lag; fail to accomplish something on time
　　fall through - fail to happen or be completed
　　far cry form - completely different from; a long way
　　feel like - have a desire or wish for
　　feel up to - feel well enough to or be capable of
　　few and far between - not happening often; rate
　　figure out - determine; reason out by thinking
　　fill in for -take another’s place
　　fill sb.in - tell what sb. should know
　　fish out of water - out of one’s element or natural environment
　　flying colors -success, victory
　　for good - permanently; forever
　　for the time being - for now; temporarily
　　get away with - escape without punishment
　　get rid of - give something away; sell, destroy, or throw away something
　　get the ball rolling - start something; make a beginning
　　get the hang of - understand; learn
　　give a hand - help
　　go without saying - understood; clear without needing to be stated
　　go off -begin to ring
　　hang on - keep hold of; persevere; keep doing something
　　hard to come by - difficult to obtain
　　have a heart - have kind feelings; be understanding
　　have a hunch - have an idea based on feelings rather than reason
　　hold off - delay; postpone
　　hop to it - get started on something quickly
　　hit it off - get along well with someone
　　ill at ease - uncomfortable
　　in hot water - in trouble
　　in the air -uncertain
　　in the dark - keep someone without knowledge; information from someone
　　in the lone run - looking toward the future; eventually
　　ins and outs - all the details; the various parts and difficulties to be seen
　　iron out - remove the difficulties or find an answer for
　　jump to conclusions - arrive too quickly at a decision or opinion
　　keep an eye on - watch closely
　　keep one’s fingers crossed - wish that nothing goes wrong
　　keep on one’s toes - be ready for action; prepared
　　knock oneself out - make a great effort
　　learn the ropes - learn the rules and routines of a place or activity
　　little by little -gradually
　　make ends meet - to get just enough money for one’s needs
　　make out - manage; get along
　　mean to - intentional; on purpose
　　might as well - to have no strong reason not to
　　next to nothing - almost nothing; very inexpensive
　　not to mention - in addition
　　off balance - unaware; off guard
　　on the go - working or doing something all the time
　　on pins and needles - nervous; anxious; full of anticipation
　　on purpose - deliberately; intentionally
　　on the blink - not working properly; broken
　　on the right track - thinking or doing something correctly
　　on the tip of one’s tongue - to be about to remember something
　　once in a blue moon - rarely; almost never
　　out of it - not involved in
　　pick up the tab - pay the bill or the cost of something
　　piece of cake - easy
　　play by ear - act spontaneously; without planning
　　pill it off - accomplish
　　pull one’s leg - make fun of someone in a playful way; make someoone believe something that is not true
　　quite a few - many
　　raise the roof -angry
　　right away - immediately
　　run for office - compete for an elected position
　　save one’s breath - to keep silent because talking would not achieve anything
　　say that again - a saying that means; I agree completely
　　stone’s throw - short distance
　　search me - an answer that means; I don’t know
　　serves one right - is deserving of
　　sleep on it - think about something for a while
　　straighten up - clean up; make tidy
　　take a break - rest for a while; stop one’s work or activity
　　think nothing of it - that’s all right
　　throw cold water on - discourage; lessen enthusiasm for
　　to say the least - at the lowest estimate
　　touch on - mention a subject briefly
　　under the water - not feeling well
　　wait around - waiting in vain
　　wait on - attend as a servant; serve
　　well worth the trouble - it deserves the inconvenience or trouble
　　whole new ballgame - an entirely different situation
　　with flying colors - succeed very well
　　without a hitch - without difficulty or delay