| 1. Once in a Blue Moon:A neat description of “not very often,” it refers to the second full moon within a month – a rare thing indeed. Full moons happen about every 29.5 days, and since a typical month runs between 30 to 31 days, the likelihood of two in a month is slim. But over the course of a century there’ll be 41 months with two full moons, so once in a blue moon really means – if you want to get literal – once every 2.4 years. | 2. Mad as a Hatter:Today we know enough to keep clear of mercury, but hat makers once used it to make the brims of hats. When absorbed through the skin, it could wreak havoc on the nervous system: tremors, fatigue, not to mention behavioral dysfunction – that is, crazy behavior. Just think of Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. |
| 3. Raining Cats and Dogs:In 1600s England it was common practice to discard any waste into the streets – even dead household pets. Once it rained so much that the now-deceased Tabbies and Fidos became buoyant and floated along the streets, thus inspiring writer Richard Brome in 1651 to record, “it shall rain dogs and polecats.” | 4. The Acid Test:Gold Rush miners tested possible gold nuggets in acid. Unlike other metals, gold won’t corrode in acid, so if the nugget didn’t dissolve it passed the acid test and therefore must be pure gold. If a person passes a figurative acid test, they’re telling the truth, as opposed to the literal acid test, which would be quite painful, not to mention corrosive. |
| 5. The Bee’s Knees:It’s 1920s slang for something wonderful - but why would the knees of the Apis mellifera, the common honeybee, be something to be excited bout? Well, when bees find pollen they carry it back to the hive on pollen baskets located on their hind legs near their knees (yes, bees have knees.) The pollen is then used to make honey. | 6. Cold Turkey: To completely abandon an addictive habit is to go cold turkey. As a result, the habit-kicker may experience cold sweats and goose bumps as blood rushes from the surface of the skin to internal organs. That bristling gooseflesh looks like the skin of a plucked goose (which looks quite similar to a plucked turkey). And doesn’t it sound better to go cold turkey than to go cold goose? |
| 7. Dog Days:The ancient Romans noticed that the Dog Star, Sirius, rose at the same time as the sun on the hottest days of the year, so they made the natural assumption that Sirius in the sky added to the heat of the day. Today it’s generally accepted that the “dog days” of summer are July 3 through August 11. But they have nothing to do with Sirius. | 8. Chew the Cud:If you figuratively chew the cud, you’re chatting with an acquaintance. If you literally chew the cud, you’re regurgitating food from your stomach to be chewed a second time (don’t even try it). Cows are ruminants – this means that to properly digest grass to pass through their four-chambered stomachs, they need to rechew it. Consequently, a cow’s mouth seems to go nonstop, just like a person who is “chewing the cud.” |
Ex.2. Test your partner.
| 1.Польше нужна собственная система противоракетной обороны, заявил президент страны, в очередной раз дав понять, что поляки больше не намерены целиком полагаться на гарантии безопасности, предлагаемые США. 2.В последние годы польские официальные лица все с большим скепсисом относятся к готовности союзников в любых обстоятельствах защищать Польшу. 3. Геостратегическое положение страны - между Германией и Россией - в прошлом не раз приводило к конфликтам, и стоило полякам независимости на протяжении всего XIX века. 4.Вторая мировая война началась с нападения нацистской Германии на Польшу, которая была оставлена без помощи, несмотря на договоры с европейскими союзниками. 5. Президент Польши заявил в среду, что стране следует вкладывать средства в собственную оборону. | 1. Poland should build its own missile-defense system, the country’s president said, adding to earlier signals that the country no longer plans to rely solely on security guarantees offered by the U.S. 2. In recent years, Polish officials have become increasingly skeptical about allies’ readiness to defend Poland in any circumstances. 3. The country’s geostrategic position between Germany and Russia has led to military conflicts in the past that cost Poland its statehood for all of the 19th century. 4. World War II began with an attack by Nazi Germany on Poland, which was left unaided despite treaties with European allies. 5. Poland’s President said on Wednesday that the country needs to invest in its own defenses. |
| 6. Польша тратит на свою армию фиксированную долю валового внутреннего продукта – всего чуть меньше 2% в год. 7/8. В 2009 году президент США Барак Обама отказался от плана по созданию противоракетной обороны, разработанного его предшественником Джорджем Бушем-младшим. Согласно этому плану, одна из баз ПРО должна была разместиться в Польше, у границы с Калининградом - российским эксклавом. 9. Россия яростно выступала против этого плана и даже пригрозила нацелить на Польшу ракеты. 10. Позднее США выдвинули проект новой системы, предусматривающий размещение в Польше 24 ракет-перехватчиков в том же самом месте, чем опять привели Россию в негодование. | 6. Poland spends a fixed ratio of just under 2% of gross domestic product a year on its military. 7/8. In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama scrapped a missile-defense plan drafted by his predecessor, George W. Bush, under which Poland was to host a base near its border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. 9. The plan was fiercely opposed by Russia, which threatened to direct missiles at Poland. 10.The U.S. later proposed a new system envisaging 24 interceptors in Poland at the same location, drawing Russia’s ire again. |
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