Work & Career Idioms

Climb the career ladder – advance in your career Example: She worked hard to climb the career ladder.

Learn the ropes – learn how to do a new job Example: It took me a few weeks to learn the ropes.

Pull your weight – do your fair share of the work Example: Everyone must pull their weight on the team.

Get the sack – lose your job Example: He got the sack for being late every day.

Call the shots – be in charge and make decisions Example: The manager calls the shots in our office.

Work your fingers to the bone – work extremely hard Example: My parents worked their fingers to the bone to support the family.

In the same boat – be in the same situation Example: We're all in the same boat before the final exam.

Bring to the table – offer useful skills or ideas Example: She brings a lot of experience to the table.

Think outside the box – think creatively Example: We need to think outside the box to solve this problem.

Go the extra mile – make an extra effort Example: Good teachers always go the extra mile for their students.

Part B – More Personality Words

21- popular (adjective) – liked by many people.
She is popular at school.

22- perfectionist (noun) – a person who wants everything perfect.
He is a perfectionist.

23- gifted (adjective) – naturally talented.
She is a gifted musician.

24- tactless (adjective) – saying things that may offend people.
His tactless comment upset everyone.

25- intuitive (adjective) – understanding without being told.
She is intuitive and learns quickly.

26- stingy (adjective) – unwilling to spend money.
He is too stingy to buy gifts.

27- diligent (adjective) – hard-working.
She is a diligent employee.

28- independent (adjective) – able to do things without help.
He became independent at a young age.

29- placid (adjective) – calm and peaceful.
She has a placid personality.

30- outgoing (adjective) – friendly and sociable.
My sister is outgoing.

31- selfish (adjective) – caring only about yourself.
It was selfish to ignore others.

32- cunning (adjective) – clever in a dishonest way.
The fox is often described as cunning.

33- elegant (adjective) – graceful and stylish.
She wore an elegant dress.

34- artistic (adjective) – good at art or creative activities.
He has an artistic talent.

35- over-anxious (adjective) – worrying too much.
Parents are sometimes over-anxious.

36- witty (adjective) – funny and clever.
He is witty and entertaining.

37- magnetic personality (noun) – a personality that attracts people.
The actor has a magnetic personality.

38- down-to-earth (adjective) – practical and sensible.
She is friendly and down-to-earth.

39- altruistic (adjective) – caring about others more than yourself.
Doctors should be altruistic.

40- tolerant (adjective) – accepting different people and opinions.
Good teachers are tolerant.

Reading Passage

The Most Popular Sports in the World

What are the five most popular sports in the world? Some of the answers may surprise you!

1. Football ("soccer" in the U.S.) is the world's most popular sport. Today, about 3.5 billion people watch or play football. Football is popular in Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and North America—almost around the world!

Fun fact: In a professional football game, players run about five miles (eight km).

2. Cricket is the world's number two sport. Cricket originally comes from the UK, but today it is also popular in Australia, New Zealand, some African countries, and some Caribbean countries. In India and Pakistan, cricket is more popular than football. About three billion people around the world watch or play cricket each year.

Fun fact: Four hundred million people—40 percent of India's population—watch important games on TV.

3. Field hockey is number three. Approximately two billion people watch or play field hockey, mostly in Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa. In the United States, field hockey is mainly for high school girls.

Fun fact: Field hockey is a very old sport. In Egypt, 4,000-year-old drawings show people playing field hockey. Of course, the rules are different today.

4. Tennis is number four. Today there are roughly one billion players and spectators of tennis around the world. Tennis originally comes from France, but today it is very popular in the United States, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Fun fact: The longest tennis game lasted eleven hours and five minutes!

5. Table tennis (ping-pong) is popular around the world, with about 900 million players and spectators. Today, table tennis is especially popular in China, Korea, and Singapore.

Fun fact: In table tennis, the ball can go more than 100 mph (160 km/h).

There are many popular sports around the world, but these are the top five. What is similar about all of these sports? They're fun, they're fast, and they use a ball. Is that why the expression "have a ball" means "have a lot of fun"? Maybe!