如何从“英语好”变成“像native speaker一样好”？

Break the news: to make sth known  向某人透露···消息

e.g. The doctor had to break the news to Jane about her husband's cancer.

e.g. you’d better break the news carefully to your father. After all, you don’t want him to have a heart attack.

cost an arm and a leg : to be very expensive 昂贵的

特别高频的一个表达, 可以在口语中替换expensive

表示类似意思的idiom还有cost a pretty penny

e.g. You can be sure that house cost a pretty penny. It has seven bathrooms.

e.g. That diamond ring must have cost him an arm and a leg.

top dollar：the highest amount of money that something costs or that someone earns 最高价；最高报酬

注意⚠️这个词组既可以指支付出去的钱很多，也可以指收入进来的钱多。

e.g. Computer customers are willing to pay top dollar for fast repair.

e.g. They charge/get  top dollar for their services.

他们的服务收费/报酬极高。

Dead-end job: a job that won’t lead to anything else. 没前途的工作

e.g. Waitressing was a dead-end job.

做女服务生是一份没有前途的工作。

give someone the creeps :to create a feeling of disgust or horror. 让...心里发毛；吓人

这个词组的意思有点儿像我们说的吓死宝宝了，又是一个很实用的表达。

e.g.I always hated that statue. It gave me the creeps.

我一直都很讨厌那座雕像。它让我心里发毛。

go back to the drawing board: to start a task over because the last one failed （之前的工作没成）从头来过

go belly-up: go bankrupt 破产

e.g. The business went belly-up during the long recession.

这家企业在长期的经济衰退中倒闭了。

a real flop：a complete failure完蛋；彻底的失败

e.g. The movie was a total flop.这部电影完全失败了。

如果要表示电影成功，大卖，可以用hit.

e.g. It is the public who decide whether a film is a hit or a flop.

决定一部电影会走红还是惨败的是大众。

there is no point in （doing sth）：做某事没意义

e.g.I saw no point in continuing the discussion.我认为继续讨论毫无意义。

give sb the ax：to fire someone; to terminate someone's employment. 解雇某人

近义词：give sb the sack

e.g.I gave Tom the sack, and he has to find a new job.

e.g.They had to give Paul the ax because he was so unproductive.

talk sth over：If you talk something over, you discuss it thoroughly and honestly.详细探讨;坦诚交谈

e.g.He always talked things over with his friends.

他有事总和朋友推心置腹地拿出来谈。

e.g.Talk over problems. don't bottle them up inside.

有问题就说出来，别憋在心里。

as sharp as a tack：extremely clever or astute. 聪明

e.g. She's a bit too bossy, but she's also as sharp as a tack.

e.g. She's a lovely 77-year-old woman, sharp as a tack, without an enemy in the world.