（1） A mixed blessing：忧喜参半的事
　　“Working in a big city is a mixed blessing. It is so convenient and comfortable there, but noise pollution and traffic congestion are two big headaches.”

　　（2） A narrow escape：九死一生
　　“The residents ran out of the burning building in time, but it was a narrow escape.”

　　（3） A nasty piece of work：讨厌的家伙
　　“Beware of Tom! He looks nice at first sight, but finally you will find him a nasty piece of work.”

　　（4） A necessary evil：讨厌但不得不做的事
　　“David is tired of administrative work, but, as the chief administrator of the department, he has to regard it as a necessary evil.”

　　（5） An odd man out：难以和他人相处者
　　“At school, Bob was an odd man out; he seldom mingled with his peers.”

　　（6） An open book：尽人皆知的事
　　“David's daily life is an open book; he is a nice person to work with.”

　　（7） Plain sailing：一帆风顺
　　“With the major obstacles removed, all should experience plain sailing from now on.”

　　（8） A plum job：薪酬优厚的好差使
　　“Teaching can be considered a plum job here, but fewer and fewer young people regard it as a good career.”

　　（9） A put-up job：预先布置的勾当；骗局
　　“There is much publicity on foreign investment, but it may be a put-up job.”

　　（10） A safe bet：必胜的事
　　“For many housewives, putting money in a good bank is a safe bet.”

　　（11） Second nature：第二天性
　　“Wearing a seat belt is second nature to every motorist here.”

　　（12） One's sixth sense：一个人的第六感
　　“When the policeman saw a parcel near a building, his sixth sense told him that it could be a time bomb.”

　　（13） Small talk：不重要的闲谈
　　“As is often the case with staff meeting, it started off with small talk and then got down to business.”

　　（14） A snap decision：急速的决定
　　“The radical change of ruling or public housing came as a snap decision from the public housing authorities.”

　　（15） A soft option：比较容易或有利的选择
　　“Helen considered staying with her mother a soft option because she did not have to worry about house-keeping.”

　　（16） A stepping stone：踏脚石
　　“A good degree from a good university serves as a stepping stone towards a person's career.”

　　（17） A sure-fire method/solution：绝对可靠的方法/解决办法
　　“To link good performance with better remuneration is a sure-fire method to increase productivity.”

　　（18） Teething troubles：暂时的困难
　　“Shortage of experienced staff and inefficient use of office equipment are teething troubles of any new company.”

　　（19） A wet blanket：扫兴者
　　“Don't be a wet blanket by prohibiting people from doing this or that.”

　　（20） Wishful thinking：如意算盘
　　“Buying a big car? No, it is only wishful thinking, since I don't have the means to do so.”