Mở rộng vốn từ vựng thông qua việc đọc những mẩu truyện ngắn chứa những từ vựng đó là một cách học vô cùng hiệu quả. Bởi vì, thông qua những mẩu chuyện đó, người học có thể nắm bắt được cách sử dụng những biểu hiện từ vựng (expressions), những thành ngữ (idioms) trong những ngữ cảnh cụ thể (contexts), từ đó, sử dụng một cách linh hoạt, chính xác trong Speaking và Writing. Hôm nay, hãy cùng với EFA Việt Nam khám phá Idiom bằng việc học từ vựng thông qua câu chuyện “Young and Free: Prerequisite for Success” nhé.

English Idiom: 

Young and Free: Prerequisite for Success

In today’s business world you need to be young and free of attachments to strike it rich. It’s a dog eat dog world out there and you’re going to have to work quite a lot. Of course, not only will you have to work quite a lot, you’ll need to be flexible and ready to take advantage of anything. That’s where the “free” part comes in. 

I’ve got a young friend, he’s only 25, but he fits the bill perfectly. He’s single and he’s hungry. He’s willing to start from scratch and, best of all, he isn’t afraid of putting his nose to the grindstone for those 80 hour weeks. He decided to take the bull by the horns by going starting up his own business. He found a software developer who knew the internet inside out. This young man was also very ambitious. He left his safe job at the drop of a hat. They were both reaching for pie in the sky, and they were ready.
They also were lucky. They founded a startup and got into the whole social networking business in 2002. In other words, they were early birds and they were willing to sink or swim. Probably the most important ingredient in their success was that they were willing to play things by ear. They kept their ears to the ground, moved full steam ahead and drove hard bargains. Soon, their business was growing by leaps and bounds.

Of course, they had some stumbling blocks along the way. Who doesn’t? Still, they got the jump on the competition and by the year 2008, they were multi-millionaires. This sort of success for the young and free now has copycats around the world.

Giải thích nghĩa Idioms trong bài: 

Part 1: 

• strike it rich = to become rich, often by creating a new product or service successfully: làm giàu

• dog eat dog = very competitive: cạnh tranh khốc liệt 

• fit the bill = to have the right characteristics for something: đủ tư cách, điều kiện

• start from scratch = to start from the beginning: bắt đầu lại từ đầu

• put one’s nose to the grindstone = to work hard and put in many hours: làm việc không ngừng nghỉ.

• take the bull by the horns = to confront a problem and deal with it: đương đầu với khó khăn

• know something inside out = to have expert knowledge about something: biết rõ tường tận

• at the drop of a hat = immediately: ngay và luôn

Part 2: 

• startup = a small company that begins to do business, usually in technology: công ty khởi nghiệp (đặc biệt công ty về công nghệ)

• early bird = someone who takes early advantage of a situation: những người đến sớm, dậy sớm, làm gì đó sớm hơn người khác
• play something by ear = to improvise in a situation, react to a situation as it occurs: ứng biến (trước những sự thay đổi).
• sink or swim = succeed or fail: thành hay bại

• have one’s ears to the ground = to pay attention to rumors, news, and industry insiders: nghe ngóng tình hình

• drive a hard bargain = to make a business deal that is very advantageous for you: mặc cả

• by leaps and bounds = very quickly (used with improvement): nhanh chóng (nói về những chuyển biến tích cực: cải thiện, tiến bộ, thành công)

• stumbling block = a difficulty or hurdle that stands in the way of success: tảng đáng ngáng chân (cách nói tượng hình của những khó khăn vấp phải) 

• get the jump on someone = to get the advantage over someone by starting early: trên nước ai (dành được lợi thế hơn ai do bắt đầu sớm)

• copycat = someone or a company who tries to do things like another person or company: bắt chước, làm theo.

Practice Quiz: 

1. I think Peter ______________. He’s perfect for the job.
2. It’s _____________ on the project. We have no time to waste.
3. Don’t pretend you’re like Kevin. Nobody likes a ___________.
4. The business person ________________, but we had to accept her offer.
5. I think it’s best to _________ the meeting __________. We need to consider everything.
6. He founded a ________________ in 2008 and made millions.
7. Our business has grown _________________. We’re very happy.
8. I’m afraid I think that idea is ______________. It will never work.

Quiz Answers: 

1. fits the bill
2. full steam ahead / sink or swim
3. copycat
4. drove a hard bargain
5. play the meeting by ear
6. startup
7. by leaps and bounds
8. pie in the sky

Beare, Kenneth. “Young and Free: Prerequisite for Success.” ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020, thoughtco.com/young-and-free-prerequisite-for-success-1210197.

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Hy vọng rằng, bài viết trên đã giúp bạn bổ sung vào vốn từ vụng tiếng Anh của mình những từ, cụm từ mới hữu ích. EFA Việt Nam luôn mong muốn đồng hành cùng bạn trên con đường chinh phục tri thức. Nếu có bất kỳ thắc mắc hay câu hỏi gì, các bạn hãy đừng ngần ngại cho chúng mình biết nhé. Chúc các bạn đạt nhiều thành công trong học tập và gặt hái được kết quả như bản thân mình mong muốn nhé!