Interpret common idioms and collocations in context.
核心知识
Idioms and collocations are fixed phrases whose meaning comes from the combination of words, not from each word separately — know the phrase as a unit.
深入理解
A collocation is a pair or group of words that naturally go together: "make a decision" (not "do a decision"), "strong tea" (not "powerful tea"). An idiom is a phrase whose meaning can't be guessed from the individual words: "break the ice" means to ease social tension, not to smash frozen water.
The SAT can test these by giving you answer choices that swap one word in a common phrase, changing the meaning entirely. "Give ground," "break ground," "gain ground," and "stand ground" all use the word "ground" but mean completely different things. Learn these as whole units, and when you see them in a passage, match the phrase's established meaning to the context.
示例解析
The negotiations between the two countries had reached an impasse, with neither side willing to __________ on its core demands. Diplomats warned that without compromise, the trade agreement would collapse entirely.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
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