Reading Task for NMT/ZNO

Reading

The Lifelong Venture

Our little family cafe, "Tasty Plate," wasn't just a business for my grandfather; it was his true passion. He poured his heart and soul into it, so it ______ when, after he passed away, things started going downhill. We were barely staying afloat, living ______.

One day, during a meeting, Aunt Marta, who always considered herself the main expert, declared that all the problems were because of my "silly" ideas. I nearly ______, because that felt like a real ______. Of course, I understood that ______, and that the responsibility for the issues lay with both of us, but her words were incredibly unfair.

I needed to clear my head. I said I needed to ______ and went out for some fresh air. When I came back, I saw a young man sitting at the table who was just the ______ of my grandfather in his youth. It took my breath away!

It was my cousin, Oleg, whom I hadn't seen in years. He offered his help, but I initially refused. However, he was very persistent and eventually ______, convincing me to try his marketing strategy. He said it would help us boost sales, or else we would soon ______.

I had my doubts. Such "trendy" things were really ______, but I decided to give him a chance. After all, Grandpa always used to say, "No risk, no reward."

Here are the idioms to fill in the blanks:

• go through the roof
• hit below the belt
• stretch legs
• took two to tango
• by the skin of my teeth
• spitting image
• twist someone's arm
• pay the piper
• not my scene
• came as no surprise