a close thing
n. 侥幸的脱险

a general thing
n. 惯例

a near thing
n. 极危险的事

a thing of naught
n. 毫无价值的东西

amount to the same thing
结果 相同[都一样]

I blew the whistle on the whole thing
我把整件事都抖落出来了。

That's a hell of a thing to do
那简直是地狱一样的事！

Weather a large family is a good thing or not is a very popular topic,which is often talked about not only by city residents but by farmers as well.
家庭人口多好还是家庭人口少好是一个非常通俗的主题，不仅是城里人，而且农民都经常讨论这个问题。

What has sparked the increasing interest in exercise?For one thing,people have gained a greater awareness of the need for physical fitness . For another,the constantly improving standard of living enables Chinese people to patronize the increasing number of recreational venues . The main thing perhaps centers on the healthcare and psychological benefits exercise provides .
什么引发了人们对锻炼越来越浓的兴趣？一方面，人们更加清楚地意识到保持身体健康的必要性。另一方面，不断提高的生活水平使中国人能够支付增加的娱乐支出。最主要的可能在于锻炼带来的保健和心理上的好处。