Below is adapted from an English dictionary. Use the dictionary to answer the following questions.
figure / fīgə / noun, verb
● noun
1. a number representing a particular amount, especially one given in official information: the trade / sales figures
2. a symbol rather than a word representing one of the numbers between 0 and 9: a six-figure salary
3. (informal) the area of mathematics that deals with adding, multiplying, etc. numbers
4. a person of the type mentioned: Gandhi was both a political and a religious figure in Indian history.
5. the shape of a person seen from a distance or not clearly
6. a person or an animal as shown in art or a story: a wall with five carved figures in it
7. the human shape, considered from the point of view of being attractively thin: doing exercise to improve one’s figure
8. a pattern or series of movements performed on ice: figure-skating
* be / become a figure of fun: be / become sb. that others laugh at
* cut a…figure: sb with a particular appearance: He cut a striking figure in his dinner jacket.
* put a figure on sth: to say the exact price or number of sth.
* a fine figure of man / woman: a tall, strong-looking and well-shaped person
* figure of speech: a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meanings in order to create a particular mental image or effect
* figurehead: someone who is the head or chief in name only (with no real power or authority)
● verb
1. to think or decide that sth. will happen or is true: I figured that if I took the night train, I could be in Scotland by morning.
2. to be part of a process, situation, etc. especially an important part: My opinion of the matter didn’t seem to figure at all.
3. to calculate an amount or the cost of sth: We figured that attendance at 150,000.
* figure in: to include (in a sum): Have you figured in the cost of hotel?
* figure on: to plan on; to expect sth. to happen: I haven’t figured on his getting home so late.
* figure out: to work out; understand by thinking: Have you figured out how much the trip will cost?
* It / That figures!: That seems reasonable.According to the information above, which of the following sentence is not right?
| A．This year’s sales figures were quite excellent. |
| B．I couldn’t figure out what the teacher was talking about. |
| C．She was the leading figure in British politics in the 1980s. |
| D．He was about to speak but she put a figure on his lips to stop him. |
— She was coming late again for the work.
— ______! That’s typical of her. You just can’t do anything to stop her doing that.
| A．It figures her out | B．She is a figure of fun |
| C．It cuts a poor figure | D．It figures |
The phrase “watch my figure” in the sentence “Don’t tempt me with chocolate; I am watching my figure.” means “______”.
| A．add the numbers | B．have sports |
| C．try not to get fat | D．watch games |
Which sentence is used as figure of speech?
| A．John is fond of animals and raises a rabbit as a pet. |
| B．In some countries, bamboo can be used to build houses. |
| C．We all regard Mr. Smith as an important figure in our company. |
| D．I didn’t really mean my partner was a snake. |
Bright blue Citi Bikes are becoming a fine sight in the New Yorker street. New Yorkers are gradually getting used to more pedaling（骑车的) passengers on those blue Citi Bikes. But what about local bike shops ? Is City Bike booming at their expense? At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca, a manager who gave his name as "Ben W." said the shop has seen an increase in its overall sales due to the bike-share program. "It's getting more people on the road, more people learning about the sport and getting involved," he said. An employee at Danny's Cycles in Gramercy said Citi Bike is a good option for people in a city famed for its traffic jams and aggressive drivers. "They can try out a bike without buying one:' James Ryan said.
Rentals are not a big part of the business at either Gotham Bikes or Danny's Cycles. But for Frank's Bike Shop, a small business on Grand St., the bike-share program has been bad news. Owner Frank Arroyo said that his rental business has decreased by 90% since Citi Bike was launched last month. Arroyo's main rental customers are European tourists, who have since been drawn away by Citi Bikes.
However, Ben said the bike-share is good for bike sales at his shop. "People have used the bike-share and realized how great it is to bike in the city, then decide that they want something nicer for themselves," he noted.
Christian Farrell of Waterfront Bicycle Shop, on West St. said at first he was concerned about bike-share, though, he admitted, "I was happy to see people on bikes."
Farrell's early concerns were repeated by Andrew Crooks, owner of NYC Velo, at 64 Second Ave. "It seemed like a great idea, but one that would be difficult to put into use:' Crooks said of Citi Bike. He said he worried about inexperienced riders' lack of awareness of biking rules and strong negative reaction from non-cyclists. However, he said, it's still too early to tell if his business has been impacted (影响) .
While it's possible bike-share will cause a drop in business, Crooks agreed that the idea is a positive step forward for New York City.What is the author's chief concern about the increasing use of Citi Bikes in New York?
| A．Whether local bike shops will suffer. |
| B．How non-cyclists will respond to it. |
| C．Whether local bike businesses will oppose it. |
| D．How the safety of bike riders can be ensured. |
What happened to Gotham Bikes as a result of the bike-share program?
| A．It found its bike sales unaffected. |
| B．It changed its business to rentals. |
| C．It saw its bike sales on the rise. |
| D．It rented more bikes to tourists. |
Why is the bike-share program bad news for Frank's Bike Shop?
| A．Its customers have been drawn away by Citi Bikes. |
| B．It cannot meet the demand of the bike-share program. |
| C．Its bike prices have to be lowered again and again. |
| D．It has to compete with the city's bike rental shops. |
What is the general attitude of the local bike shops towards Citi Bike?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Negative. |
| C．Uninterested. | D．Approving. |
Teamwork is all about working together to achieve a common goal or purpose. Is teamwork out of date? Why is it so hard to effectively conduct teamwork in those things?
One way we employ teamwork in everyday lives is by becoming a parent. It is a parent's job to teach their children and the basic skills and give them the knowledge they need to be successful in life. For example, the mother teaches her children manners and good health skills, while the father teaches them how to catch a ball or drive a car. However, in today's society, we find that more and more parents are experiencing that the teamwork is a one-sided thing. According to a report, there are 13.7 million single parents raising their children in the US and this could be due to the fact that parents don't take responsibility for their children, so they leave one parent to do it alone. This is a sad fact, but it reflects that effective teamwork is losing ground in the parenting aspect of our everyday lives.
Another place where teamwork affects us greatly is in our jobs. It doesn't matter if you are a small or large company; if you have at least one employee and yourself, then teamwork will be present. I have noticed that with the current economic recession（衰退期）, people are racing to grab jobs but the quality of people's work has gone down greatly. It just appears to me that people do not take pride in their work any more. They want to get to work as fast as they can, just to receive the paycheck, but their quality standards fly right out the window. So I think teamwork is losing its ground in the workforce. There are too many people who want to work independently and forget they are a part of a team.
As you can see, we run into the aspects of teamwork in just about everything we do. Do you believe teamwork is really losing ground in today's society? I think it is.
Why does teamwork disappear in the parenting aspect of our daily life?
| A．Parents have no time to spare with their children. |
| B．Parents have no chances to teach their children about it. |
| C．Many children are often brought up by a single parent. |
| D．Many children are independent to deal with their matters. |
Teamwork is losing ground in workforce mainly because -
| A．workers don't like to work together with others |
| B．workers' sense is affected by economic recession |
| C．workers want to prove they are more capable |
| D．fewer workers are employed to save money |
The author wants us to believe his opinion by_ _．
| A．listing some data |
| B．giving some examples |
| C．asking some questions |
| D．analyzing some cases |
The underlined phrase "fly right out the window" in Paragraph 3 means_______ .
| A．disappear | B．improve |
| C．increase | D．matter |
The weather predictions for Asia in 2050 read like a script from a doomsday movie, which has aroused more experts' concern about this serious problem.
Many climatologists and green groups fear they will come true unless there is a concerted global effort to rein in greenhouse gas emission 排放).
In the decades to come, Asia --- home to more than half the world's 6.3 billion people – will lurch (突然倾斜) from one climate extreme to another, with poor farmers battling droughts, floods, disease, food shortages and rising sea levels.
"It's not a pretty picture:' said Steve Sawyer, climate policy adviser with Greenpeace in Amsterdam. Global warming and changes to weather patterns are already occurring and there is enough excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to drive climate change for decades to come.
Already, changes are being felt in Asia but worse is likely to come, Sawyer and top climate bodies say, and could lead to mass migration (移民)and widespread humanitarian crises.
According to predictions, glaciers will melt faster, some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands will have to be abandoned or build sea defenses, storms will become more violent and insect and water-borne diseases will move into new areas as the world warms.
All this comes on top of rising populations and increasing demand for food, water and other resources. Experts say environmental degradation(退化)such as deforestation and pollution will likely increase the influences of climate change.
In what could be a foretaste of the future, Japan was hit by a record 10 typhoons and tropical storms in this year, while two-thirds of Bangladesh, parts of Nepal and large areas of northeastern India were flooded, affecting 50 million people, destroying livelihoods and making tens of thousands ill. The year before, a winter cold snap and a summer heat wave killed more than 2,000 people in India.
In the passage, the author indicates that the weather predictions for Asia are _ _
| A．frightening | B．exciting |
| C．surprising | D．satisfying |
Which of the following is NOT included in the weather prediction?
| A．Some Pacific islands will have to build sea defenses. |
| B．Storms will become stronger. |
| C．The diseases spread by water will move into new areas. |
| D．Two-third of Bangladesh will be flooded. |
The passage is intended to_ _ .
| A．tell people not to believe in the weather prediction for Asia |
| B．inform people of natural disasters that happened in Asia |
| C．increase people's awareness of the severe consequence of gas emissions |
| D．introduce a movie to environmental experts |
The passage is probably taken from__ _ .
| A．a newspaper | B．a trade journal |
| C．a biology book | D．a fashion magazine |
◆Walking tall, and safely
Some women simply refuse to give up high heels, despite slush ( 雪泥) , ice and snow. Now there's Winter Trax for them, designed to fit over high-heel boots and make their walk on the wild side a little more safe. Metal coils (圈 ) wrap around rubber at the front end of the shoe, with the heel end open.
◆Snow skirt steps up into fashion
Down with snow pants. Up with snow skirts! Montreal's Fantasy Wolrd Heroes has created these skirts to layer over minis and jeans as the snow season sets in. In a range of colors and available in wool, lends and quiltings, they come in four sizes and adjustable.
◆
Doc Martens, those army-inspired leather boots, are back. They were last popular when Kurt Cobain was all the rage(风靡一时 ). So far, just a few teens and fashion people have been spotted wearing the slight fat boots, but they have already appeared on stylish models like Irina Lazareanu and Agyness Deyn.
Neon stores sold Doc Martens 15 years ago and its owner Irving Tajfel wasn't sure at first if he was ready to relive the trend.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Doc Martens at a fashion fair in Barcelona last year. Then I saw all the cool fashion kids wearing them in Paris. That got me thinking that it was about time Doc Martens came back in style here." Tajfel said.
We can know from the passage that WinterTrax .
| A．makes women like Doc Martens more |
| B．protects the back end of high-heel boots |
| C．makes women enjoy high-heel:boots in winter |
| D．protects women from being robbed |
When in Barcelona last year, Irving Tajfel probably_ .
| A．wore a pair of Doc Martens |
| B．found Doc Martens was put on show |
| C．placed an order for Doc Martens |
| D．saw fashion kids wearing Doc Martens |
Which of the following can be used to fill in the blank?
| A．Leather boots are popular again |
| B．Kurt Cobain and its music |
| C．How to choose high-quality boots |
| D．Doc Martens make a brave return |
What is this passage mainly about?
| A．High-heel boots. | B．Seasons. |
| C．Clothes fashion. | D．Weather. |
If you are trying to achieve big goals in your life and work, the chances are that, from time to time, you hit rock bottom. Nothing works, nothing goes right, and nothing succeeds. At times like these, you may feel like throwing in the towel. But before you do, read the following story. It might just change your mind.
One day, a small business owner decided he'd had enough. Enough of the endless work, enough of the lack of response, enough of the disturbing loneliness.
He went into the woods to have one last talk to the wise man. "Mr. wise man," he said. "Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't give up?"
The answer took him by surprise. "Look around you," the wise man said. "Do you see the fern f蕨类植物）and the bamboo?"
“Yes:' the man replied.
“When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them both equal amounts of food and water. I gave them sunlight in spring and protected them from the storms in autumn. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In the, second year, the fern grew even better than before but nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But l would not give up. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still would not give up."
Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout(芽)came out from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small. But day by day the sprout grew. Within six months, the sprout had risen to a height of 100 feet. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive." "Did you know, young man, that all this time you have been struggling, you have been growing? Grow the roots that you need to produce your fruit."
"Don't compare yourself to others. All things have different purposes, and different journeys. The bamboo has a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come. You will rise high."
The small business owner left the forest. And never went back.
If nothing seems like it is happening in your life, despite all the work you're putting in, remember that you're probably growing roots not fruit. Stick with it. One day not far from now, there'll be a great harvest.
The underlined phrase "throwing in the towel" in Paragraph l probably means .
| A．crying out | B．showing off |
| C．giving up | D．running away |
After the wise man planted the fern and the bamboo,
| A．he cared for the fern only |
| B．they didn't receive any care from him |
| C．he gave up the bamboo in the fifth year |
| D．the bamboo seed never stopped growing |
From the passage we can conclude that the small business owner will
| A．not turn to the wise man for help again |
| B．not give up in face of difficulties |
| C．give up his business later |
| D．grow some bamboo later |
Which of the following best describes the story in the passage?
| A．Never give up hope. |
| B．Practice makes perfect. |
| C．Time and tide wait for nobody. |
| D．One should try and achieve bigger goals in life. |
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