figure/fīg[/ noun, verb ●noun 1. [C, often pl.] a number representing particular amount, especially one given in official information: the trade /sales figures 2. [C] a symbol rather than a word representing one of the numbers between 0 and 9: a six-figure salary 3. [pl] (informal) the area of mathematics that deals with adding, multiplying, etc 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. [C] the human shape, considered from the point of view of being attractively thin: doing exercise to improve one"s figure 8. [C] a pattern or series of movements performed on ice: figure-skating [IDM] be/become a figure of fun: be/ become sb. that others laugh at cut a… figure: (of a person) to have 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. [PHRV] 1. figure in: to include (in a sum): Have you figured in the cost of hotel? 2. figure on: to plan on; to expect sth. to happen: I haven"t figured on his getting home too late. 3. figure out: to work out; understand by thinking: Have you figured out how much the trip will cost? [IDM] It/That figures! (informal): That seems reasonable, logical and what I expect. |
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Can you remember a morning when you"ve woken up to the ring of your alarm clock and wished you could stay in bed? You haven"t slept well, your hair is a mess. Worse, you can"t stop yawning. Yawning is universal to humans and many animals. Cats, dogs and fish yawn just like humans do! Yawning is an involuntary (无意识的,不自觉的) action during which you open your mouth and breathe deeply. The average duration of a yawn is about 6 seconds. The purpose and cause of yawning are still a mystery. Scientists are not sure what causes a yawn. People yawn when they are tired or bored, but they also yawn when they aren"t. There are many ideas explaining why we yawn. One idea is that yawning is a way for the body to become more alert by taking in more oxygen. A yawn increases the heart rate, forces carbon dioxide out of the lungs and blood stream, and brings oxygen to the brain. But one study showed that volunteers given a lot of oxygen did not yawn any less than before, while those given a lot of carbon dioxide did not yawn more. Another idea is that early humans used yawning as a form of communication. If one decided it was time to sleep, they would tell the others by yawning and they would do it in return to show they agreed. A third explanation comes from psychology professor Gordon Gallup of University at Albany in New York. He said that as people yawn, they cool off their brains. "Brains are like computers." he said. "They only operate efficiently and effectively when they"re cool. Many things connected to yawning, like being tired, make the brain hot, and yawning can reduce the heat." Scientists have sent people into space, and created terrible nuclear weapons, but there are lots of seemingly simple things, such as why we yawn, or hiccup, that they can"t figure out. Next time you are in class in the morning, let out a big yawn and watch to see how many of your classmates yawn in response! | |
1. What"s the purpose of the description of how bad you may feel when you"re woken up in the morning? | |
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A. To explain why humans yawn. B. To explain how humans start yawning. C. To lead into the topic of yawning. D. To complain about being woken up by the clock. | |
2. Which is not among the possible reasons for yawning mentioned in the passage? | |
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A. A way to show that you feel hot. B. A way to get rid of carbon dioxide. C. A way to cool off your brain. D. A way to communicate. | |
3. In which situation are you likely to yawn? | |
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A. When you feel sleepy. B. The weather is hot. C. Someone else yawns near you. D. When you breathe in a lot of carbon dioxide. | |
4. What can we learn from the passage? | |
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A. The real reason why humans and most animals yawn. B. Hiccups are an involuntary human action similar to yawns. C. The more an action can be studied, the easier it is to research. D. Finding out why humans yawn should be easier than sending people into space. | |
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Electronic monitoring devices, mobile phone detectors and giant screens connected to close-circuit TV cameras. Does it sound like a high security operation? Well, the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) in China is nothing less than that. The education authorities" efforts to prevent cheating at the exam have gone almost unnoticed. The authorities launched the country"s new monitoring system for the all- important exam yesterday. The system is based on local schools" networks and is connected to provincial headquarters, especially set up for the exam. The government has plans to cover all the 31 provinces and regions in the next three years and offer the services for other national exams, too. The records of students caught cheating during national tests, such as the college entrance exam, would be stored in the system and made available online for higher educational institutions" and future employers" reference. But despite all these measures, cheating remains a big temptation for some candidates. The number of students caught cheating in last year"s NCEE was 3,000, up from 1,300 in 2005. But this is hardly surprising because passing the NCEE is the only way most of the students can get access to higher education. 10.1 million students registered for this year"s NCEE, 9.6 million taking the exam, but only 5.67 million would enter college. Among the successful candidates will be about 500,000 with special merits who will be admitted to universities directly, which means roughly 13 in every 24 candidates can actually enter college. That should explain why some students are tempted to cheat during the exam. Cheating in such a well-monitored exam is not an easy thing to do, says an MOE official, and it"s very risky business too. The chance of a student getting away with cheating is minuscule. And if caught, he/she risks ruining his/her entire career because higher educational institutions and potential employers can always check his/her record. | |
1. The passage is most probably taken from _____. | |
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A. a politics textbook. B. a fashion report. C. a reference book. D. a newspaper. | |
2. According to the passage, what will happen if a student is caught cheating in the NCEE? | |
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A. He/She will lose the chance to sit for more exams. B. His/Her behavior will be recorded, stored and made available online. C. He/She will get no records and lose the opportunity to go to college. D. He/She will be blamed and his/her career and life will be put an end to. | |
3. The underlined word"minuscule" in the last paragraph probably means _____. | |
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A. tiny B. impossible C. difficult D. incredible | |
4. We can draw a conclusion from the passage that _____. | |
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A. the education authorities are making great efforts to prevent cheating in exams B. although it is very hard to succeed, many students take a chance to cheat in exams C. honesty is still the best policy when it comes to exams D. it is not easy to get access to higher education in China |