Below is adapted from an English dictionary

60．I didn’t really mean my partner is a snake; it was just a ______．

       A．figure of eight                                         B．figure head           

       C．figure of speech                                      D．a fine figure

61．—She was coming late again．

—______! That’s typical of her．

       A．It figures her out                                                                         B．It figures    

       C．It cuts a poor figure                                  D．She is a figure of fun

62．What does “watch my figure” in the sentence “Don’t tempt me with chocolate; I am watching my figure．” mean?

       A．add the numbers                                         B．have sports            

       C．try not to get fat                                        D．watch games

Below is adapted from an English dictionary

1．I didn’t really mean my partner is a snake; it was just a ______.

     A．figure of eight                                  B．figure head

     C．figure of speech                               D．a fine figure

2．---She was coming late again．

---______! That’s typical of her.

    A．It figures her out                          B．It figures

    C．It cuts a poor figure                     D．She is a figure of fun

3．What does “watch my figure” in the sentence “Don’t tempt me with chocolate; I am watching my figure.” mean?

    A．add the numbers                                B．have sports

    C．try not to get fat                               D．watch games

Below is adapted from an English dictionary. Use the dictionary to answer the following questions.

It’s not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change.

     Some say the film lacks good dialogue and its science is questionable， others believe German director Roland Emmerich makes up for these flaws in special effects. An earthquake destroys the White House and Yellow stone  National Park ends up in flames．

     Emmerich borrows from the old Mayan(玛雅人的) story which says, that the world will end in 2012．He is being criticized for fuelling Internet rumors(传闻) about doomsday(世界末日)

     “There is no factual basis for these claims,’’ NASA said on its website. “Credible(可信赖的) scientists worldwide know of no threat connected with 2012,’’ it insisted. “After all, our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, ” they added．

According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, it was first thought that the disaster would happen in May 2003. When the world continued, supporters picked the last day of the Mayan calendar．

     “Every culture has a myth(传说) of destruction(毁灭), just as they have a myth of creation. These myths |of destruction tend to surface(重新出现) during times of crisis(危机), ” Michael A. Ryan, an assistant profess of history，speaking to Purdue University News. Ryan studies apocalyptic(像世界末日的) themes from the Middle Ages at the US university. “Today’s current economic climate is a state of crisis for many people who are worried whether they can afford to feed themselves,”he added.

1.What led to the end of the world according to the film 2012?

   A. Aliens．  B. The human race．  C．Climate change． D．A killer disease．

2.What does the underlined word “fuelling’’ in the third paragraph refer to?

   A. Making sth. stronger．．    B. Putting gas into a car．

   C. Producing power or heat．  D．Burning

3.Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text?

   A．A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park．

   B．All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012．

   C.  The old Mayan story says that the world will end in

D．Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation

4.Why do the rumors about doomsday come about now and then?

   A．Because during times of crisis, people tend to worry about their future．

   B．Because aliens often threaten the human race．

   C．Because killer diseases happen at times．

   D.  Because the old Mayan story says that the world will

It’s not easy growing up. Growing up can be a real “pain” for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren’t allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel sad, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don’t understand why we can’t stay young forever. But we should take a look back on all the hardships (苦难) in life with a positive attitude and learn from them. We should realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!
Throughout our lives we are going to face many challenges and pains, but we should never let these obstacles keep us from following our dreams. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time.
As a young girl, my parents forced me to do so many things that I didn’t like. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music and I also hated them. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched (丰富) my life in so many ways. I now realize that my parents and teachers wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.
We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just part of our life. Think about how we would feel if we had no challenges and lived a life like that. Life would be really boring and meaningless. The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps (碰撞) on our road to success, we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!
1. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. No pains, no gains
B. Growing pains and gains
C. Growing up is a pain         
D. Growing up is easy
2. The underlined word “obstacles” (in Paragraph 2) refers to things that _____.
A. make it easy for you to do sth        
B. make it difficult for you to do sth
C. make you happy                            
D. make you full of energy
3. What does the author now think about what her parents did for her in the past?
A. She is angry with them.                     
B. She is dissatisfied with them.
C. She is thankful to them.                  
D. She couldn’t forgive them.
4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Growing pains are part of our life.
B. Our growing pains will finally turn into growing gains.
C. We should stop when facing many challenges.
D. Life without challenges is boring and meaningless.