“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton (骨骼) in the closet (衣橱)？”Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t your great-great grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?”“Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.”“Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica’s mother sank into a faint (晕倒), waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re both crazy,” she thought.
小题1: According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means .| A．a family honor | B．a family secret | | C．a family story | D．a family treasure |
小题2:What can we learn about some Australian’s ancestors from Paragraph 2?| A．They were brought to Australia as prisoners. | | B．They were the earliest people living in Australia. | | C．They were involved in some crimes in Australia. | | D．They were not regarded as criminals in their days. |
小题3:Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was .| A．knocked | B．frightened | C．injured | D．surprised |
小题4:Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home? | A．She was curious about it. | B．She planned to keep it for fun. | | C．She needed it for her school task. | D．She intended to scare her parents. |
小题5:Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because .| A．they were crazy | | B．they were overexcited | | C．they realized their misunderstanding | | D．they both thought they had won the quarrel |
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小题1:B
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:C
小题5:C |
1. 语义猜测。根据第一段母亲所说的话“it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else to know about”“它是一件你不希望其他人所知道的事情”，选择B。
2. 细节推断。由第二段”Yes，but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners”，“如今的人们说如果你的祖先不是以囚犯的身份到达澳大利亚的话，那么你就不是一个真正的澳大利亚人。”选择A
3. 细节理解。由第三段“Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor.”“正当她打开门伸进手去挂短裙的时候，一只骨头胳膊从暗处伸出来然后一堆骨头摔倒了地板上。”得出妈妈因该是被吓晕的。
4. 细节理解。由最后一段“I brought it home to help me with my health project.”“我把它带回家是为了帮我搞定我的健康课题”，project此处有“学校的科研习作项目, 课题”之意判断出C选项。
5. 推断题。结合全文理解，开头讲述了Jessica的一个提问“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton（骨骼）in the closet（衣橱）?”引出了父母之间的争论，之后妈妈被孩子藏在衣橱中的用来完成学校课题的骷髅吓晕过去，最后Jessica解释时说，“I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.”即本想告诉妈妈衣橱里的骷髅的情况，可是每当提到骷髅和衣橱的问题后却总会让父母之间有摩擦，然而最后真相大白，Jessica的父母都意识到了这是一个误会，故而狂笑。故而选择C |
核心考点
试题【“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton (骨骼) in】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person’s useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person’s bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告)in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight---like tired guests at a party---waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.
小题1:What kind of things will go to a yard sale? | A．Cheap and ugly things. | B．Things people no longer use. | | C．Things out of season. | D．Things of great value. |
小题2:A white elephant refers to _________.| A．something that can cause a feeling of pain | | B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others | | C．something sold at the lowest prices | | D．a toy shaped like a fish |
小题3: Most people go to yard sales to________.| A．find valuable paintings | B．look for something special | | C．find a bargain | D．kill their time |
小题4: Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?| A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold. | | B．It can last for a whole day. | | C．It is usually held with a party. | | D．It is held outdoors. |
小题5:We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.| A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale | | B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income | | C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot | | D．most people don’t want to go to yard sales. |
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完形填空(共20小題；每小題I. 5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空内处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When Dunstan Cass left the cottage, Silas Marner was only a hundred meters away. He was walking home from the village, where he had 21 to buy what he needed 22 his next day’s work. His legs were tired, but he felt almost happy. He was looking forward to 23 ,when he would bring out his gold. Tonight he had an extra reason to hurry home. He was going to eat hot meat, which was 24 for him. And it would 25 him nothing, because someone had given him a piece of meat as a present. He left it 26 over the fire. The door key was needed to hold it safe in place, but Cass was not at all 27 about leaving his gold in the cottage with the door 28 . He could not imagine that a thief would 29 his way through the mist, rain and darkness to the little cottage by the quarry (釆石场).
When he reached his cottage and opened the door, he did not notice 30 anything was different. He 31 his wet coat, and pushed the meat 32 the fire. 33 he was warm again, he began to think about his gold. It seemed a long time to wait until after super, when he usually brought out coins to look at. 34 he decided to bring out his gold immediately, while the meat was still cooking.
But when he 35 the floorboards near the loom (织布机)，and saw the 36 hole ,he did not understand 37 . His heart beat violently as his trembling hands felt all round the hole. There was 38 ！ He put his hands to his head and tried to think. Had he put his gold in a different place, and forgotten about it? He 39 every corner of this small cottage, until he could not pretend to himself any more. He had to accept the truth 一 his gold had been 40 ！
| 小题1: | | A．arrived | B．been | C．left | D．gone |
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| 小题3: | | A．holiday | B．home | C．supper-time | D．meat |
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| 小题4: | | A．ordinary | B．unusuall | C．normal | D．common |
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小题5:A. pay B.spend C take D. cost
| 小题6: | | A．boiling | B．cooking | C．smoking | D．making |
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| 小题7: | | A．interesting | B．worried | C．interested | D．worrying |
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| 小题8: | | A．unlocked | B．uncovered | C．discovered | D．locked |
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| 小题10: | | A．whether | B．that | C．because | D．as |
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| 小题11: | | A．turned off | B．threw into | C．threw off | D．got off |
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| 小题12: | | A．away from | B．farther on | C．on to | D．closer to |
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| 小题13: | | A．As soon as | B．As well as | C．As far as | D．As long as |
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| 小题15: | | A．took down | B．took off | C．took over | D．took up |
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| 小题16: | | A．dark | B．empty | C．small | D．deep |
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| 小题17: | | A．at last | B．at once | C．at most | D．at least |
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| 小题18: | | A．everything | B．something | C．nothing | D．anything |
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| 小题19: | | A．searched | B．gathered | C．researched | D．found |
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| 小题20: | | A．Gone | B．missing | C．lost | D．stolen |
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Ifhas anyone noticed how, with the passage of time, one’s relationship with one’s grown-up daughters and sons becomes changed? I’ve been aware of this for some time but I’m not quite sure how to deal with it.
Take the kitchen sink for example.
Following a family get-together at my place, I walked into the kitchen to find Kate, my daughter, carefully cleaning the sink.
“Don’t do that; what are you doing that for?” I said, unhappy about the hidden criticism.
“Mum,” she said, “you really ought to put your glasses on when you clean the sink. Behind the tap here was black!”
But it’s not just things like kitchen sinks. Another time Kate arrived to pick me up to lunch. She looked at me and then asked, “Mum, why do you use brown eyebrow pencil when your hair is grey?”
A sudden memory of her, aged 14, going to her first mixed party flooded back. She had come in to say goodbye. For a moment I thought she’d been an accident. Both eyes were black. I remember suggesting that perhaps a little less eye make-up might be more effective.
Now I told her, “My hair used to be brown.”
“It looks absurd.(荒唐)”
“Mrs. Menzies had dark eyebrows with grey hair.”
“Yes, but you’re not Mrs. Menzies, are you?” she said triumphantly, as if that proved her point.
But a recent event made me realize that something really must be done.
She had returned home for a few weeks before getting married. One evening I went out on a dinner date. By the time my companion left me at the front door, it was about 2am. As I stepped in, an angry figure in a white nightgown（睡衣）stopped me.
“Well, what time of night is this to be coming home?” she shouted. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick!”
Shades of the past come back to disturb me. But what should I do about all this? Nothing, probably. Maybe, after all, it’s only a stage young people are going through.
小题1:The daughter thought her mother didn’t clean the kitchen sink well because of her . | A．laziness | B．carelessness | C．unhappiness | D．poor-quality glasses |
小题2:From the passage we know the daughter .| A．didn’t want to help with the sink | | B．didn’t like brown eyebrow pencils | | C．had an accident when she went to her first party | | D．shouted at her mum because she came home late |
小题3:How does the mother feel after all these have happened?| A．Shocked. | B．Proud. | C．Envious.（嫉妒） | D．Confused. |
小题4:The author writes the stories to prove that ________.| A．their relationship became stronger | | B．their roles changed as time passed | | C．her daughter very much cared about her | | D．her daughter got upset as she grew up |
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A dog can’t speak words, but it can “talk”. It has feelings just as you do. At times it may feel angry or afraid. Watch a dog closely. You can see what it is trying to tell you. When you are afraid, you may look down shyly. A fearful dog looks away from you. It may run away too. When you are angry with people, you stare at them and press your lips together. An angry dog also stares. Sometimes the hair along its back stands up.
Do you feel guilty when you have done something you shouldn’t? Dogs can feel guilty, too. At times when I come home, my dog gives me a guilty look. Then I know he’s done something wrong.
Dogs need love and attention. Some dogs are very unhappy when they are left alone for a long time. Some dogs even snap(撕咬) if they don’t get enough attention.
You may have a dog or you may know a dog. Treat it well if you want to have fun with it. Play with it. Take it on walks. Don’t order it round too much. Try not to punish it one time and not the next for doing the same thing. Always remember, a dog has needs and feelings just as you do. Talk to a dog, it’ll talk to you, too.
小题1:If a dog snaps at things, it is because it may ______.| A．feel lonely | B．feel shy | | C．be fearful | D．be disappointed |
小题2:You can tell that a dog has done something bad when _________.| A．its hair stands up | B．it runs away from you | | C．it has a guilty expression | D．its lips are pressed together |
小题3:Which of the following things does the writer advise you to do towards your dog?| A．Never punish the dog | B．Never leave the dog alone | | C．Train the dog to take orders from you | D．Train it the way you want to be treated. |
小题4: Suppose you punish your dog for tearing up a shoe, what should you do the next time it does so?| A．Talk to him | B．Punish it again | | C．Pay no attention to it | D．Take it out for a walk |
小题5:The word “guilty” in the second paragraph most probably means _______.| A．happy | B．excited | C．frightened | D．sorry |
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After we finished thirteen miles of hiking, we were tired and our muscles ached as we made our way back to New England. The car ride to the airport followed by a two-hour flight left our legs more worse condition than they were when we first came off the mountain we just climbed.
When we heard that two seats in first class on our next flight were available for a bit higher price, we jumped at the opportunity. Our spirits lifted immediately. After all, flying first class was a new experience for us, and we would end our adventure in comfort and style.
As we boarded the plane, we noticed that the stewardess(空姐) was working non-stop to ensure the comfort of the first class passengers. She could not walk by a seat without receiving an order. How much she must love her job! She smiled kindly at each one while attending to their needs.
As the stewardess walked by our seats near the end of the flight, I looked at her and said, “Thank you and I hope you have a great night.” She stopped, bent down, looked at me and said, “Excuse me.” I repeated my words and she smiled in a rather funny way, almost as if I had asked her a question that she did not know how to answer.
After a few moments she returned to our seats. “I can tell you work with the public,” she said. “Why do you think so?” I asked. She answered very quietly, “Because you are the only passenger here to say something nice to me tonight and I really appreciate your kindness.”
The sense of belonging to the elite(精英) group of people in first class disappeared as we heard her words. Our first class seats offered us more than a comfortable ride. We were reminded that without kindness, we would be flying in no class.
小题1:Where did the writer ever go hiking?| A．In a forest | B．In a mountain | C．Along a river | D．Near an airport |
小题2:Why did they choose to take a first class flight?| A．Because they were extremely tired | | B．Because they wanted to go back as soon as possible | | C．Because the tickets were cheaper | | D．Because they wanted to enjoy the first class service. |
小题3:After boarding the plane, the writer felt_______.| A．proud | B．uncomfortable | C．nervous | D．disappointed |
小题4:When the stewardess first heard what the writer said, she_________.| A．didn’t understand the writer | B．knew what work the writer did | | C．didn’t believe her ears | D．had a big smile on her face |
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