Lucky is the man who has no “skeleton in his closet”. When a man has done something in his life that he is ashamed of, that he wants to hide, he is said to have a “skeleton in his closet”. Some people may have more than one skeleton.

As we have noted many times, it is hard to find out how these expressions begin. Sometimes, we get some hard facts. But more often we have to depend on guesswork. And that is true of this phrase, which came from England.

Before 1932, English law did not permit a doctor to cut open a dead human body for scientific examination, unless it was the corpse(尸体) of an executed(处决) criminal.

But when it became legal, more and more doctors demanded skeletons for a more scientific study of medicine. It was helping in the advance of modern medicine. The demand had become so strong that men began to rob tombs and sell skeletons to doctors at high prices.

We are told that a doctor would usually buy just one skeleton for scientific study. It became very important in his work. But he had to keep it hidden because most people objected to keeping such a thing. As a rule, the doctor would keep his skeleton in some dark corner where it could not be seen, or hide it in a closet.

After a time, people began to suspect(怀疑) every doctor of hiding a skeleton in the closet. From this suspicion, the phrase “a skeleton in the closet” took on a broader, more general meaning to describe anything that a man wanted to keep others from discovering. It could be proof of a criminal act, or something much less serious. Well, that is one theory.

One writer, however, believes that the phrase might have come from something that really happened. It is his guess that a hidden closet in some old English country home may have turned up a real skeleton, clear proof of some old family shame or crime. Well, one man’s guess is as good as another. But this sounds like a story by the great French novelist, Balzac.

Baizac tells us of a man who suspected his wife of having a lover. The husband comes home by surprise. But she hears him and quickly hides her lover in the closet of her bedroom. He enters her room and asks her if she is hiding her lover. He says he will not open the door to the closet if she promises him there is no one there; He will believe her. She answers firmly that she is not hiding anyone in the closet.

The husband then begins to build a solid brick wall against the closet. His wife watches, knowing that her lover will never come out alive. But she will not change her story and admit her guilt.   

1. Which of the following situations is suitable for using the phrase “skeleton in the closet” ?

A. You have stolen something precious and don’t want it discovered.

B. You are a doctor and have to keep a skeleton for research.

C. If you have cut open a dead human body for scientific examination you should keep the skeleton secret.

D. You have done a crime or done something foolish, but you want to keep other from discovering it.

2. From the text we know that there are _______ theories about how the phrase “skeleton in the closet” came into being.

A. one    B. two    C. three  D. four

3. In Chinese the world “skeleton” means _______.

A. 尸体   B. 标本  C. 收藏  D. 骷髅

4. Which of the following is right according to the text?

A. In the 20th century, doctors realized the importance of anatomy(解剖) in the development of medicine.

B. The doctors of the ancient times liked to collect as many skeleton as possible.

C. The thieves stole skeletons from tombs in order to help the doctors.

D. It was legal that corpses of anybody were cut open for scientific examination in history.

5. From the story Balzac told we know that the wife’s lover must have become _______.

A. a corpse  B. a phrase  C. a skeleton  D. a secret

请阅读下列寓言小故事和故事寓意,从所给的六个选项( A、B、C、D、E和F)中,选出附和各小题要求的最佳选项
下面是几则寓言小故事:
46. An ant went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of drowning.  A dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her.  The ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank.  Shortly afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, aiming at the dove.  The ant, perceiving his design, stung him in the foot.  In pain the birdcatcher shouted, and noise made the dove take wing.
47. Two men were travelling together, when a bear suddenly met them on their path.  One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and hid himself in the branches.  The other, seeing that he must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the bear came up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held his breath, and pretended to be dead as much as he could.  The bear soon left him, for he will not touch a dead body.  When he disappeared, the other traveler descended from the tree, and asked his friend what it was the bear had whispered in his ear.  “He gave me this advice,” his companion replied.  “Never travel with a friend who deserts you at the approach of danger.”
48. A prince had some monkeys trained to dance.  Being naturally good at learning, they showed themselves excellent pupils, and in their rich clothes and masks, they danced as well as any of the courtiers.  Their performance was often repeated with great applause, till on one occasion a courtier, bent on mischief, took from his pocket a handful of nuts and threw them upon the stage.  The monkeys at the sight of the nuts forgot their dancing and became (as indeed they were) monkeys instead of actors.  Pulling off their masks and tearing their robes, they fought with one another for the nuts.  The dancing spectacle thus came to an end in the laughter and ridicule of the audience.
49. A cock was once strutting up and down the farmyard among the hens when suddenly he noticed something shining in the straw.  “Ho! Ho!” said he, “that’s for me,” and soon rooted it out from beneath the straw.  It turned out to be a pearl that by some chance had been lost in the yard.  “You may be a treasure,” signed the cock, “to man, but for me I would rather have a single barley-corn.”
50. An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around hi to give them some parting advice.  He ordered his servants to bring in a bunch of sticks, and said to his eldest son: “Break it.”  The son tried hard, but with all his efforts was unable to break the bundle.  The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful.  “Untie it,” said the father, “and each of you take a stick.”  When they had done so, he called out to them: “Now, break,” and each stick was easily broken.
请阅读下面的故事寓意,然后匹配与之对应的小故事。
A. Not everything you see is what it appears to be.
B. One man’s pleasure may be another’s pain. / One man’s meat is another’s poison.
C. Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.
D. One good turn deserves another.
E. Union gives strength.
F. Precious things are for those that can prize them.

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