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.   

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.

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

In Chinese the world “skeleton” means _______.

A. 尸体 B. 标本 C. 收藏 D. 骷髅

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.

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

阅读下面的短文,然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

  

Earth Hour is an annual international event set up by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and held on the last Saturday of March. It asks families and factories to turn off their non-essential(不必要的) lights and electrical appliances(电器) for one hour to raise awareness(意识) of the need to take action on climate change. It was first held in Australia in 2007, and achieved worldwide participation(参加) in 2008.

   Earth Hour 2008 was the biggest voluntary power down in history. More than 370 cities in 35 countries took part and celebrated Earth Hour in their local ways. Businesses, school groups, communities and individuals celebrated all over the world with candle-lit dinners, torch parties, and street celebrations. Symbolic(标志性的) buildings and landmarks went dark, including the Sydney Opera House, the Sears Tower, and the Coliseum in Rome.

   The WWF is sending a message to the people around the world that Earth Hour is the perfect opportunity for individuals, governments, schools, businesses and communities from all over to unite in a common purpose, and in response to a global issue that affects us all.

【写作内容】

    假设你是广东某中学学生会主席,在今年的Earth Hour来临前,请你写一封英文倡议书,号召你所在中学的学生们参加此活动,并把此倡议书发表到Earth Hour的官网上。内容要点包括:

以约30个词介绍Earth Hour活动;

然后以约120个词写一封倡议书号召同学们参加此活动,内容包括:

(1)目前地球环境和能源的状况;

(2)发起倡议并提供可行的做法。

【写作要求】

1.作文可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子;

2.文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】

概括准确,语言规范,内容合适,篇章连贯。

He was once referred to as the Picasso of poetry. Beloved by Chileans of all classes, he is one of the most widely read and respected poets in history. And this year is the 100th birthday of Pablo Neruda (1904-1973).

Born with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto, he was a tall, shy and lonely boy. He loved to read and started to write poetry when he was ten. The American poet Walt Whitman, whose framed picture Neruda later kept on his table, became a major influence on his work.

However, his father did not like the idea of having a poet for a son and tried to discourage him from writing. To cover up the publication of his first poem, he took the pen name Pablo Neruda.

In 1924 Neruda gained fame with his most widely read work “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair’’. Yet his rich experience as a diplomat and exile made him go beyond the theme of love. His work also reflected the political struggle of the left and development of South America. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.

Neruda loved the sea which he saw as creative, destructive and forever moving. He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast. “I need the sea because it teaches me,” he wrote. “I move in the university of the waves.” He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed in his work.

5. The underlined word “Picasso” can probably be replaced by “________”.

A. most important person          B. famous person from Picasso

C. freedom fighter in Picasso     D. poem fan

6. Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto took the pen name Pablo Neruda because ________.

A. literary greats usually used the pen name

B. his father encouraged him to use the name

C. he wanted to prevent his father knowing the publication

D. he was greatly influenced by other poets

7. Which of the following is not the theme of his works?

A. Love.    B. Political struggle.  C. Social reform.   D. Development of South America.

8. The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.

A. the sea gave Neruda vast writing inspiration  B. the beautiful scenery along the Chile coast

C. Neruda’s poems were widely read overseas  D. Neruda loved to write his poems near the sea


Man has always wanted to fly. Some of the greatest men in history have thought about the problem. One of these, for example, was the great Italian artist, Leonardo da Vinci. In the sixteenth century he made designs for machines that could fly. But they were never built.,
Throughout history, other less famous men have wanted to fly. An example was a man in England 800years ago. He made a pair of wings from chicken feathers. Then he fixed them to his body and jumped into the air from a tall building. He did not fly very far. He fell to the ground and broke every bone in his body.
The first real step took place in France in 1783. Two brothers, the Mongolfiers, made a very large “hot air balloon”. They knew that hot air rises. Why not fill a balloon with it? The balloon was made of cloth and paper. In September of that year, the King and Queen of France came to see the balloon. They watched it carry the very first air passengers into the sky. The passengers were a sheep and a chicken. We do not know how they felt about the trip. But we do know that the trip lasted 8 minutes and that the animals landed safely. Two months later, two men did the same thing. They rose above Paris in a balloon of the same kind. Their trip lasted twenty-five minutes and they traveled about 8 kilometers.
【小题1】 Leonardo da Vinci        .

A.said that man would fly in the sky one day
B.built a kind of machine which never flew
C.drew many beautiful pictures of the birds
D.made designs of flying machines
【小题2】Eight hundred years ago an Englishman        .
A.made a kind of flying machine
B.tried to fly with wings made of chicken feathers
C.wanted to build a kind of balloon
D.tried to fly on a large bird
【小题3】 In fact, the Englishman who tried to fly        .
A.lost his lifeB.flew only 8 minutes
C.was not woundedD.succeeded in flying
【小题4】The very first air passengers in the balloon were      .
A.the King and QueenB.two Frenchmen
C.two animalsD.the Mongolfiers

A. Agra Fort

Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important 16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the imperial city of the Mughal rulers. It comprises many fairy-tale palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan; audience halls, such as the Diwan-i-Khas; and two very beautiful mosques.

B. Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. It was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees.

C. Keoladeo National Park

This former duck-hunting reserve of the Maharajas is one of the major wintering areas for large numbers of aquatic birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia. Some 364 species of birds, including the rare Siberian crane, have been recorded in the park.

D. Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. The gardens also contain the red-and-white sandstone and black-and-yellow marble tomb of Humayun’s wife and the tomb of Humayun’s barber.

E. Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon is perhaps the most awesome sight in the United States--and one of the wonders of the world. Much of the park's beauty is related to its geology and ecology. Schmidt explores the shape of the land, its plants and animals, and its human history. A fascinating book that everyone visiting the Grand Canyon should read. The Skywalk at Grand Canyon West is really exciting.

F.Sundarbans National Park

The Sundarbans covers 10,000 sq. km of land and water (more than half of it in India, the rest in Bangladesh) in the Ganges delta. It contains the world's largest area of mangrove forests. A number of rare or endangered species live in the park, including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds and reptiles.

请阅读以下旅游者的信息,然后匹配旅游者和他/她拟旅游的景点。

1.Nancy comes from the history department. Last summer she visited the ancient markets of Agra and this year she wants to visit it again. Not long ago she said: “Arriving at the Delhi airport, we representatives were warmly received. Our tiredness flew in seconds by the traditional welcome that we got at the hotel’s reception.” The next day they visited the famous tomb.

2.Sammy majors in history. He will visit it again this summer. He says it’s built entirely of white Marble and is one of the eight wonders of the world. Its beauty is beyond description, particularly at dawn and sunset. It seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience it as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna river.

3.Alexander is a college student of Physics. He learns that this canyon is a gift from past generations that goes beyond what we experience. He is looking forward to going there and experiencing the Skywalk in the park.

4.Daisy’s major is biology. She is interested in studies of tigers in India. Before graduation, she needs to write an essay on the tiger. She hears that it is one of the largest tiger populations of any of India’s parks. And so she wants to go there to do some research.

5.Carina is fond of art and likes travelling very much. In order to take part in the following exhibition, she wants to take some photos of birds from all over the world, especially the rare Siberian crane. In the meanwhile, she doesn’t want to spend too much money.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网