One day, Mary asked her mother, “Mum, what do people mean by saying they have a skeleton(骨架)in the closet(衣橱)?” Her mother paused thoughtfully and said, “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 my family?” Mary’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.” Mary cut in before things grew worse.

After dinner, the house was quiet. Mary’s parents were 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 Mary’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. Mary’s mother sank into a faint(晕倒), waking only when Mary 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 Mary. “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.” Mary looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re crazy,” she thought. 

1.According to Mary’s mother, “a skeleton in a closet” means _______.

A. a family honor                    B. a family wealth

C. a family story                     D. a family secret

2.What can we learn about some Australians’ 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.

3.Mary’s mother fell down into a faint because she was_________.

A. knocked           B. terrified     C. injured      D. surprised

4.Why did Mary 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.

5.Mary’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because________.

A. They were mentally ill.

B. They were over happy.

C. They understood what had really happened.

D. They both thought they had won the quarrel.

 

Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.

Given that I teach students who are training to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.

“Surgery(外科手术)”, one replied. I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job. One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it regrows, you can get at least 5cm taller!”

At that point, I was shocked. I am short, I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦) just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!

It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.

No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost. In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.

1.We can know from the passage that the author works as ______.

A.a doctor          B.a model           C.a teacher          D.a reporter

2.Many graduates today turn to cosmetic surgery to______.

A.marry a better man\woman               B.become a model

C.get an advantage over others in job-hunt     D.attract more admirers

3.According to the passage, the author believes that ______.

A.everyone should purchase perfection, whatever the cost

B.it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs

C.media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery

D.it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career

4.What does the author think of his height?

A.He hates to be called a short man.

B.He tries to increase his height through surgery.

C.He always wears shoes with thick soles to hide the fact.

D.He just accepts it as it is

 

Once upon a time there were two brothers who lived near each other. One day, they had a ___36___ because of some small things. And neither was willing to ___37___ each other.

One morning, there was a knock at door of the elder brother. He  38 _ it and found a man standing beside the door. “I’m a carpenter(木匠). I’m  39__ a few days’ work. Perhaps you would have a few small jobs I could help with.”  

“Yes,” said the elder brother. “I do have a job for you. ___40___ at that farm across the small river. It is my younger brother’s. We had a quarrel, so I won’t like to see his place or his __41___ any more. I want you to build me a 8-foot ___42___.” 

The man said, “I think I understand the situation. Don’t worry. I’ll be able to do a job that makes you __43__.” So the elder brother was very glad and left for the town nearby.

In the evening, the carpenter had just ___44___ his job when the elder brother returned. But he was __45___ to find, instead of a fence, before him, stood a __46____, which went from one side of the river ___47__ the other! On the other __48____ of bridge, was his younger brother.

“Do you know the name of the bridge?” The carpenter asked.

“No,” the elder brother was __49___. 

“OK, I can tell you. Its name is understanding and __50___,” the carpenter smiled.

Suddenly they began to understand ___51___. Surely, between two brothers there should be a bridge rather than a _52____. Standing on the bridge, they _53___ each other’s hands with ____54__ in their eyes. 

“Could you stay another few days? I’ve a lot of other work for you,” said the elder brother. “I’d love to ___55___ on,” the carpenter said. “But I have many more bridges to build.”

1.                A.meeting        B.question        C.decision  D.quarrel

 

2.                A.forgive         B.like            C.speak    D.believe

 

3.                A.got            B.opened         C.shut D.left

 

4.                A.looking for      B.looking at       C.looking on D.looking up

 

5.                A.See            B.Watch          C.Observe  D.Look

 

6.                A.house          B.face           C.farm D.eyes

 

7.                A.wall           B.fence          C.road D.bridge

 

8.                A.excited         B.pleased         C.moved   D.surprised

 

9.                A.begun          B.done           C.finished  D.continued

 

10.               A.surprised       B.happy          C.anxious   D.sad

 

11.               A.house          B.bridge         C.fence D.river

 

12.               A.to             B.between        C.across D.till

 

13.               A.end           B.side           C.field  D.stage

 

14.               A.disappointed    B.puzzled         C.amazed   D.worried

 

15.               A.love           B.hate           C.joy   D.anger

 

16.               A.everything      B.nothing         C.anything   D.something

 

17.               A.river           B.fence          C.farm  D.wall

 

18.               A.brought        B.took           C.held  D.clapped

 

19.               A.smiles          B.tears           C.anger D.sadness

 

20.               A.leave          B.get            C.stay  D.work

 

 

Dear Dad,

I was very upset when I received your letter. I knew you  46 not like my results, but I didn’t realize you and Mum were so  47 with me. This has made me  48 very carefully about myself, and now I  49  how silly I have been.

My poor  50 have come from my own  51 . Of course, I want to do my best. I want you and Mum to be proud  52  me, but somehow when I get to school I just can’t keep my   53  on the subject and I stop  54  the teacher. So many other things seem so much more  55 , but I know that I must not  56 the chance you and Mum have given me. If I don’t work very hard  57  the next few months, I am going to get  58 results. So I am going to study hard this summer. And I will show Mum anything  59 I can’t understand so that she can give me help.

I  60 you will allow me to play some basketball. I think I need some exercise,   61 _ I will control the time I   62 on it properly.

If you want me to stop meeting Cindy, I will — but there is  63 serious. We are just good friends, and she often helps me  64 my schoolwork.

Dad, I am really sorry I have made you angry. I’m going to try my best to  65 my study. I promise that I will make you proud of me soon.

Yours,

Jimmy

1.

A.will

B.would

C.need

D.should

 

2.

A.angry

B.upset

C.strict

D.happy

 

3.

A.talk

B.speak

C.think

D.hear

 

4.

A.receive

B.believe

C.insist

D.realize

 

5.

A.results

B.memories

C.parents

D.friends

 

6.

A.stubbornness

B.carelessness

C.laziness

D.illness

 

7.

A.of

B.with

C.in

D.for

 

8.

A.head

B.mind

C.eyes

D.heart

 

9.

A.listening to

B.to listen to

C.hearing

D.to hear

 

10.

A.boring

B.dull

C.beautiful

D.interesting

 

11.

A.find

B.share

C.waste

D.afford

 

12.

A.during

B.at

C.through

D.until

 

13.

A.better

B.best

C.poorer

D.poorest

 

14.

A.which

B.that

C.whom

D.what

 

15.

A.wish

B.advise

C.hope

D.decide

 

16.

A.and

B.but

C.so

D.because

 

17.

A.spend

B.take

C.cost

D.pay

 

18.

A.everything

B.something

C.anything

D.nothing

 

19.

A.in

B.on

C.with

D.by

 

20.

A.develop

B.improve

C.interest

D.finish

 

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