（2011·江西卷）A

“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 iin 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 in 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.

56.   According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the close” means ______.

       A.    a family honor                                    B.    a family secret

C.    a family story                                     D.    a family treasure

57.   What can we learn about some Australians’ ancestors form 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.

58.   Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was ______.

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

59.   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.

60.   Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because ______.

       A.    they were crazy

B.    they were over excited

       C.    they realized their misunderstanding

D.    they both thought they had won the quarrel

（2011·江西卷）D

Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.

     Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup(基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.

Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.

    Exploration also allows minerals and other potential (潜在的) resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products (副产品)  of technological developments in the space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.

While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers. The danger exists, but knowledge can help human being to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.

While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.

71. Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph1?

       A. To express his doubts.

       B. To compare different ideas.

       C. To introduce points for discussion.

       D. To describe the conditions on Earth.

72. What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph2?

       A. Humans are nature-born to do so.

       B. Humans have the tendency to fight.

       C. Humans may find new sources of food.

       D. Humans don’t like to stay in the same place.

73. The underlined word“spin-offs” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to______.

       A. survival chances                                          B. potential resources

       C. unexpected benefits                               D. physical possessions

74. What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets?

       A. O       ur genetic makeup.                             B. Resources on the earth..

       C. The adaptive ability of humans.              D. By-products in space exploration.

75. Which of the statements can best sum un the passage?

       A. Space exploration has created many wonders.

       B. Space exploration provided the best value for money.

       C. Space exploration may help us avoid potential problems on Earth.

(2013·高考江西卷，A)The light from the campfire brightened the darkness，but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones.It was a strange place.Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare.They liked camping，but not near this swamp.

“So，”Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals.“How did this place get its name? ”

“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story，”warned Jack.

“Of course！”cried out Tom.“If there were anything to be scared of，you wouldn’t have chosen this place！”

“Ok，but don’t say I didn’t warn you，” said Jack，and he began his tale.

“Way back in time，a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here.He built that cottage over there to live in.In those days，the area looked quite different—it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal?clear river.After three hard years，Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops.He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

“‘You are clearing too much land，’warned one old man.‘The land is a living thing.It will hit back at you if you abuse it.’”

“‘Silly fool，’said Dennis to himself.‘If I clear more land，I can grow more crops.I’ll become wealthier.He’s just jealous！’”

“Dennis continued to chop down trees.Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed.He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door.He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land.He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”

“What happened？”Martin asked.It was growing colder.He trembled，twisting his body closer to the fire.

“The land hit back—just as the old man warned，”Jack shrugged.“Dennis disappeared.Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater.His body was never found.”

“What a stupid story，”laughed Tom.“Plants can’t...”Before he had finished speaking，he screamed and fainted(晕倒)．The other two boys jumped up with fright，staring at Tom.Suddenly，they burst out laughing.Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face.It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

1.The underlined word “dare”in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to________.

A．courage B．assistance

C．instruction D．challenge

2.Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?

A．To frighten them.

B．To satisfy their curiosity.

C．To warn them of the danger of the place.

D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

3.Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?

A．The old man envied him.

B．The old man was foolish

C．He was too busy to listen to others.

D．He was greedy for more crops.

4.Why did Tom scream and faint?

A．He saw Dennis’s shadow.

B．He was scared by a plant.

C.His friends played a joke on him.

D．The weather became extremely cold.

5.What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?

A．Grasp all，lose all.

B．No sweat，no sweet.

C．It is no use crying over spilt milk.

D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

（2011·江西卷）C

The garden city was largely the invention of Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928). After immigrating form England to the USA, and an unsuccessful attempt to make a living as a farmer, he moved to Chicago, where he saw the reconstruction of the city after the disastrous fire of 1871. In those days, it was nicknamed “the Garden City”, almost certainly the source of Howard’s name for his later building plan of towns. Returning to London, Howard developed his design in the 1880s and 1890s, drawing on ideas that were popular at the time, but creating a unique combination of designs.

The nineteenth-century poor city was in many ways a terrible place, dirty and crowded; but it offered economic and social opportunities. At the same time, the British countryside was in fact equally unattractive: though it promised fresh air and nature, it suffered from agricultural depression(萧条) and it offered neither enough work and wages, nor much social life. Howard’s idea was to combine the best of town and country in a new kind of settlement, the garden city. Howard’s idea was that a group of people should set up a company, borrowing money to establish a garden city in the depressed countryside; far enough from existing cities to make sure that the land was bought at the bottom price.

Garden cities would provide a central public open space, radial avenues and connecting industries. They would be surrounded by a much larger area of green belt, also owned by the company, containing not merely farms but also some industrial institutions. As more and more people moved in, the garden city would reach its planned limit-Howard suggested 32,000 people; then, another would be started a short distance away. Thus, over time, there would develop a vast planned house collection, extending almost without limit; within it, each garden city would offer a wide rang of jobs and services, but each would also be connected to the others by a rapid transportation system, thus giving all the economic and social opportunities of a big city.

66. How did Howard get the name for his building plan of garden cities?

   A. Through his observation of the country life.

   B. Through the combination of different ideas.

   C. By taking other people’s advice.

   D. By using the nickname of the reconstructed Chicago.

67. The underlined phrase“drawing on ”in Paragraph 1 probably means______.

   A. making use of                                        B. making comments on

   C. giving an explanation of                          D. giving a description of

68. According to Howard, garden cities should be built______.

   A. as far as possible from existing cities

   B. in the countryside where the land was cheap

   C. in the countryside where agriculture was developed

   D. near cities where employment opportunities already existed

69. What can we learn about garden cities from the last paragraph?

   A. Their number would continue to rise

   B. Each one would continue to become larger

   C. People would live and work in the same place

   D. Each one would contain a certain type of business

70. What could be the best title for the passage?

   A. City and Countryside                               B. The Invention of the Garden City

   C.A New City in Chicago                             D. A Famous Garden City in England

（2011·江西卷）完形填空

What a busy day! The three boys were fed, bathed and changed in to their nightclothes. Mary had ___36___ them a story and finally they were asleep. “Babysitting（照看）the three boys aged eight, six and four is extremely ___37___,” she thought.

“Sleep,” she considered, “if only I could!” But she had difficult homework to complete. Leaning back, she ___38___ her feet onto the sofa to get comfortable. Whoever said babysitting was a(an) ___39___ way to make money obviously hadn’t met the three boys, she thought. The television was on, the room was warm, and the lights were dim. Mary’s ___40___ felt heavier and heavier. I mustn’t sleep, she thought — which was ___41___ what she did, of course.

Strangely enough, she soon ___42___ that she was a world-famous chef（主厨）. She made a ___43___ and wore diamonds and designer clothes. Most days she relaxed by the pool, meeting the rich and famous or ___44___ — her favorite hobby. She ___45___ took the leading role in her own TV show.

That is, until she became too ___46___. “I am definitely the best in the world,” she thought, as she prepared a tasty chicken dish. But ___47___ seemed to go right. She spilt the flour, she dropped an egg and she cut her finger. Despite all the troubles, she ___48___ to get the chicken into the dove. Soon, smoke blanketed the room. The chicken was on fire. ___49___ set in, but Mary could not run — she was ___50___ to the spot. She tried hard to move, but could not, ___51___ a sharp sound awoke her.

She got shocked and confused — ___52___ was pouring from the kitchen. Rushing to investigate, she was met by three ___53___ little faces and some very burnt bread. “Sorry, we were hungry and you were ___54___, so we tried to make some bread,” explained a boy. Relieved, Mary made them a snack and sent them back to bed. She___37__  them never to fall asleep on the job again!

36.   A.    given                     B.    written                  C.    told                D.    taught

37.   A.    successful             B.    helpful                   C.    tiring              D.    surprising

38.   A.    shook                    B.    put                        C.    bent               D.    kept

39.   A.    difficult                 B.    boring                   C.    important D.    easy

40.   A.    eyes                      B.    mind                     C.    heart              D.    legs

41.   A.    nicely                    B.    exactly                  C.    curiously        D.    carelessly

42.   A.    realized                  B.    reminded               C.    learnt             D.    dreamt

43.   A.    decision                 B.    fortune                  C.    business         D.    plan

44.   A.    cooking                 B.    reading                  C.    running          D.    babysitting

45.   A.    just                       B.    ever                      C.    even               D.    only

46.   A.    selfish                   B.    proud                    C.    stubborn         D.    sensitive

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

48.   A.    tried                      B.    arranged                C.    managed         D.    prepared

49.   A.    Panic                    B.    Pain                      C.    Noise             D.    Stress

50.   A.    frozen                   B.    dragged                 C.    pushed           D.    brought

51.   A.    because                 B.    until                      C.    as                  D.    unless

52.   A.    smoke                   B.    light                      C.    water             D.    fire

53.   A.    cheerful                 B.    strange                  C.    guilty             D.    confident

54.   A.    busy                            B.    hungry                  C.    worried          D.    asleep

55.   A.    promised               B.    allowed                 C.    expected         D.    persuaded