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.
小题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 |
小题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. |
小题3:Mary’s mother fell down into a faint because she was_________.| A．knocked | B．terrified | C．injured | D．surprised |
小题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. |
小题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. |
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小题1:D
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:C
小题5:C |
试题分析：文章介绍了和have a skeleton(骨架）in the closet(衣橱)有关的词语的含义，以及讲述玛丽家发生的和skeleton有关的有趣的故事。
小题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D
小题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
小题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。选B
小题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。
小题5:推断题 答案：C 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
点评：本文集中考查了细节题，推理题，题目设置较为合理，在推理的时候，要结合人物的对话进行准确理解，确定考点，准确判断。要求考生仔细阅读这篇文章，耐心审题，结合题目做出准确的定位判断。必要的时候要进行推理，透过句子表面看作者的真正意图。 |
核心考点
试题【One day, Mary asked her mother, “Mum, what do people mean by saying they have a 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
I break off a piece of candy and take pleasure in its sweet outside and the bitter, dark chocolate inside, thinking of my own life. Being raised by a single parent was a bitter-sweet 36 , which gave me motivation and ambition.
There were several years that have left a(n) 37 bitter taste in my mouth —those when my mother married a man and moved my sister, Emily, and me several states away from our hometown. The first few months were 38 : baseball games, family trips to the mall, dinners and movies together. Then things changed. Baseball became too expensive, and trips to the mall were 39 by days Emily and I spent isolated (孤立的) in our rooms under our stepfather’s 40 . Moreover, screaming matches between him and our mother always 41 dinner. We spent five years living in a family that had 42 a war zone. Emily and I almost grew used to this situation . Then one evening, after another argument had erupted , we left home. I was 14, my sister 11, and we were 43 .A friend of my mother let us stay with her.
Instead of focusing on our economic instability, my mother selflessly pushed me to struggle for success. She wanted me to lead a more 44 life than hers. She worked long hours every night to pay her bills. 45 , she would find time to read and play with Emily and me. Mom taught me the 46 of perseverance (坚持不懈) and education. We finally settled in Texas. And now, writing this essay with my favorite candy close at hand, I realize my family and I are at the best points of our lives. I haven’t let the trying times stop me from making 47 , both academically and personally. I know that a bitter environment can provide good learning experiences, and that success, even more than candy, is the sweetest treat of all.
| 小题1: | | A．behavior | B．habit | C．activity | D．experience |
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| 小题2: | | A．hardly | B．extremely | C．potentially | D．Gently |
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| 小题3: | | A．sweet | B．bitter | C．boring | D．terrible |
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| 小题4: | | A．concerned | B．associated | C．accompanied | D．replaced |
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| 小题5: | | A．sympathy | B．reminder | C．orders | D．requests |
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| 小题6: | | A．separated | B．interrupted | C．harmed | D．Adjusted |
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| 小题7: | | A．turned into | B．turned up | C．turned down | D．turned on |
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| 小题8: | | A．homeless | B．lucky | C．educated | D．wealthy |
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| 小题9: | | A．interesting | B．comfortable | C．simple | D．typical |
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| 小题10: | | A．Instead | B．Otherwise | C．Meanwhile | D．Therefore |
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| 小题11: | | A．value | B．cost | C．price | D．theme |
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| 小题12: | | A．emotions | B．expectations | C．fortunes | D．achievements |
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When I was young, I wanted to be a teacher if I grew up, simply because I wanted to write on the chalkboard! My teacher seemed to be the __26___ printers, curving their letters just so, and I wanted to do it 27__! Now, after “higher education”, and three__28__ career paths, I have come back to want to be a ___29____, but my reasons have changed. I was __30___ in my years of high school, to have teachers that really ___31__ me as an individual, and I want to___32___this back.
A teacher’s gentleness needs to be shown when___33__ or encouraging the students. It is important to make the corrections in order for the students to learn. ___34___, this needs to be done in a ___35____ that will help to ___36____ the student to make the changes necessary, ___37___ discouraging them from learning. Being patient is also extremely important, because the class needs to know what to ____38____from the teacher. This will also help to build a better agreement with the students, and help both the teacher and students to learn more about each other.
If a teacher exhibits a true love of ___39___ and helping students learn, many of the qualities___40___above will just fall into place. The teacher that had the most ___41___on me had the best fame in the school. She was strict, and she did demand a lot, but she was able to show us it was ____42___ she cared for us. She knew each of us was worth it, and she knew we each could do it. She ___43___ knowledge, firmly, patiently, respectfully, and most effectively. She gently encouraged us to make ___44___ when we needed to, and ___45___ us when we did. She was a true teacher, not just someone who taught, and this is the kind of teacher I hope to be.
| 小题1: | | A．funniest | B．greatest | C．strangest | D．cleverest |
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| 小题2: | | A．too | B．either | C．also | D．hard |
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| 小题3: | | A．ordinary | B．familiar | C．difficult | D．different |
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| 小题4: | | A．teacher | B．doctor | C．lawyer | D．secretary |
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| 小题5: | | A．diligent | B．active | C．successful | D．fortunate |
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| 小题6: | | A．cared about | B．believed in | C．longed for | D．thought about |
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小题7:A take B. keep C. give D. hold
| 小题8: | | A．talking | B．working | C．correcting | D．stressing |
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| 小题9: | | A．Besides | B．Moreover | C．However | D．Otherwise |
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| 小题10: | | A．sense | B．class | C．means | D．manner |
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| 小题11: | | A．prevent | B．motivate | C．force | D．forbid |
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| 小题12: | | A．beyond | B．through | C．without | D．towards |
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| 小题13: | | A．result | B．hear | C．suffer | D．expect |
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| 小题14: | | A．teaching | B．learning | C．considering | D．treating |
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| 小题15: | | A．discussed | B．referred | C．mentioned | D．engaged |
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| 小题16: | | A．goal | B．impact | C．affect | D．duty |
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| 小题17: | | A．while | B．although | C．since | D．because |
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| 小题18: | | A．passed on | B．pulled on | C．kept on | D．turned on |
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| 小题19: | | A．decisions | B．choices | C．changes | D．attempts |
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| 小题20: | | A．blamed | B．ignored | C．helped | D．praised |
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One day an out of work mimic(滑稽演员) is visiting the zoo and attempts to earn some money as a street performer. As soon as he starts to draw the crowd，a zoo keeper grabs him and drags him into his office. The zoo keeper explains to the mimic that the zoo"s most popular attraction，a gorilla(大猩猩)，has died suddenly and the keeper fears that attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mimic a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mimic accepts.
So the next morning the mimic puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before the crowd comes. He discovers that it"s a great job. He can sleep all he wants，play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mimic. However，eventually the crowds tire of him and he tires of just swinging on wires. He begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience，he climbs to the top of his cage，crawls across a partition(隔离物)，and dangles from the top to the lion"s cage. Of course，this makes the lion very angry，but the crowd loves it.
At the end of the day the zoo keeper comes and gives the mimic a raise for being such a good attraction. Well，this goes on for some time－the mimic keeps taunting the lion，the crowds grow larger，and his salary keeps going up. Then one terrible day when he is dangling over the angry lion he slips and falls. The mimic is terrified.
The lion gathers itself and prepares to attack. The mimic is so scared that he begins to run round and round the cage with the lion close behind. Finally，the mimic starts screaming and yelling，“Help me，help me！”But the lion is quick and attacks. The mimic soon finds himself flat on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says，“Shut up，you idiot！Do you want to get us both fired？”
小题1:The mimic visits the zoo to________.| A．take care of the dying gorilla | B．beg some money from the zoo keeper | | C．ask for a job there | D．perform and earn some money there |
小题2:The zoo keeper offers the mimic a job to act as the gorilla because________.| A．it is more expensive to hire a real gorilla | | B．the real gorilla died but the keeper does not want to lose its visitors | | C．he likes the mimic"s performance | | D．he wants to help the mimic who is out of work |
小题3:What does the mimic feel about the new job at first?| A．He likes it because he has enough freedom in the job. | | B．He likes it but he prefers to working as a mimic. | | C．He doesn"t like it for people do not respect him. | | D．He doesn"t like it because he gets little pay. |
小题4:The mimic climbs to the lion"s cage because________.| A．he finds it more interesting to climb the cage | | B．he wants to play with the lion | | C．he wants to attract the attention of his audience | | D．he has never seen a lion before |
小题5:What does the passage mainly tell us?| A．The mimic and his job | B．The mimic and his success | | C．The actor and the mimic | D．The mimic and his animals |
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Son’s Help
Mr. Smith worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling(赌博) and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife told him not to do it but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup, he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.
It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Smith didn’t go to work. He felt lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his six-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen.
“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”
小题1:Mr. Smith was paid much because _______. | A．his wife helped him a lot | | B．he worked in a factory | | C．he was busy and had a lot of work to do | | D．he had worked there for a long time |
小题2:Mrs. Smith did all housework because _______. | A．she couldn’t find any work | | B．she thought her husband was tired | | C．her husband spent all time in gambling | | D．she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling |
小题3:_____, so he was put into lockup. | A．Mr. Smith often gambled | | B．Mr. Smith was late for work | | C．Mr. Smith didn’t help his wife at home | | D．Mr. Smith wasn’t polite to the police |
小题4:The woman had to leave Mr. Smith because _______. | A．he didn’t love her any longer | | B．he wouldn’t stop gambling | | C．he had been put into lockup | | D．he was hardly sent away by the factory |
小题5:What is the meaning of the underlined word in the first paragraph?| A．clinic | B．office | C．prison | D．restaurant |
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The telephone rang in the police station at Richmond, California, US. “ 1 station? A train for Santa Fe collided (相撞) a 2 at the McDonald Street Crossing. Please come here at once. With an ambulance(救护车)，too. A man is badly wounded,” said a(n) 3 voice of a young woman.
“OK. We’ll come soon. Please stay there and wait.” Replied the policeman.
Within a minute, a police car and an ambulance 4 off. Soon they got to the crossing, but only to find everything was 5 . No collision, no wounded man.
“What a dirty 6 !” said the policeman angrily. “ We must find out that mischievous (恶作剧) 7
and…”
They had not been able to say anything about a 8 when they heard the whistle of a train was nearing them quickly. All of a sudden, a truck appeared. It came 9 towards them, too. When it was passing the crossing, it suddenly 10 to move on. Right then and there, before the eyes of all the people present, the train collided with the truck heavily and struck it dozens of metres away.
When Randolph Bruce, the driver , was helped out of the damaged truck, he was badly wounded just as the young woman had foretold (预言) on the phone. As he was taken to hospital in time, he was 11 at last. Later the police did whatever they could to 12 the woman who had 13 them, but failed.
It is really 14 that a prophecy(预言) should agree with the fact so 15 .
| 小题1: | | A．Weather | B．Railway | C．Fire | D．Police |
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| 小题2: | | A．bus | B．truck | C．taxi | D．train |
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| 小题3: | | A．sweet | B．anxious | C．beautiful | D．low |
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| 小题4: | | A．turned | B．took | C．started | D．walked |
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| 小题5: | | A．bad | B．satisfied | C．pleasant | D．fine |
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| 小题7: | | A．policeman | B．boy | C．woman | D．driver |
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| 小题8: | | A．reward | B．praise | C．thanks | D．punishment |
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| 小题9: | | A．turning | B．running | C．starting | D．passing |
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| 小题10: | | A．continued | B．refused | C．began | D．stopped |
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| 小题11: | | A．saved | B．dead | C．awake | D．alive |
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| 小题12: | | A．find | B．meet | C．punish | D．thank |
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| 小题13: | | A．laughed | B．telephoned | C．repeated | D．visited |
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| 小题14: | | A．exciting | B．surprising | C．pleasing | D．interesting |
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| 小题15: | | A．equally | B．truly | C．exactly | D．carefully |
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