“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 in 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.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 |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Do your kids like plastic toys? Well, I guess it’s time for them to play with wooden toys.
I have always liked kids’ wooden toys since I was five. I always ran along on the back of a hobby horse pretending to be a cowboy from the West when I was a little boy. Now I’m a dad and I still like buying these timeless natural wooden toys. They will never be out of style. My daughter has a child’s rocking horse, and my two sons hav
e wooden trains and cars. The great thing about this type of toys is that they will last generations if they are treated kindly. Even if they break, most of the time they can be repaired using spare parts bought from wooden-toy makers, and if the part is not too complicated(复杂的), you yourself can make the part from a piece of wood.
What if they do break and can’t be repaired? Well, at least they can be d
ealt with without having any bad effects on the environment. They can be turned into wood chippings and used for pathways in the country or play areas for kids. Even if the wooden toy is buried as rubbish, which is very rare these days, it will not harm the soil or the environment.
I like all types of wooden toys. There is such a wide variety of wooden toys today and the choice is getting bigger day by day. As an alternative(替代品) to plastic toys, wooden toys can’t be beaten. I’m sure in the near future wood will no doubt become the number one material for making toys, as plastic becomes more and more expensive because of rising oil prices and the environmental issues concerning plastic. Plastic toys might harm kids’ health, too.
67. According to the author, wooden toys which can’t be repaired will _______.
A. be taken back by the makers B. need a lot of money to deal with
C. not harm the environment D. be collected by collectors
68. From the last paragraph, we can learn that _______.
A. plastic will be used up sooner o
r later
B. plastic toys will not be allowed to be sold very soon
C. wooden toys will become more popular in the future
D. wooden toys will become more and more expensive
69. Which of the following is NOT the reason why plastic toys will be less popular in the future?
A. That plastic has bad effects on the environment.
B. That plastic toys might harm the health of children.
C. That plastic toys offer children few choices.
D. That oil prices are getting higher than before.
70. We can infer that this passage is written to _______.
A. tell us the disadvantages of plastic toys
B. advise parents to buy wooden toys instead of plastic ones
C. tell us how much the author and his children like wooden toys
D. advise toy makers to make wooden toys rather than plastic ones
The oldest stone buildings in the world are the pyramids. They have stood for nearly 5,000 years, and it seems likely that they will continue to stand for thousands of years yet. There are over eighty of them scattered along the banks of the Nile, some of which are different in shape from the true pyramids. The most famous of these are the “Step” pyramid and the “Bent” pyramid.
Some of the pyramids still look as much alike as they must have been when they were built thousands of years ago. Most of the damage suffered by the others has been at the hands of men who were looking for treasure or, more often, for stone to use in modern buildings.The dry climate of Egypt has helped to keep t
he pyramids in good condition, and their very shape has made them less likely to fall into ruin. These are good reasons why they can still be seen today, but perhaps the most important one is that they were planned to last forever.
The “Step” pyramid had to be on the west side of the Nile, the side on which the sun set. This was for spiritual reasons. It also had to stand well above the level of the river to protect it against the regular floods. It could not be too far from the Nile, however, as the stones to build it needed to be carried in boats down the river to the nearest point. Water transport was , of course, much easier than land transport. The builders also had to find a rock base, which was not likely to crack under the great weight of the pyramid. Finally, it had to be near the capital, or better still, near king’s palace so that he could visit it easily to personally check the progress being made on the final resting place for his body.
63. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the “Step” pyramid?
A. It is unlikely to fall into ruin in the near future.
B. It was built on the sands along the Nile.
C. It
is the oldest building on earth.
D. It is the most famous of the true pyramids.
64. The most important reason why some pyramids remain in good condition is that _______.
A. people have taken care of them
B. it doesn’t rain often in Egypt
C. they were well designed
D. the government has protected them from damage
65. Most of the damage to the pyramids has been caused by _______.
A. the regular floods B. the dry climate of Egypt
C. people searching for gold D. people in search of building materials
66. Why did Egyptians build the pyramids along the banks of the Nile?
A. Because they believed in their god.
B. Because it was difficult to find a large rock base far from the Nile.
C. Because the river helped a lot in the transport of building materials.
D. Because it was not easy to choose a suitable place for the pyramids.
An eight-year-old girl took a jar with all her change in it, slipped out of the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drugstore with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the storek
eeper to give her some attention. At last she was noticed.
“What do you want?” the storekeeper asked, “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen for ages,” he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother, ” Tess answered. “He’s really sick and … and want to buy a miracle…. ”
“I beg your pardon?”said the storekeeper.
“His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”
“We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the storekeeper said.
“Listen, I have the money to pay for it. Just tell me how much it costs,” said the girl with her eyes welling up.
The storekeeper’s brother was a well-dressed gentleman. He came up and asked, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” Tess replied. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man 
from Chicago.
“One dollar and eleven cents.”
“Well, what a coincidence(巧合)﹗”smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents—the exact price of a miracle for your brother.”
That gentleman was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a famous surgeon(外科医生). The operation was completed free of charge. Tess’s Mom and Dad were happily talking about the surgery—“a miracle”. Only Tess knew exactly how much the miracle cost. One dollar and eleven cents... plus the faith of a little child.
59. Why didn’t the storekeeper notice the little girl?
A. Because he was busy with his work.
B. Because the girl was too little to be seen.
C. Because he was talking with his brother.
D. Because he was telephoning his brother.
60. We can infer at first the storekeeper spoke to the little girl in a(n) _______.
A. friendly voice B. impatient voice C. delighted voice D. surprised voice
61. The well-dressed gentleman _______.
A. was a very wealthy gentleman B. was a famous biology professor
C. operated on the girl’s brother free D. visited his brother now and then
62. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Faith leads to the miracle B. A very generous surgeon
C. A little girl saved her brother D. A dollar and eleven cents
第三部分: 阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节：（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
It seems that beauty and women are twins. You are joking? No, I’m not. Observe for yourself. Ads on fashion flood TV screens, radio programs, magazines, newspapers, and the streets. Whether they have realized or not, women are besieged by a sea of fashion. They are taught to think that without beautiful clothes they will grow old and lose their charm. So who dares to neglet dressing up at the cost of their appearance and youth?
But I do not agree with the opinion that women have to show their minds through their looks. The richness of their mind proves to be more beautiful and attract
ive than their looks. A woman who has experienced many troubles and may be called “aunt” or “granny” can still maintain her beauty if she has such excellent qualities as knowledge, ability, a kind heart, great courage, concern for others, etc.
In addition, old and young, beautiful and ugly are relative concepts. People who keep a young mind will never feel old. Curious about new things and eager to learn more, they keep up with the tide. Painly dressed women may have a type of beauty, which is pure and real.
Reading and learning are the best way to keep one youthful. Good books are fertile soil which can feed the flower of one’s heart and looks.
56.The underlined word “besieged” may mean _______.
A. belonged to B. beside C. drew D. surrounded with
57. “So who dares to neglet dressing up at the cost of their appearance and youth?” means_______.
A. no one dares to notice that dressing up needs money
B. no one dares to fail to care for her appearance and youth with dressing up
C. everyone dares to notice that dressing up needs money
D. everyone dares to fail to care for her appearance and youth with dressing up
58. What’s the writer’s attitude of this passage?
A. He thinks that richness is beautiful.
B. It’s impossible to be old if you keep a young mind.
C. The richness of the mind is really beautiful.
D. An old lady can keep her beauty if she has knowledge.
People are overweight for many reasons, the most important one of which is 
that they eat the wrong foods, get the wrong types of calories per meal, and they also eat meals at the wrong time each day. Food is more powerful than any weight loss pill, because the food that you eat can either make you thin or fat. This is true because your body is like an engine, and it only needs certain foods at certain intervals(间隔)each day.
Low-calorie Diets Do Not Work
The reason pe
ople cannot lose weight by starving themselves is that their metabolism(新陈代谢)will detect any major drop in calories and it will then adjust(调整)itself by burning fewer calories each day. That is the reason why you can eat 1,000 calories per day and not lose any weight, while your friends can eat 2,500 calories per day and not gain any weight.
Low-fat Diets Do Not Work
Many people in today’s society are buying mostly low- fat or non-fat food at the grocery store. Everybody knows how much fat is inside the food they buy. However, people are getting fatter than ever before by doing this. They are not losing w
eight by changing to this low-fat lifestyle.
Losing weight has nothing to do with these things. One of the most important things you can do to control your weight is to eat the proper foods, such as fruit and vegetables, eat them at the right time, and exercise every day. If people make this a habit, they will lose weight.
68. What
is the main reason why people are overweight according to the author?
A. They eat the wrong foods at the wrong time.
B. They eat food with l
ots of calories.
C. They don’t take any weight loss pills.
D. They burn many calories every day.
69. The article is written in order to _______.
A. tell readers not to buy low-fat or non-fat food
B. tell readers how to
lose weight
C. tell readers about an important scientific discovery
D. call on people to lose weight and stay healthy
70. To realize the aim of your weight loss plan, you should ________.
a. do exercise every day
b. eat meals at the right time
c. eat fruits and vegetables
d. eat low-fat or sweet food
e. eat the proper foods at each meal
A. a, b, c, dB. a, b, d, e C. a, c, d, eD. a, b, c, e