“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. |
Modern science suggests that a healthy lifestyle matters much to how long you can live and how well you live. Here are some tips for you to form a healthy lifestyle.
Keep a scientific diet. Keep in mind that sugar can be removed from our diet completely. Over intake of sugar is one of the main reasons for getting fat. Over intake of protein or fat and low intake of fiber can also lead to getting fat. We need only a few grams of protein every day to keep our body in order. Like rain to crops, not the more the better.
Be always in a good mood. There is a relation- ship between the mood and health. A good mood keeps you in high spirits. Thanks to the internet, we can enjoy and learn much without going out. Take a look at some online shops and pick up some bargains, enjoy music and movies and chat with some good friends. Just keep happy.
Enough sleep. Two studies show the reasons why teens and adults don’t have enough sleep. With teens, a major reason is mobile phone use; with adults, it’s work. Meanwhile, a third study of young children shows that a lack of sleep in early life may lead to serious problems in future. Everyone needs at least 8-hour sleep to recover from tiredness and the hurt caused by hard work in the daytime.
Proper exercise. Do exercise to keep away from fatness. Because of the quick pace of modern life, you don’t have time to do exercise every day, but at least three times a week and 45 minutes each time.The author wrote the passage to _____.
| A．tell the readers how to take proper exercise every day |
| B．provide some advice on how to form a healthy lifestyle |
| C．ask people to care about their health rather than their work |
| D．make some surveys among those who have health problems |
Which of the following can lead to getting fat according to the passage?
| A．low intake of protein. | B．low intake of fat. |
| C．over intake of fiber. | D．over intake of sugar. |
The main reason why teenagers don’t have enough sleep is that they _____.
| A．use mobile phones too much |
| B．have too much homework |
| C．eat too much sugar every day |
| D．don’t have enough exercise |
How many minutes do you need to do exercise at least every week?
| A．45 minutes. | B．90 minutes. |
| C．115 minutes. | D．135 minutes. |
IMAGINE that you are in school, giving a speech to your class.
Now think what it feels like when stammering(口吃)makes it a struggle to communicate your thoughts and feelings to other people.
The King’s Speech, which won the best picture at
the Academy Awards, highlights(突出) stammering along with other speech-related problems. The movie tells the story of Britain’s King George Ⅵ, who became king after his brother Edward Ⅷ gave up the crown to marry an American woman.
As a result of British actor Colin Firth’s performance, people are starting to realize that stammering can damage a person’s self-confidence and cause him/her to escape from life.
“The problem is unseen and unheard,” said Norbert Lieckfeldt, an expert at the British Stammering Association, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper.
“Stammering masks(遮盖) your ability,” he said, “It's a serious disability(残疾).”
Most stammerers face bullying(欺负) in school, something that is “usually carried over into the workplace”.
George Ⅵ’s stammer took away his confidence as a speaker. But Samantha Mesango, a speech coach based in the UK, believes that speech problems are more common than most people realize. “Some simply don't like the sound of their own voice; others are scared of speaking in public,” she said.
Travis Treats from Saint Louis University’s department of communication sciences in the US, praised The King’s Speech. He said it shows that “how one’s speech does not mean what one is inside”.
He also added that people who stammer need to be heard and our society should recognize that they have a lot to give to the world. What is the point of the first two paragraphs?
| A．To tell readers about speech speaking. |
| B．To show how harmful a stammer is. |
| C．To draw the attention of readers to the problem of a stammer. |
| D．To show how a stammer makes a person popular |
According to the article, King George Ⅵ _____.
| A．was a hero during World War Ⅱ |
| B．took the place of his brother |
| C．married a divorced American woman |
| D．was a failure because of his stammer |
What is Norbert Lieckfeldt’s view of the challenge of a stammer?
| A．A stammer can destroy a person’s self-confidence. |
| B．A stammer is a serious problem for many people but it is often ignored. |
| C．People who stammer need to have their own voice. |
| D．People who stammer do better in work than in school. |
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative serf-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat (拍) yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck! You need to build a positive self-image when you _____.
| A．dare to challenge yourself |
| B．feel it hard to change yourself |
| C．are unconfident about yourself |
| D．have a high opinion of yourself |
How should you change your serf-image according to the passage?
| A．To keep a different image of others. |
| B．To make your life successful. |
| C．To understand your own world. |
| D．To change the way you think. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to prepare for your success. |
| B．How to face challenges in your life. |
| C．How to build a positive self-image. |
| D．How to develop your good qualities. |
Hey there,
So you’re about to spend four years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars of your patent’s money, and all you really know about college is that all of your friends are going. Do you ever stop to wonder why you’re going?
Relax. You’re making the right decision. First of all, you’ll discover what interests you by taking courses in many subjects. For example, it’s hard to decide if you want to be a painter if you’ve never painted any pictures; once you’re in a drawing-room on campus, you’ll know one way or the other. College is also a lot of fun—after you graduate, you’ll be working every weekday for 50 years or so. And remember that college graduates earn about twice the income of those who never attended college.
Finding the right college can be difficult. Fortunately, Johnson Review is here to help you every step of the way.
* Researching Schools. To us, the most important decision you’ll make is to choose the school that really fits you best—not the one that is the most competitive or has the best-equipped rooms.
* Applying to School. On JohnsonReview.com, you’ll find hundreds of actual college applications(申请) and links to many more.
* Raising Your Scores. American College Test is one of the most difficult parts of the admissions(录取) course. It’s not the most important, though, and not everyone needs to prepare for the best. But, if you think you can do better, find the right course for better scores.
* Paying for School. Most families need financial aid for the high cost of college. The problem is that financial aid seems difficult to get and many families get caught up in the price of college rather than learning the ways to get financial aid. If you really do your research, you’ll learn that you can afford to attend any college, no matter the cost.
For more information, call 600-3681 or visit JohnsonReview.com. Wherever you go, have a nice trip!
Johnson Smith
Founder and CEO
Johnson Review How many reasons for going to college does the author mention in the text?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
The author thinks you should choose the college that is _____.
| A．well-equipped | B．competitive |
| C．suitable | D．famous |
What does the author advise you to do to pay the high cost of college?
| A．To ask the family for help. |
| B．To make a study of financial courses. |
| C．To do research on the price of college. |
| D．To get to know how to ask for financial aid. |
Which of the following will the author agree?
| A．Johnson Review can help you find the right college easier. |
| B．The most important part for college admission is the College Test. |
| C．It is not worth going to college nowadays in America. |
| D．If you want to find a place to spend your holiday, visit JohnsonReview.com. |
I was an extremely verbal child, and growing up with my dad was an experiment in linguistics(语言学). My father was a man of few words. Whenever I wanted his permission for a certain activity, I planned a speech that included who would be there, where it would take place, how long it would last, and why it was an incredibly wonderful opportunity for me. He would listen and then say either “Yes” or “No.” There were never any qualifiers; not “Yes, but be home by dinner” or “No, unless you can convince me otherwise.” It was yes or no, plain and simple.
My father’s phone messages were also lessons in patience and long-suffering to a teenage girl. I was quite active in high school. Not only did I enjoy being involved in many areas, but I came into contact with many a great teenage guy. I can recall one busy day when I had met two great guys and had given each of them my phone number. The first words out of my mouth when I walked through the front door were, “Dad! Did anyone call?” His answer, of course, was simply “Yes”.I required for a more accurate description of the caller. His answer: “A boy.” Since I had met two guys that day, this did not help me. I ran to my room in tears.
Knowing my dad’s dislike of language in general and his fondness for briefness, it surprised me to hear that he was going to teach the eleven-year-old boys’ Sunday school class. He did so for not one, but many years. I always wondered if he actually said anything, or if they all just sat in their chairs and stared at each other. I was sure that if people were waiting on my father to break the ice with brilliant conversation or a springboard comment, they’d be badly disappointed. Still, September after September, my father hung his sign outside the Sunday school room: Mr. Ernst—Eleven-Year-Old Boys. In order to get Dad to agree to the author’s outing, the author had to make up the following EXCEPT _____.
| A．the friends I shall meet in the activity |
| B．the activity is a chance for anyone |
| C．the place where the activity is to be held |
| D．the time that I shall spend in the activity |
When the author says “My father’s phone messages were also lessons in patience and long-suffering to a teenage girl.”, it means that when she was young _____.
| A．her father once gave her a lesson about patience and long-lasting pain |
| B．her father’s brief phone messages angered her a lot but made her patient |
| C．she was trained to be patient and brave because of her father’s brief phone messages |
| D．she suffered and had to be patient because of her father’s brief phone messages |
What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “break the ice” in Paragraph 3?
| A．Make the ice crack. | B．Stop talking. |
| C．Start a talk. | D．Interrupt a talk. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．My father would answer me with “Yes, but be home by dinner” sometimes. |
| B．I came into contact with just a few great teenage guys because I was active in high school. |
| C．That my father would teach the eleven-year-old boys’ Weekday school class surprised me. |
| D．I always wanted to know how my father, who talked so little, taught the boys. |