“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 you 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 into 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 closet” means .
| A．a family honor | B．a family secret |
| C．a family story | D．a family treasure |
What can we learn about some Australian’s 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. |
Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was .
| A．knocked | B．frightened | C．injured | D．surprised |
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 overexcited |
| C．they realized their misunderstanding |
| D．they both thought they had won the quarrel |
Animal moms are great moms. You might be surprised at some of these moms.
Octopuses(章鱼)
The octopus mother lays(下蛋) about 50,000 eggs. For about 300 days, she stays with the eggs, cleans them and protects them. She does not leave to feed. However, this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched(孵化).
Crocodiles (鳄鱼)
A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort(努力) into raising her babies.
She starts by building a nest(巢)which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch, the young crocs call out to their mother, who digs them out and helps them hatch. She then carries them in her mouth down to the water, where she will guard them for several more weeks or months until thy learn to hunt on their own.
Bats(蝠)
Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave, giving birth. Catching the youngsters before it can fall to the ground below, she puts it in a pouch (育儿袋) .Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days. As the little bats get bigger and heavier, moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return to feed them. It continues for about three weeks, until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own.
Koalas(考拉)
The animal mom gives birth after pregnancy(怀孕期)of only 35 days. The hairless baby climbs into its mother’s pouch and lives there for another five months. When the little koala is between five and eight months old, it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety. Once it is too big to return to the pouch, it will climb onto its mother’s back and ride there until it is about 12 moths old.Whichanimalmomsdiewhentheirbabiesareborn?
| A．Octopuses | B．Crocodiles | C．Bats | D．Koalas |
Acrocodilemotherusuallycarriesherbabytothewater__________
| A．inhermouth | B．onherback | C．inherpouch | D．byhertail |
Abatmom__________.
| A．givesbirthbylyinginthenest |
| B．givesbirthbyhanginginacave |
| C．leavesitsbabiesinthepouchformonths |
| D．letsitsbabiesliveontheirown(独自) aftermonths |
Howlongdoesayoungkoalausuallystay in its mother’s pouchat least?
| A．35days | B．5months | C．8months | D．12months |
Nails in the Fence篱笆上的钉子
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper(脾气). His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer(用锤子锤) a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day he had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control (控制)his anger, the number of nails hammered daily graduallydwindled down. He discovered itwas easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that now pull out(拔出) one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said," You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say thing in anger, they have a scar(伤疤) just like these holes. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say 'I am sorry ', the wound is still there. A verbal(言语上的) wound is as bad as physical one."
The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked at his father and said “ I hope you can forgive(原谅) me ,father, for the holes I put in you.”
“of course I can,” said the father.When the boy lost his temper, he must _________ as his father told him.
| A．break some plates and glasses |
| B．pull out one nail of the back of the fence |
| C．hammer a nail into the back of the fence |
| D．tell his anger to others. |
The father let his son to hammer the nails into the back of the fence and draw out in order to _____________.
| A．punish him for his losing his temper |
| B．reward him for his controlling his temper |
| C．educate him in this way |
| D．tell him how to control his temper |
The underlined(划线) expression dwindled down means ____________.
| A．become gradually smaller |
| B．become gradually larger |
| C．get more and more happy |
| D．get more and more sad |
When the boy finally told his father that all the nails were gone, his father______.
| A．took him to the fence and look at the holes |
| B．asked him to pull out one nail of the back of the fence |
| C．asked him to focus his time on study |
| D．told him to have a rest |
When you say something with anger, they will leave a scar just as you put a nail in and then draw it out. It means ______________.
| A．you shouldn’t put a nail in the fence |
| B．if you put a nail into the fence, you shouldn’t draw it out |
| C．it will leave a scar when you draw a nail out |
| D．you will hurt somebody when you lose your temper. |
From this article, we can learn that _______________.
| A．when we hurt somebody, only a sorry is enough |
| B．when we lose temper to someone, we should say sorry to him in time |
| C．the way we educate our children is of no importance |
| D．we should try our best not to hurt others in our daily life once done, it is hard to make up for (弥补). |
Interviews can be quite frightening but our tips can help you. Don’t worry—relax! Remember these things and you’ll be fine.
Be on time. Find out exactly where the interview is and how to get there. Remember that buses and trains can often be late so allow plenty of time. It’s better to be early than late.
Be prepared. Think about what the interviewer will ask you. He or she will probably ask about your qualifications (资历) and your experience but they’ll also ask you why you want the job. Think of some possible questions and prepare your answers before you go.
Wear comfortable clothes. If you wear something new it will make you feel uncomfortable. It’s best to wear something smart but something you like and feel happy in.
Make eye contact（接触）. In the interview, don’t sit looking at your feet. Make sure you sit up and look the interviewer in the eye. This makes you look honest and more confident (自信).
Ask a question. It’s a good idea to ask questions at the interview. Ask about the company or the job. Prepare some questions before the interview. It makes you look more interested if you do this.How many tips（建议） does the writer give in this passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
Finding out exactly where the interview is and how to get there will help you to .
| A．receive some advice |
| B．be on time |
| C．prepare your answers |
| D．remember the timetable |
According to this passage, the interviewer will probably ask you about .
| A．your family members |
| B．your health condition |
| C．your demand of payment |
| D．your working experience |
Which of the following does the writer say is a sign of honesty?
| A．Making eye contact. |
| B．Travelling by bus or train. |
| C．Wearing something smart. |
| D．Showing your qualifications. |
There is no doubt that Apple is well aware of the increased competition in the market and could be in a hurry to put another product out there, said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC Mobile Devices Technology and Trends. Given its history with product launches and business policy, though, Apple probably isn’t going to rush an iPhone release simply to put it on shelves, he said.
“If you’re Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), you’re thinking if you want to pay more attention to how to keep growing that bottom line and keep investors(投资人) happy, or continue with the same approach from Apple, which is do what we can do and manage products and releases in the best way they can work for us. Apple usually does things in their own time, and I’m having a hard time buying this May or June timeline.” Llamas told Mac News World.
While it’s probable that Apple is surely in a testing stage for its next smartphone, consumers likely have a standard wait for the finished product, said Colin Gibbs, analyst at GigaOm Pro.
“It typically takes a year or longer to create a state-of-the-art smartphone, so no one should be surprised Apple is in the testing stages with the next iPhone. And while it’s possible that Apple could launch the next iPhone this spring or summer, I’m not expecting to see it until a little later in the year,” he told Mac News World.
When it does launch, though, it could be in a variety of colors, said Gibbs. “Apple has already tested the waters with releasing colored products when it revamped (更新，翻新）its iPod line last fall, so it is understood that it would want the new change with its smartphone, as well”.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the new iPhone becomes available in some new colors,’’ he said. “That could be done pretty cheaply, and it would give Apple a new marketing angle.”According to Ramon Llamas, Apple always ______.
| A．tries to please its investors |
| B．rushes to put new products to market |
| C．ignores the fierce market competition |
| D．does things as planned |
As for the next iPhone, Colin Gibbs didn’t mention ______.
| A．the stage of its being tested |
| B．the rough time of its being released |
| C．the function to be improved |
| D．the wide variety of its color |
What’s Colin Gibbs’ attitude towards the next iPhone?
| A．Disapproving. | B．Indifferent (漠不关心的). | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
This passage is presented in the form of ______.
| A．stories | B．comments | C．advertisements | D．debates |
Eddie’s father used to say he’d spent so many years by the ocean, breathing seawater. Now, away from that ocean, in the hospital bed, his body began to look like a beached fish. His condition went from fair to stable and from stable to serious. Friends went from saying, “He’ll be home in a day,” to “He’ll be home in a week.” In his father’s absence, Eddie helped out at the pier (码头), working evenings after his taxi job.
When Eddie was a teenager, if he ever complained or seemed bored with the pier, his father would shout, “What? This isn’t good enough for you?” And later, when he’d suggested Eddie take a job there after high school, Eddie almost laughed, and his father again said, “What? This isn’t good enough for you?” And before Eddie went to war, when he’d talked of marrying Marguerite and becoming an engineer, his father said, “What? This isn’t good enough for you?”
And now, regardless of all that, here he was, at the pier, doing his father’s labor.
Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. It is not until much later, as the heart weakens, that children understand: their stories, and all their achievements, sit on top of the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.
Finally, one night, at his mother’s urging, Eddie visited the hospital. He entered the room slowly. His father, who for years had refused to speak to Eddie, now lacked the strength to even try.
“Don’t sweat it, kid,” the other workers told him. “Your old man will pull through. He’s the toughest man we’ve ever seen.”
When the news came that his father had died, Eddie felt the emptiest kind of anger, the kind that circles in its cage.
In the weeks that followed, Eddie’s mother lived in a confused state. She spoke to her husband as if he were still there. She yelled at him to turn down the radio. She cooked enough food for two. One night, when Eddie offered to help with the dishes, she said, “Your father will put them away.” Eddie put a hand on her shoulder. “Ma,” he said, softly, “Dad’s gone.”“Gone where?”In Paragraph four, the writer wants to say that __________.
| A．Children wouldn’t have achieved so much without their parents’ support |
| B．Children often feel regretful because they leave their parents |
| C．Children like moving away from their parents |
| D．Children can never understand how much their parents have devoted to them |
The underlined sentence “Don’t sweat it” (Para. 6) probably means __________.
| A．Don’t touch it | B．Don’t worry about it |
| C．Don’t let him down | D．Don’t give it up |
Which of the following shows the right order of the story?
a. Eddie’s father died.
b. Eddie married Marguerite.
c. Eddie worked as a taxi driver.
d. Eddie was bored with his father’s job.
| A．dbca | B．dcab | C．bcda | D．bacd |
From the last paragraph, we learn that __________.
| A．Eddie’s mother liked to listen to the radio |
| B．Eddie and his wife lived in his mother’s apartment |
| C．Eddie’s mother missed her husband so much that she was at a loss |
| D．Eddie often helped his mother wash the dishes |