Lucky is the man who has no “skeleton in his closet”. When a man has done something in his life that he is ashamed of, that he wants to hide, he is said to have a “skeleton in his closet”. Some people may have more than one skeleton.
As we have noted many times, it is hard to find out how these expressions begin. Sometimes, we get some hard facts. But more often we have to depend on guesswork. And that is true of this phrase, which came from England.
Before 1932, English law did not permit a doctor to cut open a dead human body for scientific examination, unless it was the corpse(尸体) of an executed(处决) criminal.
But when it became legal, more and more doctors demanded skeletons for a more scientific study of medicine. It was helping in the advance of modern medicine. The demand had become so strong that men began to rob tombs and sell skeletons to doctors at high prices.
We are told that a doctor would usually buy just one skeleton for scientific study. It became very important in his work. But he had to keep it hidden because most people objected to keeping such a thing. As a rule, the doctor would keep his skeleton in some dark corner where it could not be seen, or hide it in a closet.
After a time, people began to suspect(怀疑) every doctor of hiding a skeleton in the closet. From this suspicion, the phrase “a skeleton in the closet” took on a broader, more general meaning to describe anything that a man wanted to keep others from discovering. It could be proof of a criminal act, or something much less serious. Well, that is one theory.
One writer, however, believes that the phrase might have come from something that really happened. It is his guess that a hidden closet in some old English country home may have turned up a real skeleton, clear proof of some old family shame or crime. Well, one man’s guess is as good as another. But this sounds like a story by the great French novelist, Balzac.
Baizac tells us of a man who suspected his wife of having a lover. The husband comes home by surprise. But she hears him and quickly hides her lover in the closet of her bedroom. He enters her room and asks her if she is hiding her lover. He says he will not open the door to the closet if she promises him there is no one there; He will believe her. She answers firmly that she is not hiding anyone in the closet.
The husband then begins to build a solid brick wall against the closet. His wife watches, knowing that her lover will never come out alive. But she will not change her story and admit her guilt. Which of the following situations is suitable for using the phrase “skeleton in the closet” ?
| A．You have stolen something precious and don’t want it discovered. |
| B．You are a doctor and have to keep a skeleton for research. |
| C．If you have cut open a dead human body for scientific examination you should keep the skeleton secret. |
| D．You have done a crime or done something foolish, but you want to keep other from discovering it. |
From the text we know that there are _______ theories about how the phrase “skeleton in the closet” came into being.
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
In Chinese the world “skeleton” means _______.
| A．尸体 | B．标本 | C．收藏 | D．骷髅 |
Which of the following is right according to the text?
| A．In the 20th century, doctors realized the importance of anatomy(解剖) in the development of medicine. |
| B．The doctors of the ancient times liked to collect as many skeleton as possible. |
| C．The thieves stole skeletons from tombs in order to help the doctors. |
| D．It was legal that corpses of anybody were cut open for scientific examination in history. |
From the story Balzac told we know that the wife’s lover must have become _______.
| A．a corpse | B．a phrase | C．a skeleton | D．a secret |
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential (必要的)for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital (有必要的) to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can stand depends very much on the person himself. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously important for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "flight or fight" and in more early days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises (危机) we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but how little the stress is, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart diseases have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we
need to find ways to deal with it.
1. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____________
A. they do not know how to enjoy themselves
B. they do not believe that relaxation is important for health
C. they are traveling fast all the time
D. they are becoming busier with their work
2. According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his__________.
A. not fearing stress
B. knowing the art of relaxation
C. high sense of responsibility
D. having control over performance
3. Which of the following statements is true?
A. We can find some ways to avoid stress.
B. Stress is always harmful to people.
C. It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.
D. Different people can withstand different amount of stress.
4. In the last sentence of the passage “do so” refers to__________.
A. "expose ourselves to stress"
B. "find ways to deal with stress"
C. "remove stress from our lives"
D. "establish links between diseases and stress”
The journey two divers made some time ago to the deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be studied. The two men went down seven miles to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball to find out if there are any ocean currents(水流) or signs of life.
It was necessary to set out early, so that the ball would come to the surface in daylight, and be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it. The divers began preparations early in the morning and soon afterwards, when all was ready, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water.
The divers felt as if they were going down steps as they passed through warm and cold layers (层) of water. In time the temperature dropped to the freezing point. They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone telling how they felt. Then, at a depth of 3,000 feet, the telephone stopped working and they were quite cut off from the outside world. All went well until some four hours later at 30,000 feet, the men were frightened by a loud, cracking noise. Even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death. Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that had broken. Soon afterwards, the ball touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of "dust" made up of small dead sea creatures. Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite untroubled by the great water pressure. But they did not dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from them made the water boil. Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the faint but clear voices of the divers were heard on the mother ship seven miles away. After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up, arriving three hours later, cold and wet through, but none was worse for their experience.
1. The purpose of the divers' journey to the deepest point on the earth was to find____________
A. if there are water currents, and life in the great depths
B. if people can stand the severe cold in the great depths
C. if there are steps in the great depths
D. if the telephone works well in the great depths
2. The divers set out early in the morning so that____________.
A. they could return to the surface during the day
B. they could see at the bottom of the ocean
C. they could avoid the cold at night D. they could stay long at the bottom
3. As the divers went down to the ocean floor, the telephone____________.
A. kept working all the time
B. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again after they reached the bottom
C. stopped working at a depth of 3,000
feet and began working again at 30,000 feet
D. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again when they returned to the same depth
4. On the ocean floor, the divers found that________________.
A. there was no life but some small dead sea creatures
B. fish were swimming as freely as they do near the surface
C. fish were not swimming freely in the dark water
D. fish were not swimming freely under the high water pressure
LONDON (Reuters) ---Organic fruit, carried right to the doorstep. That is what Gabriel Gold prefers , and he is willing to pay for it. If this is not possible, the 26-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.
“Organic produce is always better,” Mr. Gold said. “The food is free of pesticides(杀虫剂), and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than not it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty.” Mr. Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are depending on more like him as they grow their organic food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Mr. Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences---but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic produce. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported to meet the growing need. “The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market.” Said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business.
1. More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because____________.
A. they are getting richer B. they can get the food anywhere
C. they consider the food free of pollution D. they like home-grown fruit
2. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Those who buy organic food have a complete knowledge of organic food.
B. Some of the organic food is produced outside Britain.
C. Organic produce is not seasonal and tastes more tasty.
D. Organic products are those which are free of pesticides.
3. The underlined words “organic trend” means____________.
A. higher prices of organic food B. better quality of organic food
C. rising market for organic food D. growing interest in organic food
4. The news story is mainly about____________.
A. that more and more people prefer organic food in Britain
B. the production of organic food in Britain
C. the complete knowledge of organic food in Britain
D. good qualities of organic food in Britain
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
The food we eat seems to have a great effect on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of human illness is related to food and forty percent of cancer is related to food as well. That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, some researchers realized that things commonly used to keep colour in meats and other food additives（添加剂）caused cancer.
Yet, these additives remain in our food, and it is difficult to know which things on the wrappings（包装）of foods are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to their animals, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of cows. Sometimes similar things are supplied to animals not for their health, but just to make a profit.
The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to get a higher price on the market. Although some countries have tried to control such things, the practice continues.
1. According to this passage, we can know____________.
A. perhaps most of human illness is caused by what we eat
B. perhaps most kinds of cancer are related to what people eat
C. cancer was discovered in 1945 D. science has made food unfit to eat
2. Things that are used to keep colours in meats are____________.
A. harmful B. useless C. helpless D. dangerous
3. All the additives____________.
A. are bright and colourless
B. are not bright and colourful
C. have indirect effects on our health
D. have direct effects on our health
4. Which of the following is not true?
A. Some wrappings of food are harmful.
B. Farmers try to make more money on the market by fattening their animals.
C. “The practice continues” means “things are still going on like that”.
D. We needn’t take care of what we eat.
When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure — and so soon — that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behaviour. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet”when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait I'm not dead yet”quickly goes away. When other ants detect the“dead”chemical without the“not dead yet”chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory , Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the“Wait—I'm not dead yet”chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the“not dead yet”chemical overrides the“dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining“dead”chemical and remove the body from the nest.[
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. Leading the following paragraphs. B. Showing the main idea of the passage.
C. Introducing the background of the passage. D. Giving a summary of the passage.
2. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?
A.is weaker than B. is stronger than C. is better than D. is worse than
3. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.
B. When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.
C. A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.
D. Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.
4. Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?
A. Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.
B. Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.
C. Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior，and then did some tests to prove his theory.
D. Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own
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