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 honorB．a family wealthC．a family storyD．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．knockedB．terrifiedC．injuredD．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.D
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(答案→)D
解析：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