“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 thought for a while. “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 brought 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 from time to time she looked angrily 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 wanted to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I said something about 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.

(　 )54. 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

(　 )55. 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 wanted to scare her parents.

(　 )56. Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because ________.

　 A. they realized their misunderstanding　　 B. they were crazy

　 C. they were over excited　　　　　　　 D. they both thought they had won the quarrel

He showed me the sign and asked me ________.

[　　]

A．what did mean

B．what it means

C．what does it mean

D．what it meant

Even a child knows that nodding（点头）the head means“Yes”. But some people will probably be puzzled（迷惑的）when they first come to India. When they talk to an Indian, he often shakes（摇）his head. They might think that the Indian does not like what he said, but on the contrary, he is telling yes.

The Indians have a habit of shaking their heads slightly when they talk to somebody. It doesn't mean“ No”, but“Yes”.

If a person doesn't know this, it might cause misunderstanding（误解）.

At one time a foreigner in India told his driver who was an Indian to take him to his office. The driver shook his head. The foreigner said his request again and the driver still shook his head. At last, the foreigner shouted angrily, “Drive me to my office at once!” The driver said in a low voice,“Yes, sir,”smiling and shaking his head again at the same time.

（    ）56、In general（一般来说）, nodding the head means      and shaking

the head means_____

A、“Yes”，“ No”    B、“No”，“Yes” C、“Yes”、“Yes”     

（    ）57、According to the habit of India, if someone agrees with you, he will    .

A、nod his head      B、shake his head 

C、neither nod his head nor shake his head 

（    ）58、Why did the Indian driver shake his head when the foreigner asked him

to drive him to his office?   Because_________

A、the Indian driver had something important to do 

B、in India shaking the head means agreement

C.  in driver didn’t understand what he said

（    ）59、The foreigner became angry because_______.

A、the Indian driver didn't want to send him to his office

B、he misunderstood the meaning of shaking the head in India

C、he asked the driver to send him to his office, but the driver didn't say

any words 

（    ）60.What does the under lined phrase“on the contrary”mean?

A、所以     B、正相反    C、与之相同