(2013·高考重庆卷，A)When Joe was about to start school，all signs pointed to success.Yet things turned out to be quite___.The fourth grade even found him at the___of the class.Joe struggled day and night，but it did not____－until one stormy afternoon.
On that afternoon，____the math teacher started to introduce difficult concepts，dark clouds covered the sky，and the storm set in.Hard though she tried to make the kids____，the thunder won the battle for their attention.No one____the concepts.Except for Joe.He understood them and answered all the questions correctly.The teacher patted him on the back，and told him to go around to the others and explain how he had managed it.____by his newfound success，Joe moved quickly throughout the room.Soon math time was followed by the time for____.All children naturally drew____pictures on such a day.Except for Joe.
Since then，Joe started____.Though he never made it to the top，his math teacher was always____and curious about the change：Why had that stormy day changed Joe?
On the day Joe graduated，he presented the teacher with his most____possession－the picture of a bright yellow sun.On the picture Joe had written：This is the day I____my brightness.
1.A.unfair B．boring
C．disappointing D．dangerous
2.A.center B．top
C．beginning D．bottom
3.A.happen B．work
C．finish D．last
4.A.until B．since
C．because D．as
5.A.concentrate B．change
C．hide D．sit
6.A.challenged B．grasped
C．doubted D．admitted
7.A.Relieved B．Surprised
C．Encouraged D．Puzzled
8.A.class B．sports
C．art D．tea
9.A.great B．dark
C．different D．strange
10.A.improving B．painting
C．recovering D．studying
11.A.worried B．amazed
C．friendly D．cautious
12.A.familiar B．expensive
C．admirable D．precious
13.A.woke up to B．put up with
C．got on with D．looked down upon
(2013·高考北京卷)Leaping on a narrow balance beam(平衡木) is not easy.But Lola Walter，a 13yearold gymnast，is an expert at it.
To perfect her skills，Lola____for four hours a day，five days a week.At the state championships in March，she finished seventh out of 16 girls.
That’s especially impressive，____she is legally blind，born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift(移动)constantly.She often sees double and can’t____how far away things are.
When she was little，her mom____that even though she couldn’t see____，she was fearless.So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three.She loved the____right away and gymnastics became her favorite.
Though learning gymnastics has been more____for her than for some of her teammates，she has never quit.She doesn’t let her____stop her from doing anything that she wants to.
She likes the determination it takes to do the sport.Her biggest____is the balance beam.Because she has double vision，she often sees to beams.She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine.Sometimes she even closes her eyes.“You have to____your mind that it’ll take you where you want to go，”says Lola.
To be a toplevel gymnast，one must be brave.The beam is probably the most____for anyone because it’s four inches wide.At the state competition，Lola didn’t fall____the beam.In fact，she got an 8.1 out of 10—her highest score yet.
Lola doesn’t want to be____differently from the other girls on her team.At competitions，the judges don’t know about her vision____.She doesn’t tell them，because she doesn’t think they need to know.Her mom is amazed by her____attitude.
Lola never thinks about____.She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics.Her____is to reach level 9.She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she’s learned to other kids____she grows up.
Lola is____of all her hard work and success.She says it’s helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics too.Her____for others is “just believe in yourself.”
1.A.runsB．teaches
C．trains D.dances
2.A.since B.unless
C．after D.though
3.A.tell B.guess
C.assume D.predict
4.A.suspected B remembered
C．imaginedD．noticed
5.A.deeply B.well
C.aheadD．closely
6.A.task B.sport
C.eventD．show
7.A.boringB．enjoyable
C．difficult D.satisfactory
8.A.talentB． quality
C.nature D.condition
9.A.doubt B.advantage
C．challenge D．progress
10.．A.examine B．express
C．openD．trust
11.A.fearful B．harmful
C．unfair D．inconvenient
12.A.toB．on
C．off D.against
13.．A.greetedB．treated
C．served D.paid
14.A.pains B.stresses
C．injuriesD．problems
15.A.positive B.friendly
C.flexibleD．cautious
16.A.defendingB．quitting
C.winningD．bargaining
17.A.standardB．range
C．viewD．goal
18.A.untilB．as
C.when D.before
19.A.proudB．tired
C．ashamed D.confident
20.A.planB．advice
C.reward D.responsibility
(2013·高考新课标全国卷Ⅱ)Michael Greenberg is a very popular New Yorker.He is not famous in sports or the arts.But people in the streets___him，especially those who are____.
For those people，he is “Gloves” Greenberg.How did he get that____？He looks like any other businessman，wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase (公文箱)．But he’s____.His briefcase always has some gloves.
In winter，Mr.Greenberg does not____like other New Yorkers，who look at the sidewalk and ____the street.He looks around at____.He stops when he____someone with no gloves.He gives them a pair and then he____，looking for more people with cold____.
On winter days，Mr.Greenberg____gloves.During the rest of the year，he____gloves.People who have heard about him____him gloves，and he has many in his apartment.
Mr.Greenberg ___ doing this 21 years ago.Now，many poor New Yorkers know him and___his behavior.But people who don’t know him are sometimes____ him.They don’t realize that he just wants to make them____.
It runs in the____.Michael’s father always helped the poor as he believed it made everyone happier.Michael Greenberg feels the____.A pair of gloves may be a____thing，but it can make a big difference in winter.
1.A.know about B．learn from
C．cheer for D．look after
2.A.old B．busy
C．kind D．poor
3.A.job B．name
C．chance D．message
4.A.calm B．different
C．crazy D．curious
5.A.act B．sound
C．feel D．dress
6.A.cross over B．drive along
C．hurry down D．keep off
7.A.cars B．people
C．street numbers D．traffic lights
8.A.helps B．chooses
C．greets D．sees
9.A.holds up B．hangs out
C．moves on D．turns around
10.A.hands B．ears
C．faces D．eyes
11.A.searches for B．stores up
C．gives away D．puts on
12.A.borrows B．sells
C．returns D．buys
13.A.call B．send
C．lend D．show
14.A.delayed B．remembered
C．began D．enjoyed
15.A.understand B．dislike
C．study D．excuse
16.A.sorry for B．satisfied with
C．proud of D．surprised by
17.A.smart B．rich
C．special D．happy
18.A.city B．family
C．neighborhood D．company
19.A.honor B．pain
C．same D．cold
20.A.small B．useful
C．delightful D．comforting
(2013·高考陕西卷，D)About 30 years ago，I left Cuba for the United States with my son.After getting settled finally in Brunswick，New Jersey，I enrolled(注册) my son in kindergarten.Several weeks later，my son’s teacher asked me to meet him at his office.
In the teacher’s office，and exchange of greetings was followed by his questions：“Is your son mentally retarded(弱智的)？Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability？”
Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? NO，no，it can’t be.What a helpless，lonely moment！I told him that Scola was a quiet，sweet little boy，instead.I asked him why he was asking me all these questions.
My son could not follow the teacher’s directions，he told me，and thus，Scola was disrupting the class，Didn’t he know my son did not speak English yet?
He was angry；“Why hasn’t your son been taught to speak English? Don’t you speak English at home？”
No，I didn’t speak English at home，I replied.I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months，and I didn’t want him to forget his native language.Well，wrong answer！What kind of person would not speak in English to her son at home and at all times? “Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and send them back to their country，never wanting to be a part of this society？”
Needless to say，I tried to tell him I was not one of “those people”．Then he told me the meeting was over，and I left.
As I had expected，my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over.He went on to graduate from college and got a job，earning close to six figures.He travels widely and leads a welladjusted，contented life.And he has benefited from being bilingual(双语的)。
Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others；it teaches people about other cultures and other places—something very basic and obviously lacking in the“educator”I met in New Jersey.
1.The teacher asked the author to his office________.
A．to discuss Scola’s inclass performance
B．to get Scola enrolled in kindergarten
C．to find a language partner for Scola
D．to work out a study plan for Scola
2.What does the underlined word“disrupting” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A．Breaking B．Following
C．Attending D．Disturbing
3.The author’s attitude towards being bilingual may best be described as________.
A．critical B．casual
C．positive D passive
4.This text is likely to be selected from a book of________.
A．medicine B．education
C．geography D history
(2013·高考江西卷，A)The light from the campfire brightened the darkness，but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones.It was a strange place.Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare.They liked camping，but not near this swamp.
“So，”Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals.“How did this place get its name? ”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story，”warned Jack.
“Of course！”cried out Tom.“If there were anything to be scared of，you wouldn’t have chosen this place！”
“Ok，but don’t say I didn’t warn you，” said Jack，and he began his tale.
“Way back in time，a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here.He built that cottage over there to live in.In those days，the area looked quite different—it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystalclear river.After three hard years，Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops.He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land，’warned one old man.‘The land is a living thing.It will hit back at you if you abuse it.’”
“‘Silly fool，’said Dennis to himself.‘If I clear more land，I can grow more crops.I’ll become wealthier.He’s just jealous！’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees.Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed.He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door.He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land.He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened？”Martin asked.It was growing colder.He trembled，twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back—just as the old man warned，”Jack shrugged.“Dennis disappeared.Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater.His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story，”laughed Tom.“Plants can’t...”Before he had finished speaking，he screamed and fainted(晕倒)．The other two boys jumped up with fright，staring at Tom.Suddenly，they burst out laughing.Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face.It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.
1.The underlined word “dare”in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to________.
A．courage B．assistance
C．instruction D．challenge
2.Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?
A．To frighten them.
B．To satisfy their curiosity.
C．To warn them of the danger of the place.
D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp.
3.Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?
A．The old man envied him.
B．The old man was foolish
C．He was too busy to listen to others.
D．He was greedy for more crops.
4.Why did Tom scream and faint?
A．He saw Dennis’s shadow.
B．He was scared by a plant.
C.His friends played a joke on him.
D．The weather became extremely cold.
5.What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?
A．Grasp all，lose all.
B．No sweat，no sweet.
C．It is no use crying over spilt milk.
D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.
(2013·高考四川卷，E)Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head，according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.
Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收缩) and pumping blood around their bodies，compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed.Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event，depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.
Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said：“Our study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”
The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces.Dr Garfinkel said，“The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed.Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don’t see－and guide whether we see fear.”
To further understand this relationship，the scientists also used a brain scanner(扫描仪) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person’s feeling of fear.
“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear，”Dr Garfinkel said.
“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced，we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders，and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”
1.What is the finding of the study?
A．One’s heart affects how he feels fear.
B．Fear is a result of one’s relaxed heartbeat.
C．Fear has something to do with one’s health.
D．One’s fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear.
2.The study was carried out by analyzing________.
A．volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures
B．the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions
C．volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans
D．different pictures shown to volunteers and their heartbrain communication
3.Which of the following is closest in meaning to“mechanism” in Paragraph 6?
A．Order. B．System.
C．Machine. D．Treatment.
4.This study may contribute to________.
A．treating anxiety and stress better
B．explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety
C．finding the key to the heartbrain communication
D．understanding different fears in our hearts and heads
