At a young age, Darrius Simmons fell in love with the piano. As he watched others play, he was 1 by the joy the piano gave them. He wanted to experience that, too, but knew for him it would be a/an 2 .
“I decided at age 10 that I wanted to learn how to play the piano, 3 it was going to take a little bit 4 work for me to learn,” Simmons says. “I knew most people had 10 fingers while I had four, yet I was pretty 5 I could make it work.”
The Warren, Ohio teenager was born with a genetic 6 called ectrodactyly (先天性缺指畸形). He has three fingers on his right hand and 7 finger on his left. But it didn’t 8 Simmons from following his 9 . With no formal training, Simmons taught himself by ear how to play the piano. He practiced and practiced, finding a way to 10 the keys with four fingers while mastering the pedals with his prostheses(假肢).
Simmons knew he would have to 11 his own style of playing. “I couldn’t base it 12 the technique of somebody who has 10 fingers. It just wouldn’t 13 .” He says. “That’s 14 it was hard for me to take piano lessons. It’s very 15 for somebody who has learned how to play with 10 fingers to adjust and teach me with only four.”
The now 18-year-old not only learned how to play and read music but also began composing.
His mother, Tamara Simmons, isn’t surprised by Darrius’ 16 . She knows how focused and 17 he can be.
From mastering music to beating 18 challenges, Darrius Simmons sets out to 19 the world. “I like to be somebody’s 20 ,” he says. “If I play in front of a whole crowd and I see one person smile, that’s a job well done.”
1．A．frightened B．amazed C．interested D．disturbed
2．A．challenge B．opportunity C．fortune D．trouble
3．A．while B．but C．and D．therefore
4．A．more B．much C．fewer D．less
5．A．surprised B．worried C．sure D．glad
6．A．condition B．environment C．situation D．tendency
7．A．one B．two C．three D．five
8．A．encourage B．prevent C．remove D．change
9．A．actions B．roads C．instructions D．passions
10．A．reach B．repair C．remove D．clean
11．A．adopt B．abandon C．develop D．change
12．A．by B．in C．through D．on
13．A．support B．run C．operate D．work
14．A．why B．because C．when D．whether
15．A．easy B．tough C．funny D．stupid
16．A．ideas B．creations C．difficulties D．achievements
17．A．kind B．determined C．talented D．generous
18．A．spiritual B．mental C．physical D．emotional
19．A．please B．persuade C．inspire D．cheer
20．A．partner B．symbol C．aim D．motivation
1．B
2．A
3．B
4．A
5．C
6．A
7．A
8．B
9．D
10．A
11．C
12．D
13．D
14．A
15．B
16．D
17．B
18．C
19．C
20．D
【分析】
本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了西蒙斯患有先天性缺指畸形，只有四根手指，他却顽强地敌克服了身体障碍，学会了弹钢琴，他的事迹鼓舞了全世界的人。
1．考查动词词义辨析。句意：当他看别人演奏时，他对钢琴给他们带来的快乐感到惊讶。A. frightened使害怕；B. amazed使惊奇；C. interested使感兴趣；D. disturbed打扰。空前一句说在很小的时候，西蒙斯就爱上了钢琴，因此当他看别人演奏时，他对钢琴给他们带来的快乐感到惊讶，故B项正确。
2．考查名词词义辨析。句意：他也想体验一下那种感觉，但他知道这对他来说是个挑战。A. challenge挑战；B. opportunity机会；C. fortune运气；D. trouble麻烦。根据下文中的“I knew most people had 10 fingers while I had four”可知，西蒙斯只有四根手指，因此学习钢琴对他来说是一个巨大的挑战，故A项正确。
3．考查连词词义辨析。句意：十岁的时候我就决定要学习弹钢琴，但是我需要下更大的功夫去学习。A. while而；B. but但是；C. and并且；D. therefore因此。“十岁时就决定学习钢琴”和“下更大的功夫去学习”之间是转折关系，故B项正确。
4．考查形容词词义辨析。句意同上。A. more更多的；B. much多的；C. fewer更少的；D. less更少的。根据空后的“work for me to learn”可知，此处指“下更大的功夫学习钢琴”，空前的a little bit修饰形容词比较级，故A项正确。
5．考查形容词词义辨析。句意：我知道大多数人有十根手指，而我只有四根，但我很确信我能做到（学会弹钢琴）。A. surprised惊讶的；B. worried担心的；C. sure确信的；D. glad高兴的。空前一句说西蒙斯只有四根手指，转折连词“but”表明他确信自己能够学会弹钢琴，故C项正确。
6．考查名词词义辨析。句意：这位来自俄亥俄州沃伦市的少年生来就患有缺指畸形。A. condition情况、条件；B. environment环境；C. situation形势；D. tendency倾向。根据空后的“ectrodactyly”可知，可知，先天性缺指畸形是一种遗传疾病，genetic condition表示“遗传条件、基因状况”，故A项正确。
7．考查数词词义辨析。句意：他右手有三根手指，左手有一根手指。A. one一个；B. two两个；C. three三个；D. five五个。根据上文中的“I knew most people had 10 fingers while I had four”可知，西蒙斯只有四根手指，因此他右手有三根，左手有一根，故A项正确。
8．考查动词词义辨析。句意：但这并没有阻止西蒙斯追随自己的激情。A. encourage鼓励；B. prevent阻止；C. remove移除；D. change改变。根据空前表示转折的“But”及空后的“Simmons from following his ____9____.”可知，尽管只有四根手指，但这并没有阻止西蒙斯追随自己的激情，故B项正确。
9．考查名词词义辨析。句意同上。A. actions行动；B. roads道路；C. instructions指令；D. passions激情。根据空后的“With no formal training, Simmons taught himself by ear how to play the piano.”可知，没有受过正式的训练，西蒙斯就靠听觉自学弹钢琴，这说明他的这种身体条件并没有阻止他追随自己的激情——学习钢琴，故D项正确。
10．考查动词词义辨析。句意：他一遍遍地练习，找到了一种用四根手指触键的方法，同时用假肢控制踏板。A. reach达到、伸出手；B. repair修理；C. remove移除；D. clean打扫。根据空后的“the keys with four fingers”可知，西蒙斯设法用四根手指触键，故A项正确。
11．考查动词词义辨析。句意：西蒙斯知道他必须形成自己的演奏风格。A. adopt采取；B. abandon遗弃；C. develop发展、形成；D. change改变。根据空后的“his own style of playing.”可知，西蒙斯知道他必须形成（发展）自己的演奏风格，故C项正确。
12．考查固定搭配。句意：我不能把它建立在一个有十根手指的人的技术上（用正常人的演奏方式弹钢琴）。base sth on 表示“把某事（物）建立在……基础之上”，故D项正确。
13．考查动词词义辨析。句意：这根本行不通。A. support支持；B. run经营、运转；C. operate操作；D. work起作用。空前一句西蒙斯说不能把自己的演奏风格建立在一个有十根手指的人的技术上（用正常人的演奏方式弹钢琴），此处解释原因——因为这根本行不通，故D项正确。
14．考查连词词义辨析。句意：这就是我很难上钢琴课的原因。A. why为什么、……的原因；B. because因为；C. when当……的时候；D. whether是否。根据空后的“it was hard for me to take piano lessons”可知，这就是我很难上钢琴课的原因，故A项正确。
15．考查形容词词义辨析。句意：对于一个已经学会用十根手指弹钢琴的人来说，仅仅用四根手指来调整和教我是非常困难的。A. easy容易的；B. tough困难的；C. funny有趣的；D. stupid愚蠢的。根据空后的“somebody who has learned how to play with 10 fingers to adjust and teach me with only four”可知，西蒙斯说对于一个已经学会用十根手指弹钢琴的人来说，仅仅用四根手指来调整和教他是非常困难的，故B项正确。
16．考查名词词义辨析。句意：西蒙斯的母亲塔玛拉对他的成就并不感到惊讶。A. ideas主意；B. creations创造；C. difficulties困难；D. achievements成就。根据空前的“The now 18-year-old not only learned how to play and read music but also began composing.”可知，现在18岁的西蒙斯不仅学会了如何演奏和识谱，还开始作曲，这是他所取得的成就，故D项正确。
17．考查形容词词义辨析。句意：她知道他是多么的专注和决心是多么的大。A. kind善良的；B. determined有决心的；C. talented有才能的；D. generous大方的。根据空前的“focused”及上文西蒙斯学习钢琴的经历可知此处指“有决心的”，故B项正确。
18．考查形容词词义辨析。句意：从掌握音乐到战胜身体上的挑战，西蒙斯开始鼓舞全世界。A. spiritual心灵的；B. mental精神上的；C. physical身体上的；D. emotional情绪的。根据上文内容可知，西蒙斯患有先天性缺指畸形，对学习钢琴来说，这是身体上的挑战，故C项正确。
19．考查动词词义辨析。句意同上。A. please使高兴；B. persuade说服；C. inspire鼓舞；D. cheer欢呼。根据上文内容可知，西蒙斯患有先天性缺指畸形，却顽强地克服了身体障碍，学会了弹钢琴，他的事迹鼓舞了全世界的人，故C项正确。
20．考查名词词义辨析。句意：“我喜欢成为别人的动力，”他说，“如果我在一群人面前表演，我看到一个人在微笑，那就说明我做得很好”。A. partner伙伴；B. symbol象征；C. aim目标；D. motivation激励、动力。空后一句西蒙斯说，“如果我在一群人面前表演，我看到一个人在微笑，那就说明我做得很好”，这说明他想成为鼓舞别人的动力，故D项正确。
【点睛】
本篇第14空B项because的干扰性较大，注意because与why引导表语从句的区别，that’s because表示“那是因为”，后面接原因；而that’s why表示“那是为什么（……的原因）”，后面接结果，空后的“it was hard for me to take piano lessons”属于结果，此处是说：这就是我很难上钢琴课的原因，故A项（why）正确。
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力；适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51．. |
| 52． with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53． old men’s premature death. • When 54． from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
| Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55． activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56． to them. • Think about how to57． depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58．, to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
| Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59．to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60． social life. |