Fear and its companion pain are two of the most useful things that man and animals possess if they are used. If fire didn’t hurt when it burned, children would play with it until their hands were burned away. Similarly, if pain existed but fear didn’t, a child could burn itself again and again because fear would not warn it to keep away from the fire that had burnt it before. A really fearless soldier—and some do exist—is not a good soldier because he is soon killed; and a dead soldier is of no use to his army. Fear and pain are therefore two guards without which man and animals might soon die out.

　　In our first sentence we suggested that fear ought to be properly used. If, for example, you never go out of your house because of the danger of being knocked down and killed in the street by a car, you are letting fear rule you too much. The important thing is not to let fear rule you, but instead, to use fear as your servant and guide. Fear will warn you of dangers; then you have to decide what action to take.

　　In many cases, you can take quick and successful action to avoid the danger. For example, you see a car coming straight towards you; fear warns you, you jump out of the way, and all is well.

　　In some cases, however, you decide that there is nothing that you can do to avoid the danger. For example, you cannot prevent an airplane crashing into your house, and you may not want to go and live in a desert where there are no airplanes. In this case, fear has given you its warning, you have examined it and decided on your course of action, so fear of the particular danger is no longer of any use to you, and you have to try to overcome it.

　　60. Children would play with fire until their hands are burnt away if _________.

　　A. they were not well educated at school B. they had never played with fire before

　　C. they had no sense of pain D. they were fearful of pain

　　61. People sometimes succeed in timely avoiding danger because _________.

　　A. they have gained experience B. they are warned of the danger and take quick action

　　C. they jump out of the way in time D. they are calm in face of danger

　　62. What is implied but not stated in the passage?

　　A. Too much fear is harmful B. Fear is always something helpful

　　C . Fear is something that can be avoided

　　D. Fear ought to be used as our guide in our life

　　63. The best title for this passage should be __________.

　　A. No Pains, No Gains B. Pain and Actions

　　C. The Value of Fear D . The Reason Why People Fear

　　參考答案：

　　60—63 CBAC

　　高考英語閱讀理解練習(xí)2：

　　With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives.Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dumps ( 處于沮喪中), as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.

　　How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your comer store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with.My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine.This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy (禮貌) to speak to others that are around you.

　　I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say.Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face.They don't get the joke that makes others laugh.I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space.How can people not get a really funny joke?

　　Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control.Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy.There is too much sadness in this present world.It drives people crazy.We all need to find a way to bypass the sadness and bring a little light into our lives.So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.

　　51.According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that ____________.

　　A.it makes people more confident

　　B.it can pick up people' s spirits

　　C.it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world

　　D.it can help people get on well with others

　　52.The author answers the question in the second paragraph with ___________.

　　A.facts and descriptions B.evidence and argument

　　C.examples and conclusion D.stories and persuasion

　　53.The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by __________.

　　A.explaining carefully B.speaking loud

　　C.keeping silent D.laughing hard

　　54.In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to __________.

　　A.talk about his own understanding of humor

　　B.encourage people to be humorous in daily life

　　C.introduce a practical way to get through daily life

　　D.convince people of the power of being optimistic about life

　　55.What is the author' s attitude towards the present world?

　　A.Positive. B.Critical.

　　C.Satisfied. D.Indifferent.

　　參考答案：

　　51—55BCDBB