I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success．I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing．

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart．I found myself homeless and alone．I had my truck and $56．I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount．I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley．I hadn't been alone for 25 years．I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me．

I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month．The locals knew nothing about me．But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor．They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat．They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing．They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness．Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I was up for courting．I wasn't, but they were civil anyway．The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met．They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe．I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company．

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place．Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors．

After four years in that valley, I moved back into town．I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes．With the help of a real estate broker （房地产经纪人） I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people．It's four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here．We'd all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together．

The American dream I believe in now is a shared one．It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about how we can all get by together．

Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ____．

       A．had a well-paid job

       B．worked hard for his American dream

       C．worked hard and liked to share

       D．felt hopeless about his American dream

What does the underlined sentence "I learned to．．．" in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

       A．The writer learned to run a company．

       B．The writer learned to share with others．

       C．The writer learned to keep enough plates．

       D．The writer learned to save money for his company．

Why did the writer rent a big house?

       A．To make some money．                B．To show off his wealth．

       C．To share with those people in need．     D．To make friends with his neighbors．

The writer mainly tells us about ____．

       A．his unhappy experiences                B．the friendly people in the valley

       C．the change of his living conditions     D．his new idea of the American dream

I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭), credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us   36  chasing the same thing.

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell   37 . I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $ 56. I   38  the countryside for some place I could rent for the   39  possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road   40  the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was   41 , full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and   42  a corner to camp in.

The locals knew nothing about me,   43  slowly, they started teaching me the   44  of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began   45  around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a   46  American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of   47 .

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were   48  for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place.   49  on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my   50  with my neighbors.

Four years later, I moved back into   51 . I saw many people were having a really hard time,   52  their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to   53  a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house, but over time I’ve had nine people come in and move on to other places. We’d all be in   54  if we hadn’t banded together.

The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about   55  we can all get by together.

1.                A．separately      B．equally         C．violently  D．naturally

2.                A．off            B．apart           C．over D．out

3.                A．crossed        B．left            C．toured   D．searched

4.                A．fullest          B．largest          C．fairest    D．cheapest

5.                A．at             B．through         C．over D．round

6.                A．occupied       B．abandoned      C．emptied  D．robbed

7.                A．turned         B．approached     C．cleared   D．cut

8.                A．but            B．although        C．otherwise D．for

9.                A．benefit         B．lesson          C．nature   D．art

10.               A．sticking         B．looking         C．swinging   D．turning

11.               A．wild           B．real           C．different  D．remote

12.               A．neighborliness   B．happiness       C．friendliness D．kindness

13.               A．unique         B．expensive       C．rare  D．necessary

14.               A．Up            B．Down          C．Deep D．Along

15.               A．cooperation     B．relationships     C．satisfaction D．appointments

16.               A．reality         B．society         C．town D．life

17.               A．creating        B．losing          C．quitting   D．offering

18.               A．put in          B．turn in         C．take in    D．get in

19.               A．yards          B．shelters        C．camps D．cottages

20.               A．when          B．what           C．whether   D．how

(2013·高考江苏卷)I used to believe in the American Dream，which meant a job，a mortgage (按揭)，credit cards，success.I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else，all of us ____ chasing the same thing.

One year，through a series of unhappy events，it all fell ____.I found myself homeless and alone.I had my truck and $56.I ____ the countryside for some place I could rent for the ____ possible amount.I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road ____ the Potomac River in West Virginia.It was ____，full of broken glass and rubbish.I found the owner，rented it，and ____ a corner to camp in.

The locals knew nothing about me，____ slowly，they started teaching me the ____ of being a neighbor.They dropped off blankets，candles，and tools，and began ____ around to chat.They started to teach me a belief in a ___ American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of ___.

What I had believed in，all those things I thought were ____ for a civilized life，were nonexistent in this place.____ on the mountain，my most valuable possessions were my ____ with my neighbors.

Four years later，I moved back into ____.I saw many people were having a really hard time，___ their jobs and homes.I managed to rent a big enough house to ____ a handful of people.There are four of us now in the house，but over time I’ve had nine people come in and move on to other places.We’d all be in ____ if we hadn’t banded together.

The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one.It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about ____ we can all get by together.

1.A.separately??? B．equally

C．violently?? D．naturally

2.A.off??? B．apart

C．over??? D．out

3.A.crossed? B．left

C．toured? D．searched

4.A.fullest?? B．largest

C．fairest??? D．cheapest

5.A.at??? B．through

C．over??? D．round

6.A.occupied?? B．abandoned

C．emptied?? D．robbed

7.A.turned?? B．approached

C．cleared?? D．cut

8.A.but??? B．although

C．otherwise?? D．for

9.A.benefit?? B．lesson

C．nature? D．art

10.A.sticking?? B．looking

C．swinging??? D．turning

11.A.wild??? B．real

C．different?? D．remote

12.A.neighborliness? B．happiness

C．friendliness? D．kindness

13.A.unique??? B．expensive

C．rare?? D．necessary

14.A.Up? B．Down

C．Deep??? D．Along

15.A.cooperation??? B．relationships

C．satisfaction?? D．appointments

16.A.reality?? B．society

C．town??? D．life

17.A.creating? B．losing

C．quitting??? D．offering

18.A.put in?? B．turn in

C．take in? D．get in

19.A.yards??? B．shelters

C．camps??? D．cottages

20.A.when??? B．what

C．whether??? D．how

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success．I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing．
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart．I found myself homeless and alone．I had my truck and $56．I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount．I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley．I hadn't been alone for 25 years．I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me．
I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month．The locals knew nothing about me．But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor．They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat．They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing．They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness．Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I was up for courting．I wasn't, but they were civil anyway．The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met．They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe．I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company．
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place．Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors．
After four years in that valley, I moved back into town．I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes．With the help of a real estate broker （房地产经纪人） I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people．It's four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here．We'd all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together．
The American dream I believe in now is a shared one．It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about how we can all get by together．
56．Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ____．
A．had a well-paid job
B．worked hard for his American dream
C．worked hard and liked to share
D．felt hopeless about his American dream
57．What does the underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refer to?
A．The house．              B．The job．
C．The company．            D．The American dream．
58．What does the underlined sentence "I learned to．．．" in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A．The writer learned to run a company．
B．The writer learned to share with others．
C．The writer learned to keep enough plates．
D．The writer learned to save money for his company．
59．Why did the writer rent a big house?
A．To make some money．           B．To show off his wealth．
C．To share with those people in need．     D．To make friends with his neighbors．
60．The writer mainly tells us about ____．
A．his unhappy experiences          B．the friendly people in the valley
C．the change of his living conditions           D．his new idea of the American dream

I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭), credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us   36  chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell   37 . I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $ 56. I   38  the countryside for some place I could rent for the   39  possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road   40  the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was   41 , full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and   42  a corner to camp in.
The locals knew nothing about me,   43  slowly, they started teaching me the   44  of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began   45  around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a   46  American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of   47 .
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were   48  for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place.   49  on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my   50  with my neighbors.
Four years later, I moved back into   51 . I saw many people were having a really hard time,   52  their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to   53  a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house, but over time I’ve had nine people come in and move on to other places. We’d all be in   54  if we hadn’t banded together.
The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about   55  we can all get by together.