15.　 A。根据四个单词的意思和句意，可知选A。

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　　　 There was a woman in Detroit, who had two sons. She was worried about them, especially the younger one, Ben, 　1　 　he was not doing well in school. Boys in his class made joked about him because he seemed so 　2　 .

　　　 The mother 　3　 　that she herself would have to get her sons to do better in school. She told them to go to the Detroit Public Library to read a 　4　 　a week and do a report about it for her.

　 　　 One day, in Ben’s 　5　 , the teacher held up a rock and asked if anyone knew it. Ben put up his hand and the teacher let him 　6　 . Why did Ben raise his hand? They wondered. He 　7　 　said anything, what could he possibly want to say?

　 　　 Well, Ben not only 　8　 　the rock; he said a lot about it. He named other rocks in its group and even knew 　9　 　the teacher had found it. The teacher and the students were 　10　 . Ben had learned all this from doing one of his book 　11　 .

　 　　 Ben later went to the 　12　 　of his class. When he finished high school, he went to Yale University and at last became one of the best doctors in the United States.

　 　　 After Ben grew up, he 　13　 　something about his mother that he did not know as a 　14　 .

　 　　 She, herself, had never learned how to 　15　 .

14.　 D。根据前面的修饰词和上文可知选D。

13.　 D。听到了后面发出一阵笑声，选D。

12.　 A。意为“尽力停止颤抖”。

11.　 C。根据下文可知答案选C，意为“问她是否看见过两个小女孩”。

10.　 B。没有他们的踪影。

9.　　　 A。根据句意，本句是一个由where引导的地点状语从句，选A。

8.　　　 C。当发现孩子们不见后她感到很害怕, 故选C。

7.　　　 D。这是一个倒装句,谓语动词应于后面的名词一致, 故选D。

6.　　　 D。意为“车门跟她走时一样还是关着”。