A
(2017·陕西省西安地区八校联考) My elder brother Steve gave me important lessons in values that helped me grow into an adult after our father died when I was six.
For instance，Steve taught me to face the results of my behavior.Once when I returned in tears from a Saturday baseball game，Steve took time to ask me what had happened.When I explained that my baseball had broken Mrs.Holt's basement window，Steve encouraged me to confess to it.After all，I should have been playing in the park and not in the path between buildings.Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs.Holt，I offered to pay for the window if she would return my ball.I also learned from Steve that personal property(财产)is a sacred thing.After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifthgrade classroom，I wanted to keep it，but Steve explained that it might be important to someone else.I returned the pen to my teacher，Mrs.Davids，and she praised me.
Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me，his respect for life is the most vivid in my mind.When I was twelve，I killed an old brown sparrow in the yard with a BB gun.Excited with my accuracy，I screamed to Steve to come from the house to take a look.I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird on the ground.Then in a dead，quiet voice，he asked，“Did it hurt you first，Mark？”I didn't know what to answer.He continued with his eyes firm，“The only time you should even think of hurting a living thing is whether it hurts you first.And then you think a long，long time.”I really felt terrible then，but that moment stands out as the most important lesson my brother taught me.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇记叙文。介绍了“我”的哥哥陪伴“我”成长的经历：他鼓励“我”勇于承担打碎窗户的责任；向老师送回捡到的钢笔；他还教育“我”尊重生命。
1．What does the underlined word“confess”in Paragraph 2 mean?
A．Cover. B．Admit.
C．Deny. D．Agree.
B [考查词义猜测。根据“When I explained that my baseball had broken Mrs.Holt's basement window，Steve encouraged me to...”和下文内容可知，“我”玩棒球时打碎了Holt夫人家的窗户，哥哥鼓励“我”向Holt夫人承认错误。据此可以判断，画线词意为“承认”，故B项正确。]
[干扰项分析] A项意为“遮盖”，C项意为“否认”，D项意为“同意”，都与文意不符。
2．How did the author feel when he faced Mrs.Holt?
A．He was unwilling.
B．He felt frightened.
C．He appeared challenging.
D．He was lighthearted.
B [考查细节理解。根据第二段的“Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs.Holt，I offered to pay for the window if she would return my ball.”可知，“我”在向Holt夫人解释情况时双腿打颤。据此可知“我”很害怕，故B项正确。]
3．Which was the most important lesson the author learned from his brother?
A．Care for the property of others.
B．The value of honesty.
C．Responsibility for one's actions.
D．Respect for living things.
D [考查细节理解。根据最后一段的第一句“Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me，his respect for life is the most vivid in my mind.”可知，在所有的教育中，最令“我”难忘的是哥哥对生命的尊重，故D项正确。]
4．What technique does the author mainly use to organize the text?
A．Time order. B．Cause and effect.
C．Examples. D．Logical reasoning.
C [考查写作方法。通读第二段可知，文章列举了哥哥鼓励“我”勇于承担打碎窗户的责任、向老师送回捡到的钢笔这两件事，说明哥哥教育“我”要对自己的行为负责；通读第三段可知，哥哥教育“我”要尊重生命。据此可以判断，本文通过举例法组织全文，故C项正确。]
