四、阅读理解
Be the Best of Whatever You Are
If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub (矮树) in the valley—but be
The best little scrub by the side of the river;
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.
If you can’t be a bush, be a bit of the grass,
And make some highway happier;
If you can’t be a whale then just be a small fish—
But the liveliest fish in the lake!
We can’t all be scientists, we’ve got to be good workers,
There’s something for all of us here,
There’s big work to do, and there’s lesser to do,
And the task you must do is the near.
If you can’t be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can’t be the sun, be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or you fail—
Be the best of whatever you are!
（）1. In the poem, we can know that a scrub is a pine.
A. the same size as B. less important than
C. bigger than D. smaller than
（）2. What does the underlined word “lesser” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Great tasks. B. Hard jobs. C. Small duties. D. Funny things.
（）3. What does the writer want to tell us by using “pine, scrub, grass, whale and fish”?
A. Nature is beautiful and full of life.
B. Different people can have their own value.
C. We should love and protect the natural world.
D. Small things are more important than big ones.
（）4. What’s the topic of the poem?
A. Never lose heart when in trouble.
B. Try to be as good as you can.
C. Failure is the mother of success.
D. Thinking in a good way is important.

1. D 2. C 3. B 4. B

【分析】
1. 第1题：定位诗歌第一句，pine是山顶的松树，scrub是山谷的矮树，结合语境判断二者大小关系，选出对应选项。
2. 第2题：根据第二段“big work to do, and there’s lesser to do”的对应关系，猜测lesser的含义，匹配选项。
3. 第3题：分析诗歌列举的自然事物的作用，结合最后主旨句，提炼作者想表达的核心观点。
4. 第4题：抓住诗歌最后点明主旨的句子，确定诗歌主题，匹配对应选项。
【解析】
1. 第1题：由诗歌第一句“If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill, Be a scrub (矮树) in the valley”可知，pine是山顶的松树，scrub是山谷的矮树，矮树比松树小，故答案为D。
2. 第2题：第二段提到“There’s big work to do, and there’s lesser to do”，其中lesser与big对应，意为“较小的、次要的”，对应选项C（Small duties），故答案为C。
3. 第3题：诗歌通过列举不同大小的自然事物，最后点明主旨“It isn’t by size that you win or you fail—Be the best of whatever you are!”，说明不同的人都有自身价值，故答案为B。
4. 第4题：诗歌最后一句“Be the best of whatever you are!”是核心主旨，强调要尽力做最好的自己，对应选项B，故答案为B。
【答案】
1.D 2.C 3.B 4.B
【知识点】
英语阅读理解、细节理解、词义猜测、主旨大意
【点评】
本题为英语诗歌阅读理解题，考查细节理解、词义猜测和主旨大意，需结合诗歌内容分析选项，整体难度适中，适合中等水平学生作答。
【难度系数】
0.6