(2013·高考江西卷，A)The light from the campfire brightened the darkness，but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones.It was a strange place.Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare.They liked camping，but not near this swamp.
“So，”Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals.“How did this place get its name? ”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story，”warned Jack.
“Of course！”cried out Tom.“If there were anything to be scared of，you wouldn’t have chosen this place！”
“Ok，but don’t say I didn’t warn you，” said Jack，and he began his tale.
“Way back in time，a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here.He built that cottage over there to live in.In those days，the area looked quite different—it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystalclear river.After three hard years，Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops.He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land，’warned one old man.‘The land is a living thing.It will hit back at you if you abuse it.’”
“‘Silly fool，’said Dennis to himself.‘If I clear more land，I can grow more crops.I’ll bee wealthier.He’s just jealous！’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees.Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed.He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door.He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land.He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened？”Martin asked.It was growing colder.He trembled，twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back—just as the old man warned，”Jack shrugged.“Dennis disappeared.Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater.His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story，”laughed Tom.“Plants can’t...”Before he had finished speaking，he screamed and fainted(晕倒)．The other two boys jumped up with fright，staring at Tom.Suddenly，they burst out laughing.Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face.It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.
【小题1】The underlined word “dare”in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .A．courageB．assistanceC．instructionD．challenge【小题2】Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?A．To frighten them.B．To satisfy their curiosity.C．To warn them of the danger of the place.D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp.【小题3】Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?A．The old man envied him.B．The old man was foolishC．He was too busy to listen to others.D．He was greedy for more crops.【小题4】Why did Tom scream and faint?A．He saw Dennis’s shadow.B．He was scared by a plant.C．His friends played a joke on him.D．The weather became extremely cold.【小题5】What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?A．Grasp all，lose all.B．No sweat，no sweet.C．It is no use crying over spilt milk.D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.D
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(答案→)D
解析：本文为记叙文。由在野营中一个孩子所讲故事为切入点来讲述一块地是如何受到Dennis过度开发而变成沼泽地的。
【小题1】解析：选D。词义猜测题。由“They liked camping，but not near this swamp.”可知，男孩子们并不愿在这块沼泽地附近野营。之所以现在在这里是受到了杰克的“挑战”。
【小题2】解析：选B。推理判断题。根据第二、三、四段他们的对话可知，Jack警告他们这个故事很吓人，但经不住他们的请求还是告诉他们了，故Jack讲这个故事并不是为了吓他们，而是为了满足他们的好奇心。
【小题3】解析：选D。细节理解题。由第八段中“If I clear more land，I can grow more crops.I’ll bee wealthier.He’s just jealous！”可知他想种更多的庄稼，变得更富，还以为别人嫉妒他。由此可知他不听老人的劝告是因为他太贪婪，想种更多的庄稼。
【小题4】解析：选B。细节理解题。由最后一段倒数第二句“Some green swamp ivy(常春藤)had covered Tom’s face.”可知他晕倒的原因是他被常春藤吓到了。
【小题5】解析：选A。主旨大意题。纵观全文可知Dennis因为贪婪，结果失去了一切，故A项“贪多必失”最恰当。