Recent studies on the interaction between emotion and reading comprehension provide a murky picture with contradictory claims. Here, we offer one explanation for this phenomenon. By utilizing an advanced eye movement analysis method EMHMM with co-clustering, we discovered two representative attention patterns from eye fixations: an expanded, globalized attention pattern and a more focused, localized attention pattern. The subsequent analysis shows that these two attention patterns were differentially associated with comprehension accuracy in questions that required either globalized (summative questions) or localized (detailed questions) attentional needs. Moreover, the emotional state influenced the use of the two attentional strategies, as well as reading performance, measured as accuracy and reading time. Our findings demonstrate how emotion may have facilitated or interfered with cognitive processing during reading comprehension that requires different attentional needs, which provides valuable insight into the intertwining relationship between emotions and other cognitive functions.