Question

It was the old lady's birthday. She got up early to be ready for the post. From the second floor flat she could see the postman when he came down the street, and a little boy, Johnnie, _ _31___ her letters from the ground floor on the rare_ _32___ when anything came.
    Today she was sure there would be something. Myra_ _33___ forget her mother's birthday, even if she _ _34___ wrote at other times. Of course Myra was busy, but _ _35___, Enid, the daughter the old lady loved most, died two years ago. Since then Myra had been to see her mother three times, but her husband, Harold, never. 

The old lady was eighty today. She had put on her best dress. Perhaps--perhaps Myra might come. After all, eighty was a _ _36___ birthday, another decade lined or tolerated just as you chose to look at it. _ _37___Myra did not come, she would send a present. The old lady was _ _38___ of that. Two spots of colour _ _39___ her cheeks. She was _ _40___ like a child. She would enjoy her day!
    Now, she stood by the window, _ _41___. The postman turned round the corner on his bicycle. Her heart beat _ _42___. Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate. Then clatter (咔嗒声), clatter up the stairs. Johnnie knocked at her door. He had got her post---four envelopes. Three were unclosed cards from old friends. The fourth was closed, in Myra's writing. The old lady felt a sharp pain of _ _43___.There was no parcel for her! Maybe the parcel was too large to come by letter post. That was it. It would come later by parcel post. She said to herself. She must be _ _44___.

Almost _ _45___she tore the envelope open. _ _46___in the card was a piece of paper. Written on the card was a message under the printed Happy Birthday --- Buy yourself something nice with the _ _47___, Myra and Harold. The cheque moved quickly to and fro in the air to the floor like a bird with a broken wing. Slowly the old lady _ _48___to pick it up. Her present! her _ _49___ present! With _ _50___fingers she tore it into little bits.

31. A. took away        B. brought up          C. moved off       D. set down

32. A. occasion         B. opportunity          C. ceremony       D. anniversary

33. A. mustn’t          B. mightn’t            C. wouldn’t        D. needn’t

34. A. occasionally      B. always              C. almost          D. seldom

35. A. unhappily        B. unfortunately         C. unforgettably    D. unkindly

36. A. casual           B. remote              C. special          D. conventional

37. A. Even if          B. So that         C. In case             D. Now that

38. A. proud           B. capable         C. sure               D. afraid

39. A. sharpened        B. weakened      C. widened           D. brightened

40. A. excited          B. alarmed        C. inspired           D. satisfied

41. A. thinking          B. imagining       C. welcoming       D. watching

42. A. steadily           B. wildly         C. nervously         D. randomly

43. A. discontent         B. loneliness      C. disappointment     D. annoyance

44. A. patient            B. anxious       C. urgent             D. mild

45. A. immediately       B. cheerfully      C. angrily            D. unwillingly

46. A. Pinned           B. Folded         C. Lined             D. Roped

47. A. card             B. bonus          C. cheque            D. cash

48. A. bent             B. leaned          C. struggled          D. stretched

49. A. painful           B. sad            C. expensive          D. lovely

50. A. moving          B. trembling        C. reacting           D. freezing

Answer 1

31—35 BACDB 36—40 CACDA 41—45 DBCAD 46—50 BCADB

答案解析

完形填空主题大意：

《礼物》叙述的是一个80 岁的老人在生日来临之际对自己唯一的一位亲人的一种殷殷期盼，但她最终盼来的确是一种无言的伤痛和沉重的失望。阅读指导：阅读此文要注意把握围绕“礼物”而贯穿文章的一条主线： “情绪”的变化―――自信→激动→失望→无奈→绝望。这种复杂而矛盾的心理变化旨在营造一种巨大而浓重的心理落差。同时，作者凄切哀婉、凝重感伤的文笔情调也是唤起我们心灵共鸣的落点和人间亲情问题的关切与反思。

思想立意：亲情是最珍贵的“礼物”。

31. B。此句是说把信件从the ground floor 拿到the second floor，bring up 意为“拿上来”。

32. A。此处是指在特别的“场合”，与下文34___空at other times 作对比。

33. C。此句是指老人坚信女儿“一定不会”忘记自己的生日。

34. D。从下文可知Myra 由于工作繁忙，平常“很少”给妈妈写信。

35. B。最爱的女儿Enid 的离去自然是一件不幸的事情。

36. C。“人生70 古来稀”，80 岁生日自然尤为“特别”。

37. A。前后分句是一种“让步”关系。

38. C。此时老人的心情是“自豪的”“坚信的”，下文的描写可见一斑。

39. D。体会语段中语境词汇的集中描写可知，老人的脸上荡漾着激动的笑容。brighten 露出喜色,快乐起来。

40. A。参考上一空解释。

41. D。此句是指老人久久地站在门口，眺望着“礼物”的到来。

42. B。该词是一种夸张的表达，旨在体现老人无法掩饰的因迫切而慌乱的激动的心情。

43. C。此句是指老人的心情有“狂乱的兴奋”跌之“沉重的失望”，是修辞上的一种对比。英语试题答案及评分参考第 4 页（共9 页）

44. A。此句是指老人自我解嘲、自我安慰的一种无奈的表达，同时也暗含着一丝苦涩的最后的期盼。所以才告诫自己还要“耐心一点儿”。

45. D。此句是指老人对自己期盼的“礼物”非常失望，因此不想情愿打开它。A 项是动作描写，与老人年龄不得体；C 项与整个文风那种“凝重的”氛围相悖。

46. B。文中的paper 就是cheque，从下文的描写可知答案。

47. C。由后一句可知。

48. A。综合考虑老人此时的心情和神态可知，她拾起支票的姿势应是“弯腰”。Struggle 是一个中性词汇，不能体现身体的姿势。

49. D。 lovely 表现的是一种强烈的讽刺效果，增强了语言的表现力。如果选择A、B 项会是语言的色调索然无味，黯淡无光。

50. B。结合全文所有修饰老人心情、神态、动作的修饰语可知答案。