完形填空(共20小题,每题1.5分,共30分)
A White – bearded ancient man was walking over the hills and valleys of the world.On his back he carried a bag which moved uneasily as if something was trying to escape from it, but he   21  it between his shoulders and walked on.
He was Father Time, traveling forever, and the bag he   22  was filled with Tomorrows, all struggling to get out.
Each   23  at twelve o’clock, he opened the bag and   24  a Tomorrow, just one, with its wings of   25  , and its shining feathers rose with hope.All the rest were kept   26  by Time’s strong hands and pushed   27  in the bag.
Down flew the Tomorrow   28  its lovely feathers, but as it touched the   29  , off fell its blue wings and it changed to a(n)  30  white bird which could not fly.It had become a Today.Everyone knows that Today isn’t as   31  as Tomorrow, for Today can be held in one’s   32  , accepted, unloved, but Tomorrow is full of mystery(神秘)and beauty.It is   33  by all the world.Even those with   34  hope sigh, “Tomorrow may bring a(n)  35 .Tomorrow’s life will be different.”
Everybody tried to   36  the Tomorrow before it fell to the ground.They thought if they   37  beforehand what the Tomorrow carries, they could   38  for it.So they put great nets on the trees, seeking to catch one   39  it changed his feather.Yet although they tried every means, the birds   40   and flew to the ground as Todays.

【小题1】
A.relaxedB.worriedC.excitedD.settled
【小题2】
A.boreB.placedC.laidD.lifted
【小题3】
A.dawnB.morningC.nightD.afternoon
【小题4】
A.got B.fetchedC.tookD.flew
【小题5】
A.blueB.pinkC.black D.white
【小题6】
A.out B.offC.away D.back
【小题7】
A.alongB.deepC.farD.over
【小题8】
A.shakingB.movingC.beatingD.striking
【小题9】
A.earthB.floor C.treeD.grass
【小题10】
A.lovelyB.ordinaryC.beautifulD.especial
【小题11】
A.badB.wonderfulC.commonD.familiar
【小题12】
A.handsB.mind C.heart D.head
【小题13】
A.noticedB.seenC.forgottenD.desired
【小题14】
A.littleB.some C.much D.few
【小题15】
A.shockB.suggestionC.changeD.advice
【小题16】
A.keepB.catch C.holdD.protect
【小题17】
A.expectedB.watchedC.guessedD.knew
【小题18】
A.waitB.longC.prepareD.look
【小题19】
A.as B.when C.beforeD.after
【小题20】
A.refusedB.escapedC.struggledD.fought

Raymond Schneider politely elbowed his way through crowds of customers as he made for the candy bins at Dylan’s Candy Bar in Manhattan. Since he was laid off in December, Mr. Schneider, a 33-year-old designer, says he has become a “gummy junkie,” buying a lot of sweets every time he shops for groceries.
“Sugar is comforting,” he said. “There’s nothing more stressful than growing financial insecurity everywhere.”
The recession (经济衰退) seems to have a sweet tooth. As unemployment has risen, Americans, particularly adults, have been consuming growing amounts of candy, say candy makers, store owners and industry experts.
Theories vary on exactly why. For many, sugar lifts spirits dragged low by the economy. For others, candy also provides a reminder of better times. And not insignificantly, it is relatively cheap.
At Candyality, a store in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, business has jumped by nearly 80 percent compared with this time last year, and the owner, Terese McDonald, said she was struggling to keep up with the demand for Bit-O-Honeys, Swedish Fish and Sour Balls.
“They put candy in their actual budget,” she said.
Many big candy makers are also reporting rising sales and surprising profits.
“Candy companies are relatively recession-proof,” said Peter Liebhold, chairman of the Smithsonian Institution’s work and industry division. “During the Great Depression, candy companies stayed in business.”
【小题1】Raymond Schneider was set as an example to show ________.

A.many Americans were laid off in the recession
B.lots of Americans like candies
C.many Americans in the recession like sweets which are comforting
D.Americans are suffering much in the recession.
【小题2】 What does the underlined sentence “The recession seems to have a sweet tooth” mean?
A.Candy consuming rises while people are suffering bad effects of the recession.
B.The recession doesn’t have any bad effect on Americans.
C.Americans are optimistic even though they are out of employment.
D.Candy companies stayed in business during the Great Depression.
【小题3】Which is NOT the reason why people in the recession like sugar?
A.It is relatively cheap.
B.It is comforting and can make a lot of profits.
C.It raises people’s spirits up.
D.It calls up people’s good memories.
【小题4】 The best title of the passage is ________.
A.Sugar Is Comforting
B.Candy Companies Stay In Business
C.Americans Have A Sweet Tooth
D.Sugar Sales Rise In The Recession

CANYOUIMAGINEHOWHARDITWOULDBETOREADSENTENCESLIKETHIS? The ancient Greeks wrote this way. The lack of punctuation marks(标点符号) probably didn’t bother good readers, though. As they read, they just put pauses where they fit best. Also at this time, sentences switched directions. A sentence read from left to right. The next one read right to left, and then left to right again, etc.
The ancient Romans sometimes punctuated like this: They·put·a·point·between·each·word·in·a·sentence. The word punctuation actually comes from this idea and the Latin word punctum, which means a prick(刺).
When the 5th century arrived, there were just two punctuation marks: spaces and points. The space separated words and while the points showed pauses in reading. Then in the 13th century, a printer named Aldus Manutius tried to standardize punctuation. He always used a period for a complete stop at the end of a sentence. He used a slash (/) to indicate a short pause. Over time, that slash was shortened and curled, and it became the modern comma.
Since that time, other marks have enlarged the punctuation family. The exclamation mark comes form the Latin word xt. It was originally formed by putting an upper-case(大写字母) I on the lower-case xt. The Latin word xt means “exclamation of joy.” The question mark originally started out as the Latin word question, meaning question. Eventually, scholars put it at the end of a sentence to show a question. Over time, it became a symbol formed by putting a lower-case q on an o.
Punctuation is still changing today. New marks are coming into existence, and old punctuation marks are used in new ways. Take for example, the “interrobang.” This 1962 invention combines the question mark and exclamation mark for times when writers want both. For example, “She did what?” or “How much did you pay for that dress?” Obviously, the interrobang is not widely used or recognized – yet. But its invention shows that English is not yet finished with its punctuation.
【小题1】Which of the following is a comma?

A., B.:C. ;D.!
【小题2】What’s the first paragraph mainly about?
A.The history of punctuation.
B.The introduction of punctuation.
C.The very beginning of punctuation.
D.The ancient Greek way of writing without punctuation.
【小题3】Please put the following events in the order they happened.
a. The exclamation mark and question mark came into the punctuation family.
b. Comma came into existence.
c. Romans put a dot between words to separate words.
d. A period was used to end a sentence.
e. The “interrobang” was invented.
A.cbdaeB.dcbaeC.dbceaD.cdbae
【小题4】What is the most possible situation for “She did what?”?
A.You are told she gave her baby boy a good beat.
B.You are wondering what she did to save the poor boy.
C.You want to know what she did for a living after fleeing to a foreign country.
D.You demand someone else tell you what in the world happened to her.
【小题5】 According to the article, we learn ________.
A.punctuation didn’t come into being until the 5th century.
B.no one can really tell what new marks we may have in the future.
C.the invention of “interrobang” is a failure since it is not widely used.
D.both the exclamation mark and the question mark come from Greek words.

Raymond Schneider politely elbowed his way through crowds of customers as he made for the candy bins at Dylan’s Candy Bar in Manhattan. Since he was laid off in December, Mr. Schneider, a 33-year-old designer, says he has become a “gummy junkie,” buying a lot of sweets every time he shops for groceries.

“Sugar is comforting,” he said. “There’s nothing more stressful than growing financial insecurity everywhere.”

The recession (经济衰退) seems to have a sweet tooth. As unemployment has risen, Americans, particularly adults, have been consuming growing amounts of candy, say candy makers, store owners and industry experts.

Theories vary on exactly why. For many, sugar lifts spirits dragged low by the economy. For others, candy also provides a reminder of better times. And not insignificantly, it is relatively cheap.

At Candyality, a store in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, business has jumped by nearly 80 percent compared with this time last year, and the owner, Terese McDonald, said she was struggling to keep up with the demand for Bit-O-Honeys, Swedish Fish and Sour Balls.

“They put candy in their actual budget,” she said.

Many big candy makers are also reporting rising sales and surprising profits.

“Candy companies are relatively recession-proof,” said Peter Liebhold, chairman of the Smithsonian Institution’s work and industry division. “During the Great Depression, candy companies stayed in business.”

1.Raymond Schneider was set as an example to show ________.

A. many Americans were laid off in the recession

B. lots of Americans like candies

C. many Americans in the recession like sweets which are comforting

D. Americans are suffering much in the recession.

2. What does the underlined sentence “The recession seems to have a sweet tooth” mean?

A. Candy consuming rises while people are suffering bad effects of the recession.

B. The recession doesn’t have any bad effect on Americans.

C. Americans are optimistic even though they are out of employment.

D. Candy companies stayed in business during the Great Depression.

3.Which is NOT the reason why people in the recession like sugar?

A. It is relatively cheap.

B. It is comforting and can make a lot of profits.

C. It raises people’s spirits up.

D. It calls up people’s good memories.

4. The best title of the passage is ________.

A. Sugar Is Comforting

B. Candy Companies Stay In Business

C. Americans Have A Sweet Tooth

D. Sugar Sales Rise In The Recession  

 

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