完形填空

　　One night I was sitting in my kitchen half-listening as my 15-year-old brother Tommy antagonized(招惹)my 12-year-old brother Kevin．I didn’t pay attention when Kevin 　　1　　 up the stairs with the hurt on his face．

　　About 20 minutes later, I heard Kevin crying inside the 　　2　　．I knocked on the door and asked, “Hey, Kev, do you want a talk?” No response．So, I grabbed some index(索引)cards and a pencil and wrote, “If you don’t want to 　　3　　, we can write notes to each other．”

　　An hour later I was still 　　4　　 on the floor outside the bathroom with two piles of index cards in front of me．One was 　　5　　 and one was cards from Kevin on which he had translated all his unpleasant feelings into words．　　6　　 I read one Kevin’s notes, tears came to my eyes．It said,“　　7　　 in this family cares about me．I’m not the youngest, and I’m not the oldest, and I’m not 　　8　　．Tommy thinks I can do nothing and Dad 　　9　　 he had the other Kevin as a(n)　　10　　 because he’s better at basketball．And you’re never around to even 　　1　　 me．”

　　It was 　　12　　 what he had said about me．I wrote back “I really do love you and I’m 　　13　　 I don’t always show it．I am here for you and you are 　　14　　 in this family．”

　　There was no 　　15　　 for a while, but then I heard a 　　16　　 sound coming from inside the bathroom．Kevin, who had 　　17　　 cards wrote on a torn-up paper cup, “Thanks．”

　　Since then, I try my best to never 　　18　　 half-notice my family members anymore．Kevin and I have a closer 　　19　　 now, and sometimes when one of us notices that the other is 　　20　　, we’ll smile and say “Write it on a paper cup．”

完形填空

　　After 42-year-old guy Tom had quitted his job, he began to make up his mind to become a freelance(self-employed)writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a(n)　　1　　 typewriter and settled down to work．

　　After a year or so, however, Tom began to 　　2　　 himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by 　　3　　 what he wrote．But Tom determined to put his dream to the test－　　4　　 it meant living with uncertainty and fear of 　　5　　．This is the shadowland of hope, and 　　6　　 with a dream must learn to live there．

　　One day Tom got a call, “We need a(n)　　7　　, and we’re paying ＄6,000 a year．” ＄6,000 was 　　8　　 money in 1960．It would enable Tom to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．　　9　　, he could write on the side．　　10　　 the dollars were dancing in Tom’s head, something 　　11　　 his senses．He had dreamed of being a 　　12　　－full time．“Thanks, but no,” Tom said 　　13　　．“I’m going to stick it out and write．”

　　After Tom got off the phone, he 　　14　　 everything he had：two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Tom put the cans and cents into a 　　15　　 bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far．”

　　Finally his work was 　　16　　 in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that 　　17　　 writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into limelight．

　　Then one day, Tom 　　18　　 a box filled with things he had owned years before．　　19　　 was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he 　　20　　 himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Tom, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland．

完形填空

　　I returned to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, after college graduation．I had been there before my mother became a minister．

　　Two weeks later, I told my mother I was bored．She said, “Here’re the car keys．Go and buy some fruit．”　　1　　, I jumped into the car and speeded off．

　　Seeing me or rather my 　　2　　, a boy sprang up(跳起来), 　　3　　 to sell his bananas and peanuts．“Banana 300 naira．Peanut 200 naira!”

　　Looking at his black-striped bananas, I 　　4　　 to 200 total for the fruit and nuts．He 　　5　　．I handed him a 500 naira note．He didn’t have 　　6　　, so I told him not to worry．He was 　　7　　 and smiled a row of perfect teeth．

　　When two weeks later, I 　　8　　 this same boy．I was more aware of my position in Nigerian society．I should 　　9　　 this country as the son of a 　　10　　．But it was hard to find pleasure in a place where it was so 　　11　　 to see a little boy who should have been in school selling fruit．

　　“What’s up?” I asked．He answered in 　　12　　 English, “I…I no get money to buy book．” I took out two 500 naira notes．He looked around 　　13　　 before sticking his hand into the car 　　14　　 the bills．One thousand naira means a lot to a family that 　　15　　 only 50 000 each year．

　　The next morning, security officers told me．“In this place, when you give a little, people think you’re a fountain of opportunity(机会)．”

　　　　16　　 it’s right, but this happens everywhere in the world．I wondered if my little friend had actually used the money for 　　17　　．

　　After six months’ work in northern Nigeria, I returned and saw him again standing on the road．

　　“Are you in school now?”

　　He nodded．

　　A silence fell as we looked at each other, then I 　　18　　 what he wanted．I held out a 500 naira note．“Take this．”

　　He shook his head fiercely and stepped back 　　19　　 hurt．

　　“It’s a gift, ”

　　I said．

　　Shaking his head again, he handed me a basket of bananas and peanuts．“I’ve been waiting to 　　20　　 these to you．”