We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it is an ingredient in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers.
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.
The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and of course an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.
【小题1】It was ______that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.

Process so far has been very good．______，we are sure that the project will be completed on time．

1. A.
   However
2. B.
   Otherwise
3. C.
   Therefore
4. D.
   Besides

第二节：完形填空（共20小题，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Once an Arab was traveling in the desert. When the sun went down in the west, he stopped and 36 his tent then, made a fire and have a37 meal. When night fell, he 38 down to sleep.
He had 39 fallen asleep when he felt a soft 40 on his elbow(手肘). He woke up to find that his camel had put his head inside the tent. The camel said: “Would you please let me keep my head in the tent to get warm? It is so cold outside. I will not take up too much 41 .”
The Arab was a 42 man, “All right, do as you 43 .” he said. Then he turned on his 44 and went back to sleep.
It wasn’t long 45 he felt a push on his shoulder. It was the camel again. “Dear master,” the camel said, “my head is quite warm now, but my neck is still cold. Do you mind 46 I keep it inside the tent, too?”
“ 47 .” the man said. But this time he felt a bit 48, as camel had such a long neck.
No sooner had he shut his eyes 49 he got a harder push in his side. This time the camel said, “will you please allow me to bring my front legs inside and warm then a little?”
The Arab 50 over to one side of the tent. He made 51 as small as he could. It was not 52 comfortable, and sleep was now out of 53 .Soon after that the camel gave his a rough push and said, “The tent is too small for the two of us. 54 , my two hind legs are still left in the cold. It is only 55 that you should leave the tent wholly to me.” And with that, the camel kicked the poor man out.
16. A. built                   B. made                       C. put up               D. set
17 A. simple                 B. rich                         C. excellent               D. ordinary
18. A. laid                    B. lay                           C. lied                       D. went
19. A. seldom               B. not                          C. almost                   D. hardly
20. A. touch                  B. beat                         C. kick                      D. bite
21. A. place                  B. tent                          C. room                    D. blanket
22. A. hard-hearted     B. kind-hearted             C. absent-mined         D. careless
23. A. please                 B. willing                     C. are like                 D. want
24. A. light                   B. head                        C. arm                      D. side
25. A. after                   B. before                      C. since                     D. then
26. A. whether                 B. as                            C. that                       D. if
27. A. Yes, of course      B. No, not at all           C. Don’t. please         D. No, you can.
28. A. crowded             B. comfortable           C. warmer             D. narrower
29. A. than           B. then                         C. when               D. after
30. A. went                   B. walked                     C. climbed              D. moved
31. A. the tent.                 B. himself                    C. room               D. ground
32. A. very                   B. much                       C. a lot                D. a little
33. A. question              B. the question              C. quite possible        D. possibility
34. A. Except                B. Besides                    C. After all             D. But
35. A. unfair                 B. wrong                      C. reasonable          D. right

完形填空(共20小题；满分30分) 注意：15分钟内完成
Most people in school like Gloria. So when she 36 sick, some boys 37 to visit her. But none of them wanted to 38 any money on a gift to bring along. Then Willie said, "We can 39 some flowers from a 40. Gloria will not know 41 they come from, and the dead man will not 42 them. "
Everybody was afraid 43 Willie. So he went alone and found some beautiful flowers. Then they went to Gloria's 44 , and the boys acted 45 the flowers were from all of them, but 46 did not mind. After their visit, Willie 47 the other boys, "It's a good thing that I was not afraid. Gloria liked the flowers. "
The other boys laughed. Gloria 48 not have liked the 49 if she had known they had 50 from a grave (坟墓).
That night, Willie was reading a book 51 his mother came into his room. "There's a man 52 asking for you," she asked. "He said that you didn't 53 the flowers. "
"What does he look like?" Willie asked.
"That's hard to say," Willie's mother answered. "He is all 54 with mud. "（泥巴）
Willie, all of a sudden, turned  55 .
36. A. got   B. fall            C. made         D. took
37. A. thought   B. asked         C. planned       D. suggested
38. A. keep B. cost           C. take            D. spend
39. A. steal B. rob            C. buy           D. beg
40. A. shop        B. store     C. street       D. grave
41. A. how        B. where     C. when         D. why
42. A. miss        B. lose     C. hate           D. love
43. A. beside      B. besides   C. including      D. except
44.A. room        B. house     C. school        D. library
45. A. as if        B .if          C. that          D. as
46. A. Gloria      B. some       C. Willie         D. nobody
47. A. told      B. asked           C. said to        D. explained
48. A. must       B. can         C. could         D. would
49. A. boys       B. flowers      C. secret        D. news
50. A. stolen      B. robbed      C. taken         D. come
51. A. as         B. when        C. while         D. suddenly
52. A. inside      B. outside       C. still               D. also
53. A. ask for     B. pay          C. pay off               D. pay for
54. A, painted          B. dressed      C. wrapped         D. covered
55. A. sad        B. red          C. pale       D. glad