第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

     阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从16-35各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

The Price of a Dream

　　I grew up poor—living with my wonderful mother. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I was 　16　 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 　17　 a dream.

My dream was 　18　. By the time I was sixteen, I started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and 　19　 anything that moved on the football field.

I was also  20　. My high school coach was John, who not only believed in me, but also taught me 　21　 to believe in myself. He 　22　 me the difference between having a dream and remaining true to that dream. One particular 　23　 with Coach John changed my life forever.

　　A friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket—money for a new bike, new clothes and the 　24　 of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to 　25　 up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell John I wouldn’t be playing.

　　When I told John, he was 　26　 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” He shouted. “Your 　27　 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.” I stood before him with my head 　28　, trying to think of the right　29　 　that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 　30　 in me.

　　“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” He asked. “3.5 dollars an hour,” I replied.

　　“Well,” he asked, “is $ 3.5 an hour the price of a dream?”

　　That simple question made  31    for me the difference between  32 　something at once and having a 　33　. I decided myself to play sports that summer and the ___34    year after I finished high school, I was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was 　35　 a $ 20,000 contract. Finally, I bought my mother the house of my dream!

16. A. happy                       B. polite　                    C. shy　                                 D. honest

17. A. live                            B. have　　　           C. make　　　              D. need

18. A. athletics                      B. music　　　      C. business　　                   D. money

19. A. kick                            B. play                            C. pass　　　　                 D. hit

20. A. right                          B. popular　　            C. lucky　　　                   D. honest

21. A. how                           B. why　　　            C. when　　　              D. whether

22. A. gave                          B. taught　　　      C. brought　　　              D. asked

23. A. accident                       B. matter　　                 C. problem　　                  D. experience

24. A. aim　　　　        B. idea　　　         C. start　　　　              D. purpose

25. A. keep　　　         B. end　　　          C. give　　　　               D. pick

26. A. mad　　　　        B. mournful　         C. frightened　                D. shameful

27. A. living　　　          B. playing　　              C. working　　                 D. dreaming

28. A. moving　　          B. nodding　　            C. shaking　　                 D. hanging

29. A. answers　　        B. excuses　　            C. words　　　                D. ways

30. A. sadness　　     B. regret　                 C. hopelessness              D. disappointment

31. A. direct　　　　    B. clear　　                C. straight　　　       D. bare

32. A. wanting　　　     B. changing　　           C. dreaming　　              D. enjoying

33. A. wish　　　　　   B. goal　　　              C. score　　　　       D. desire

34. A. following　　　    B. same　　               C. previous　　                D. very

35. A. charged　　　　B. got　　　　             C. offered　　           D. presented

Chinese cuisine（菜肴）is widely known and enjoyed in the world. But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East - the ancient custom of “tonic food.”

Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one’s well-being, or stave off sickness, particularly at times when one is more likely to fall ill. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame-oil hot pot every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body.

    In fact, some Western theories of health are similar to the beliefs in Chinese tonic food, although each takes a different path toward the very same goal. Western medicine actually recommends some of the exact same ingredients that make up tonic foods. Sesame oil can provide lots of calories, and chicken meat is particularly high in protein. Any Western doctor should be happy to suggest such a Chinese dish after childbirth.

The elderly, weak, and young can also benefit greatly from tonic foods, especially during the winter. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as “hot,” while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radish, are seen as “cold.” One should be careful not to eat too much of either “hot” or “cold” food. However, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.

“Warm” or “cool” tonic foods are strongly recommended. The choices for “warm” and “cool” foods range from simple sea cucumber to the delicacy of bird’s nest soup, depending on the individual’s economic circumstances.

The concept of tonic food is far from losing credibility, either with Westerners or practitioners of modern medicine. For example, up until two years ago, tonic foods were added to the meals served at a renowned hospital.

1.What attitude do the young in the East hold towards “tonic food”?（不超过5个词）(2分)

2.Why are some Western theories of health considered similar to the Chinese beliefs in tonic food? (不超过11个词) （2分）

3. List four factors deciding the amount of tonic food. （不超过20个词）（3分）

4. What does the passage mainly talk about? （不超过6个词）（3分）

Teenagers in England do many of the same things as children in America do . They enjoy sending messages on their mobile phones and they also like swimming , listening to the latest music , watching TV and surfing the Internet .

How do teenagers in England spend their free time and holidays ? Let’s follow Sally , a British teenager , and spend five days with her during her school holiday .

1. When did Sally do her homework ?

A. In the morning .     B. In the afternoon .     C. At lunch time .     D. In the evening .

2. Which of the following things did Sally do on Day Four ?

A. She went swimming .                      B. She went out for breakfast .

C. She read books .                          D. She went shopping .

3. How many times did Sally and her mother meet their friends during the five days ?

A. Once .            B. Twice .             C. Three times .       D. Four times .

4. According to the passage , it can be inferred that__________.

A. a park is the best place to meet a friend

B. parents shouln’t leave teenagers alone at home

C. teenagers don’t usually do their homework during their school holidays

D. surfing the Internet has become an important part of teenagers’ lives

Shane Thomas is a 10-year-old pianist from England. He’s being called the next Mozart because of his amazing abilities.

He has only been having piano lessons for four months, and practices four hours a week, but he has already played difficult classical pieces. He was just seven when he sat down at the piano, and could play at once. He also says he never gets nervous.

When Shane was three years old, he said that he could play the piano, but nobody took him seriously. At school, he could listen to the teacher and do his work while composing (作曲) in his head. Shame remembers all the melodies（旋律）,and when he gets home he plays them on the piano, while his father records them. Shane loves playing the piano, and when he grows up he wants to be a composer.

His tutor, Richard Goffin-Lecar, says he is like Amadeus Mozart, who lived during the 18^th century in Salzburg, Austria, and was one of the most famous composers ever. Mr. Goffin-lecar says, “I don’t teach Shane very much. I just give him directions, then sit back and watch.”

His father, a single parent with two other children, says that although he has little money, he wants to send Shane to a good music school. “I’m a single father, but I have this gifted child. I don’t have much money, but I want to give him the best teachers, and also take him into a studio to record.”

56. When did Shane tell others that he could play the piano?

A. At age three.                   B. At age ten.  C. At age seven.       D. At age four.

57. Which of the following is TRUE about Shane?

A. He feels nervous while playing the piano    

B. He can compose in his head while doing his work.       

C. He wants to be a piano tutor when he grows up.        

D. He doesn’t like to listen to the teacher at school.

58. What do we learn about Shane’s father?

A. He also plays the piano well.

B. He’s a single father with two children.

C. He believes in Shane’s talent for music and will support him.

D. Not having enough money, he will ask the teachers for help

MEGADIM, Israel (AP)-The worst forest fire in Israel's history on Thursday destroyed one of the country's few forested areas, killing at least 36 guards on their way to rescue prisoners there, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation (疏散) of thousands. The fire ran through the Carmel forest in Israel's Galilee, reaching the coastal city of Haifa, jumping from place to place in the forest. The fire broke out around midday and quickly spread and was still burning out of control as midnight approached. Investigators (调查者) supposed that the fire could have been set accidentally, or it might have been a criminal act, but pretty much ruled out (排除) some sort of attack by a Palestinian group. “This is a huge disaster，” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “The government is using all means to control the fire.” He said some countries such as Cyprus, Italy, Russia and Greece agreed to provide backup. Most of the dead were Prison Service guards racing through the fire toward a prison to evacuate the prisoners, most of them Palestinians. A tree fell across the road, blocking their bus. Some guards were burned alive inside, while others died as they tried to escape. Fourteen bodies were found near the burnt bus 10 hours after the fire started. The fire heavily damaged one of Israel's few large forests, made up of natural growth and planted areas, a favorite place for camping and a home for dozens of species of wildlife. Forestry workers tried to evacuate animals from the fire. The forest recovered slowly from a fire in 1989, but experts said Thursday's big fire was many times worse.

1.Some Prison Service guards died when they tried to ________.

2.According to the investigators, which of the following might be the cause of the fire?

3.We learn from the text that ________.

4.The text is mainly about ________.