.

第二节:完形填空（在每题给出的四个选项中，只有一项是最符合题目要求的。共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

Joseph Henry was an American scientist who served as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He used to tell a rather   26   story about his childhood. His grandmother, who   27   him, once paid a cobbler（修鞋匠）to make him a pair of   28  .

The man measured his  29  and told Joseph that he could choose between two    30  : a rounded toe or a square toe. Little Joseph couldn’t   31  . It seemed to be such a huge decision;   32  , it would become his only pair of shoes for a long time.

The cobbler   33   him to take a couple of days to make up his   34  . Day after day, Joseph went into the shop, sometimes three or four times a   35  ! Each time he looked over the cobbler’s shoes and tried to decide. The round-toed shoes were   36  , but the square toes looked more   37  . He continued to put off his decision. He wanted to make up his mind, but he just couldn’t decide!

Finally, one day he went into the   38   and the cobbler handed him a parcel   39   in brown paper. His new shoes! He raced home. He   40   off the wrapping and found a beautiful pair of leather shoes, one with a rounded toe and the other with a   41   toe.

I learn a   42   here about decisions: If I don’t make decisions myself, others will   43   make them for me. Better than I make them myself.

And if I choose   44   from time to time, that’s okay, too. At least I won’t have to   45   shoes that don’t match. Besides, I’ll probably do better the next time.

26.  A. scary               B. meaningful            C. miserable                 D. humorous

27.  A. protected        B. educated                   C. prevented                D. raised

28.  A. trousers           B. gloves                    C. shoes                     D. socks

29.  A. feet               B. arms                       C. legs                     D. back

30.  A. ways             B. styles                      C. kinds                      D. types

31.  A. agree              B. respond                  C. believe                D. decide

32.  A. in all                   B. above all              C. after all               D. at all

33.  A. invited           B. allowed               C. ordered                   D. promised

34.  A. mind              B. loss                     C. story                      D. time

35.  A. year              B. month                    C. week                     D. day

36.  A. new               B. practical              C. expensive                D. big

37.  A. convenient      B. valuable                 C. fashionable             D. useful

38.  A. church            B. office                    C. hospital               D. shop

39.  A. wrapped        B. covered                  C. hidden                    D. tied

40.  A. put              B. tore                     C. took                      D. went

41.  A. long               B. short                      C. square                    D. round

42.  A. language         B. mistake                   C. skill                           D. lesson

43.  A. secretly          B. probably              C. quickly                   D. sadly 

44.  A. actively          B. poorly                    C. wisely                    D. carefully

45.  A. wear              B. mend                      C. buy                     D. remove