—How long did Mary work here?

—For half a year, but she didn’t leave us much ____. We hardly remember what she is like.

 Although this medicine can cure you _______ your illness, it has a bad effect ______ you.

_______ in the book, he didn’t notice my coming.

—I’d like to call you at 10 o’clock next Friday morning if it is convenient.

—I’m afraid I _______ an important meeting.

Mary is a(n) _______ customer, so the waiter knows her likes and dislikes.

When you copy this paper, be careful not to ______ a single word.

Service was included in the bill, so you _______ the waiter. It was a waste of money.

—Only one of these books is worth _______.

—_______ is no wonder that you look so upset.

 I _____ to telephone you last night, but the line was out of order and I couldn’t get through.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Growing up for me was a challenge. I started out at primary school and was always asked by my teacher to sit at the  36  of the class because I was a fool.

I kept  37  things: I forgot nursery songs and spellings. I was the  38  of class jokes and I was all alone and  39 . I hated school, but my dad would hear none of it. He kept telling me I was a  40 , if I believed it.

A  41  around came one day when I remembered the  42  of the word “Cognoscenti”; a word all the other “  43 students ” had forgotten how to spell  44  they spent their free time making fun of me. I wasn’t asked to spell,  45  I raised up my hand. So I stood up and went to the front of class,  46  23 pairs of eyes staring at me. My teacher grabbed her stick, ready to hit me if I’d  47_ . I wrote the letters, spelt the word and became an instant champion. Afterwards, I  48  and won, for my school, five Spelling Bee championships.

Secondary school had its own share of challenges. I was a tall kid and wasn’t good at any  49 , except looking. I loved basketball and tennis.  50  I held a bat(球拍), I was laughed at by my opponent. He  51  six straight sets(盘，局) without sweat and there I was, sweating like I’d run a marathon, whereas I hadn’t even  52  a single point. My dad’s  53  kept playing in my ears “Stanley, you’re a champion if you believe it.”

Believe it I did, because I wasn’t only good at tennis and basketball, I was an all-round athlete and  54  won both athletic and  55  scholarships to university.