完形填空

　　There is a fine line between a parent who is active and open-minded and one that doesn’t know when to let go(放手)．As my daughter, Nicole, prepares to leave home for college, I’m discovering how hard it is to stay on the 　　1　　 side of this line．When I hold 　　2　　 the apron strings(围裙带)connecting us, Nicole, eager to 　　3　　 independence, tries to loosen my grasp．What results is a(an)　　4　　 mother-daughter, push-me, pull-you kind of tango．

　　For the past two years, it’s gone like this：

　　My question：“Have you thought of taking an advanced placement class(高阶课程)so that you can earn college credit?”

　　Nicole’s 　　5　　：“No, I’m not interested in that．”……

　　Two months ago, she was 　　6　　 to a great university．However, I was still the mother having a 　　7　　 time letting go．The night before the introductory meeting of the university, I had read the course catalog carefully and 　　8　　 courses which I thought looked good．We met on the campus the next afternoon, and Nicole’s face 　　9　　 with excitement．“I have had my entire schedule figured out,” she said．“Already?” I was astonished, 　　10　　 she should have discussed it with me．I examined the schedule．Nicole hadn’t taken a(an)　　11　　 one of the courses I had suggested．Every course she had chosen 　　12　　 suited her interests．Just then I saw a mature, capable young woman with a 　　13　　 mind and the ability to shape her future．She no longer needed her mother’s 　　14　　 every decision she made．I felt proud, though still a bit 　　15　　．

　　I 　　16　　 the lessons carefully．Nicole has struggled to learn over the past 18 years：　　17　　, sympathy, and hard work．There have been a few holes along the way．　　18　　, she is well-equipped and eager to 　　19　　 the future．The next step, I recognized, was mine to take：giving my daughter and myself the 　　20　　 we both needed．

完形填空

　　I’ve played the doctor Margaret Brent in an off-Broadway play for almost 25 years．Friends ask me, “How do you do that every night? Doesn’t it get boring?” “　　1　　,” I tell them．

　　There are always unexpected events that 　　2　　 the performance, and there are things I do myself to make each performance a little 　　3　　．I believe that anyone with a 　　4　　 job can do things to make it more 　　5　　．Traffic cops who dance while 　　6　　 traffic are one example, and subway workers who 　　7　　 entertaining announcements are another．

　　I’ve heard of employers coming up with ideas to keep employees from 　　8　　 in certain jobs, but for me, the 　　9　　 does that．Near the end of the play, I tell the detective who is trying to arrest me that I love him．Sometimes the audience laughs, sometimes someone 　　10　　 “Oh, my God” and sometimes the audience is silent, 　　11　　 to hear what the detective will say next．Each 　　12　　 changes the energy in the room and our performances．　　13　　 the night, the audience, and the particular actor playing the detective, there are hundreds of ways to say “I love you,” and I have 　　14　　 them all．

　　I’m sure people with repetitive jobs will tell you that they grow with the work 　　15　　 they’ve done it for a long time．I 　　16　　 challenging myself to bring something new to the role every single time I play it．It’s very satisfying to know I can do the job well 　　17　　．These types of jobs 　　18　　 you to use different parts of your brain．

　　I love the idea that every night at 8 p. m. I will be 　　19　　 doing what I love．My job 　　20　　 me up and makes me happy．

完形填空

　　Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with a baseball bat and several other things．Mark 　　1　　 down and helped the boy pick up these articles．　　2　　 they were going the same way, he helped to carry some of them for him．As they walked Mark 　　3　　 the boy’s name was Bill, that he 　　4　　 computer games, baseball and history, that he was having a lot of 　　5　　 with his other subjects and that he had just broken 　　6　　 with his girlfriend．

　　They arrived at Bill’s home first and Mark was 　　7　　 in for a Coke and to watch some television．The afternoon passed 　　8　　 with a few laughs and some shared small talk, and then Mark went home．They 　　9　　 to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, and then both ended up from the same high school．Just three weeks before 　　10　　, Bill asked Mark if they 　　11　　 talk．

　　Bill 　　12　　 him of the day years ago when they had first met．“Do you 　　13　　 wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill．“You see, I 　　14　　 out my locker because I didn’t want to leave a mess(脏乱)　　15　　 anyone else．I had planned to run away and I was going home to 　　16　　 my things．But after we spent some time together 　　17　　 and laughing, I realized that 　　18　　 I had done that, I would have 　　19　　 a new friend and missed all the fun we would have together．So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more．You 　　20　　 my life．”

完型填空

A friend in need

　　Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together．Like pairs of dogs you 　　1　　 find in any neighborhood, these two 　　2　　 each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their own houses．

　　One evening, Brownie's family 　　3　　 that Brownie hadn't returned home．They went looking for him with no 　　4　　 Brownie didn't appear the next day, and despite(尽管)their 　　5　　 to find him, by the next week he was still missing．Curiously, Spotty 　　6　　 at Brownie's house alone, barking．Busy with their own lives, Brownie's family just ignored the 　　7　　 little neighbor dog．Finally, one morning Spotty 　　8　　 to take “no” for an answer any longer．He followed Ted about, barking strongly, then running towards a nearby wood, as if to say," 　　9　　 me! It’s urgent!”

　　Then Ted followed the anxious Spotty．The little dog led the man to a 　　10　　 spot a half mile from the house．There Ted found his beloved Brownie 　　11　　 but one of his hind legs stuck in a steel leg-hold trap．Horrified, Ted now wished he'd taken Spotty's earlier requirement 　　12　　 Then Ted noticed something quite remarkable．Spotty had done more than simply 　　13　　 Brownie's owner to his trapped friend．In a circle around the 　　14　　 dog, Ted found some dog food, which was later 　　15　　 as the remains of every meal Spotty had been fed that 　　16　　! Spotty had been visiting Brownie 　　17　　 in a single-minded quest to keep his friend alive by offering his own comfort．Spotty had obviously 　　18　　 with Brownie to protect him from being hurt, snuggling(依偎)with him at night to keep him warm and touching him gently with its nose to keep his 　　19　　 up．Brownie's leg was treated by a veterinarian and he recovered．For many years afterward, the two 　　20　　 watched the faithful friends frolicking(嬉戏)and chasing each other down that well worn path between their houses．

　　I grew up poor－living in the housing projects(住房)with six brothers, three sisters, a varying assortment(各式各样东西的混合)of foster kids(养子), my father, and a wonderful mother, Scarlette Hunley．We had little money and few worldly goods, but plenty of love and attention．I was 　　1　　 and energetic．I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 　　2　　 a dream．

　　My dream was 　　3　　．By the time I was sixteen, I could crush a baseball, and hit anything that moved on the baseball field．I was also 　　4　　：My high school coach Jarvis, who not only believed in me, but taught me how to believe in myself．He 　　5　　 me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction(信念)．One particular incident with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever．

　　It was the summer between my junior and senior years, and a friend 　　6　　 me for a summer job．This meant a chance for money in my pocket－cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a 　　7　　 for my mother．The prospect of a summer job was attractive and interesting, and I wanted to jump at the opportunity．Then I realized I would have to 　　8　　 summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing．

　　When I told Coach Jarvis, he was 　　9　　 as I expected him to be．“You have your whole life to work，” he said．“Your 　　10　　 days are limited．You can’t afford to waste them．”

　　I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 　　11　　 to me．

　　“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” He demanded．“3.5 dollars an hour．” I replied．“Well,” he asked, “Is ＄3.5 an hour the price of a dream?”

　　That question, the plainness of it, laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal．I dedicated myself to sports that summer and with the year I was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was 　　12　　 a ＄20,000 contract．I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1998 for ＄1.7 million, and bought my mother the house of my dreams．

For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D．Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context．

　　In the past, most American mothers were at home to take care of their children during the day．Now, 　　1　　 , many mothers are working．More than half of the American women with young children have 　　2　　 outside the house．

　　American families solve the child care 　　3　　 in different ways．Some parents allow older children to stay at home alone after school．The parents 　　4　　 make sure that their children, usually not younger than 10 years old, understand 　　5　　 rules and can deal with emergencies(紧急情况)．Other parents say they would 　　6　　 allow their children to be at home alone．They usually 　　7　　 someone to take care of the children．

　　Some parents in the U．S．find their own ways to cut the cost of child care．They join child care 　　8　　 ．Each person in the group 　　9　　 for the children of other group members at different times．Some parents ask local churches, schools and social organizations to help 　　10　　 activities for the children．These child care choices often cost 　　11　　 or no money．Many American parents, however, still struggle with the problem of 　　12　　 good child care at a reasonable price．

完形填空

Wings of Angel

　　I used to hate myself because I wasn't “normal”．Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not 　　1　　．I had a severe spinal cord disorder(脊髓病)and I knew I would always be much 　　2　　 than others．

　　I hated going to school and I hated people 　　3　　 at me．I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing straight and tall．And most of all, I hated looking in the 　　4　　 and seeing an ugly hunchback(驼背)．

　　My friends found me 　　5　　 because I didn't let others get close to me．I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life 　　6　　 Angela appeared．

　　That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school－a spot where no one would 　　7　　 me．That's when I first heard her voice．

　　“Hi．Can I sit down?”

　　I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face．

　　“What are you looking at?” she asked．

　　“Ants．”

　　“What are they doing?”

　　“No idea．”

　　“I bet they're playing games and making friends．Don't you think so?”

　　That was how our 　　8　　 started and it didn't stop．We talked about everything under the sun－the ants, the clouds, my little niche(处境)－until it was sunset．

　　Then suddenly, she saw my 　　9　　．She just stared．

　　My heart sank．What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would 　　10　　 me now．

　　She stood up, pointed at my back and said, “I know 　　11　　 your back is hunched．”

　　I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be sentenced．I begged in my heart for her to 　　12　　, but she just kept on going．“I know what you've got in there．Do you?”

　　“No,” I answered 　　13　　．

　　She bent and whispered in my ears．

　　“Your back is hunched because you've got a pair of wings from the angels．”

　　I was 　　14　　．I looked into her eyes and her kindness touched my heart．From that day on, I started to learn to 　　15　　 myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind-hearted friend．

完型填空

　　One day in September we were doing repair work on my parents' old house to get it ready for my youngest daughter's wedding．We had to 　　1　　 a great climbing plant that had grown across a roof beam(房梁), so that we could repair the roof and 　　2　　 the walls．

　　When my husband was taking the plant away, he found a 　　3　　 of a blackbird．He then 　　4　　 something 　　5　　 among that mass of earth and straw of the nest．He broke the earth 　　6　　 it into pieces with his finger tips and, to his 　　7　　, saw glittering gold．It was a child's bracelet(手镯)．He ran into the house to 　　8　　 me．

　　“You won't believe that the 　　9　　 blackbirds not only steal the best fruit we plant to feed on,” he said, “but they also want their children to 　　10　　 in a cradle(摇篮)of gold!”

　　When my daughter 　　11　　 on the eve of the 　　12　　, we told her about this 　　13　　 occurrence(事件)．

　　“Don't you remember, Mother?” she said with a loud 　　14　　．“When I was eight, you gave me a bracelet that I 　　15　　 a few days later while out playing in the yard?It was this one!”

　　As the bracelet no longer 　　16　　 its owner and was dirty, I decided to take it into my safekeeping．

　　In December of the following year, the young couple's baby son was baptized(受洗礼)．Among the 　　17　　 the newborn baby received, I placed his mother's bracelet, now shining like 　　18　　．I hope that if my grandson 　　19　　 loses it, one of the 　　20　　 that live in my backyard is somewhere nearby．

完型填空

　　“Hey, Dad, are you going to come to my award ceremony tonight?” I 　　1　　 asked my father．“I have to work late tonight．I doubt if I'll be able to 　　2　　 it on time．I am just too busy right now,” he replied．

　　My mind could not 　　3　　 the idea that he would be too busy working late．He was also too busy to 　　4　　 my horse show, football games and the 15^th birthday party．He always used the same 　　5　　．Why had I even taken trouble to ask?　　6　　, there was always a slight hope that tonight would be 　　7　　．

　　As my mother and I arrived at school, two friends 　　8　　 me．“Jill, meet my dad．Dad, this is my friend Jill．” I shook the hand of a tall man．Camera flashes lit up the room, and claps filled the 　　9　　 as students accepted their awards．My name was finally called, 　　10　　 three others．I followed my classmates to the 　　11　　．When I reached out my hand to shake the 　　12　　, a big smile lit up her face．The blinding flash from my mother's camera 　　13　　 my eyes and I knew my dad wasn't there．I walked back to my seat 　　14　　．

　　Back at home, seeing my dad's car in the garage．I told myself he would not be 　　15　　．But the strong smell of alcohol hit me as soon as I 　　16　　 inside, and I could feel my tears 　　17　　．I followed the sound of his drunken words and saw him 　　18　　 on the couch．

　　　　19　　 did Father lie to me? I threw my award on the floor, walked to my bedroom, and shut the door．Tears rolled down my face．I wondered if I would ever be more 　　20　　 than his whiskey bottle．

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　One winter morning I bought a copy of the New York World and turned its pages until I got The "Help Wanted Unskilled" section．A small advertisement held my 　　1　　．It read："Easy job．Good wages．No experience 　　2　　． "it sounded like the job I was 　　3　　 ．Easy job．Good Wages．Those four words 　　4　　 now and then in my brain as I was traveling to the address indicated in the 　　5　　．Easy job．Good wages．Easy job．Good Wages．Easy…

　　When I got to the place I saw a series of large 　　6　　 half filled with water, out of which I noticed 　　7　　 the necks of many bottles of various sizes and shapes．　　8　　 these basins there were a number of workers sitting on small wooden benches．All had their 　　9　　 in the water of the basin．the left hand holding a 　　10　　 and the thumb(拇指)nail of the right hand 　　11　　 the labels(标签)on it．

　　I Sat down On a 　　12　　 beside one of the basins and started to work on one bottle．As the minutes went by I noticed that the 　　13　　 0f the water started to 　　14　　 from my hand to my body．But 　　15　　 still, the delicate thumb of my right hand was 　　16　　 by the minute into a full－blown tomato－colored finger．A numb(麻木)pain began to be felt 　　17　　 from my right thumb．Then I began to feel as if the pain was coming from a finger bigger than all my body．After three hours of this I told the manager I'd 　　18　　 ．He figured I had 　　19　　 69 cents at 23 cents an hour．

　　With the money, I left the working place． "Easy job．Good wages．…" came to my brain again．Looking at my hands, I 　　20　　 myself, "Can easy job get good wages?"