完形填空（共15小题；每小题1分；满分15分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从31—45各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。

Creativity is the key to a brighter future, say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.

If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we   36   not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of   37   . Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together.   38  his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his   39   company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new   40  .

Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it   41   a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not   42   that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.   43   , schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators   44  creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but cannot recognize ways to use it in new   45  . They may know the rules correctly, but they are   46   to use them to work out practical problems.

It is important to give children   47  . From the earliest age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money, but not help them too much if they make the   48   decision. The child may have a hard time, but that is all right. This is ___49___the most important character of creative people is a very strong  ___50     to find a way out of trouble.

36．A．should      B．might       C．will   D．must

37．A．machine   B．walkman   C．tape   D．ruler

38．A．But   B．So     C．And  D．Though

39．A．new  B．former      C．own  D．formal

40．A．tapes B．thought     C．ideas D．feelings

41．A．usually     B．really       C．possibly    D．necessarily

42．A．mean B．introduce  C．conclude   D．produce

43．A．Fortunately      B．Unfortunately   C．Anxiously D．Generally

44．A．give up     B．take up     C．use up      D．keep up

45．A．conditions B．surroundings    C．situations  D．environments

46．A．sure  B．ready C．able   D．unable

47．A．choices     B．chances     C．time  D．money

48．A．present     B．hard  C．wrong      D．right

49．A．why  B．how  C．what  D．because

50．A．desire             B．inspire           C．influence         D．attitude

Paper money was in _________ use in China when Marco Polo visited the country in _________13th century.

   A. the, /            B. the , the         C. /, the            D. /,  /

With proper measures, the economy in China is beginning to _____ again.

A. rise up                  B. hold on            C. pick up           D. take on

27. Now and then they would  ______ our house and have a talk with us.

A. call on                   B. drop in at                C. drop in on                D. drop in

 Only when you ______ what you have learned to practice ______ say you have made it.

A. adapt; you can          B. apply; can you    C. use; you can     D. adopt; can you

300. Britain trades with many European countries. This word "trade" means Britain ____.

A. buy or sell things      B. borrow               C. lend                   D. Purchase

280. John _sat  at the head of the table with his wife next to him. Which of the following can’t replace the underlined word.

A. seated                  B. seated himself             C. was seated            D. took a seat

260. The lazy boy pretended ______ homework when his parents came to check him.

A.doing                        B. to be doing               C. to do                        D. to doing

240. It is an important problem. You should ________ before you draw a conclusion.

A. think about             B. think it over             C. think of it               D. think over it

220. Which of he following words has quite a different meaning?

A. select                  B. decide                C. make up one’s mind  D. Determine