完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分）

      阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白出的最佳选项。

?After 42-year-old guy Tom had quitted his job, he began to make up his mind to become a freelance (self-employed) writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a(n)  21  typewriter and settled down to work．

    After a year or so, however, Tom began to  22  himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by  23  what he wrote．But Tom determined to put his dream to the test —  24  it meant living with uncertainty and fear of  25 ．This is the shadowland of hope, and  26  with a dream must learn to live there．

    One day Tom got a call, “We need a(n)  27 , and we’re paying $6,000 a year．” $6,000 was  28  money in 1960．It would enable Tom to get a nice apartment, a used car and more． 29 , he could write on the side． 30  the dollars were dancing in Tom’s head, something  31  his senses．He had dreamed of being a  32  — full time．“Thanks, but no,” Tom said  33 ．“I’m going to stick it out and write．”

    After Tom got off the phone, he  34  everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Tom put the cans and cents into a  35  bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far．”

　　Finally his work was  36  in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that  37  writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into limelight．

　　Then one day, Tom  38  a box filled with things he had owned years before． 39  was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he  40 himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Tom, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland．

1.A．excellent        B．used           C．expensive      D．priceless

2.A．regret           B．hate           C．doubt          D．trust

3.A．selling          B．buying         C．reading        D．appreciating

4.A．Now that         B．What if        C．As if          D．Even though

5.A．success          B．failure        C．perspiration   D．loss

6.A．someone          B．none           C．nobody         D．anyone

7.A．boss             B．assistant      C．manager        D．writer

8.A．false            B．little         C．real           D．high

9.A．However          B．Still          C．Besides        D．Therefore

10.A．As              B．But            C．If             D．Because

11.A．hurt            B．destroyed      C．cleared        D．struck

12.A．driver          B．assistant      C．writer         D．dancer

13.A．hesitantly      B．firmly         C．slowly         D．hurriedly

14.A．pulled out      B．pulled apart   C．pulled back    D．pulled down

15.A．cloth           B．metal          C．plastic        D．paper

16.A．written         B．published      C．completed      D．punished

17.A．few             B．great          C．famous         D．poor

18.A．sought          B．searched       C．found          D．picked

19.A．Above           B．Below          C．Outside        D．Inside

20.A．called    B．pictured C．described    D．reminded

 

Tim Welford, aged 33, and Dom Mee, aged 30, both from England, were keen on (=like... very much) rowing boats. They made a plan to row across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to San Francisco. The name of their rowboat was “Crackers”. It was about seven meters long.

     They set out from Japan on May 17,2001. They had rowed nearly 5,500 miles when their boat was hit by a fishing ship on September 17,2001. Luckily they both escaped unharmed, but their boat was badly damaged and they had to abandon( = stop)their journey.

　 　In a radio interview, Dom expressed his disappointment and explained how the accident took place.

　　“A fishing ship came towards us with nobody on the bridge and ran us down. It all happened so quickly. I managed to dive into the water. Tim felt it would be safer to stay on board. He was trapped inside as the boat was driven under the water. Finally some people appeared on the ship and saw me in the water. I shouted at them to stop the ship and to get Tim out. When the ship stopped, I eventually saw Tim, and I was very, very disappointed that we were still alive. We were very disappointed that we couldn’t reach San Francisco. But we are alive. That above everything is the most important. ”

 

68. How long had Tim and Dom been at sea when their boat was hit by a fishing boat?
　　A. For one month　 　        B. For two months. 

C. For three months.　　     D. For four months.

69. According to Dom, the main reason for the accident was that________.
　A. Tim and Dom were too careless

B. the speed of the fishing ship was too fast
　C. nobody on the fishing ship saw them

D. their rowboat was not strong enough
70. Dom said that the most important thing in this accident was that________.
　A. their rowboat was not damaged

B. both of them existed after a dangerous time
　C. they enjoyed this journey

D. they failed to reach San Francisco

71. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A. Some people on the fishing ship saved them.

B. Tim and Dom were going to San Francisco in the rowboat because they had no money to buy airplane tickets.

C. Dom dived into the water when the accident happened because he thought it would be dangerous to stay on board.

   D. Dom told people about their dangerous experience when he was interviewed on the radio.

Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of imagination, ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.

　　One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

　　Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

　　On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!

1.The text is mainly about ________.

A．a strange man

B．an unusual party

C．how roller skating began

D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

2.People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he ________.

A．often gave others surprises                B．was a gifted musician

C．invented the roller skates                 D．was full of imagination

3.Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________.

A．impress the party guests                  B．arrive at the party sooner

C．test his invention                        D．show his skill in walking on wheels

4.What is the main point that the writer tries to convey(表达) in the last paragraph?

A．The roller skates was dangerous and harmful.

B．The party guests thought Merlin was a fool.

C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.

D．Merlin should never do that again.