第二节完形填空  (共20小题，每小题1分，满分20分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36至55各个题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The moment I knew my mother had incurable lung cancer, I realized for the first time that time will one day run out for us all.
I have determined to be with my mother as much as I possibly can. This is not out of a sense of
36  , but because I really want to be near her. But making the time to   37   with my mother has been my greatest   38   . I have a husband, a four-year-old son and a home to nm. I also hold down a(n)    39    job as a radio announcer at the BBC.
I arrived at work one day to be told we would be doing a radio series exploring “time poverty”. I’ve    40    been taken with the idea that we are time-poor. How can I - who have so many labor-saving machines and an only child – have   41   time than my mother who had six children and no  42  ?
I put this   43   a professor. He pointed out that it is because I try to keep my home much cleaner than my mother did. I admit I like to   44   to my friends. My husband says  45   that I remove all traces (痕迹) of human life    46    anyone arrives.
The professor said    47   has become the new religion. We expect work to provide us with a sense of identity and a means to secure our future. And because we   48   so much time in our working lives, we like to reward ourselves with material things. Frequently, we spend our money before it’s earned.   49  is an annoying worry, keeping us 50  to the work treadmill (跑步机).
The same professor suggested we    51   a Buddhist concept -- to enjoy each moment and activity for its own sake,   52  try to do lots of things at once. Since then I have been   53   the art of “living in the moment” whenever I get the chance. I have cleared my schedule of nonessential tasks,   54   house and garden plans, and turned down some extra work.
It is my mother’s illness, a once-in-a-lifetime event, that sets me   55   on the fact that we forget that time is a limited resource.
36. A. duty           B. guilt              C. sorrow             D. sympathy
37. A. live            B. be                 C. chat                D. go
38. A. concern         B. challenge           C. chance              D. trouble
39. A. demanding         B. critical             C. boring              D. amazing
40. A. almost          B. seldom            C. never               D. often
41. A. better          B. worse             C. less                D. more
42. A. tape-recorder    B. washing machine    C. air-conditioner       D. television
43. A. with           B. for               C. in                         D. to
44. A. show off       B. draw attention       C. look forward        D. get close
45. A. angrily          B. surprisingly         C. jokingly            D. seriously
46. A. after           B. when              C. as                 D. before
47. A. time           B. entertainment        C. work              D. family
48. A. invest         B. contribute          C. give               D. devote
49. A. Pressure        B. Expense           C. Life                D. Debt
50. A. led             B. chained            C. relied              D. focused
51. A. adopt          B. advocate            C. adapt               D. acquire
52. A. more than       B. instead of           C. rather than          D. other than
53. A. exercising      B. practicing           C. believing            D. holding
54. A. fixed          B. conducted          C. postponed           D. made
55. A. reflecting      B. thinking            C. considering          D. wondering

For the most part, you are probably only exposed to the music that is played on your favorite radio stations and TV shows, music Web sites, or the music that your friends and family members enjoy. While you probably know a lot about your favorite type of music, it can be a rewarding experience to enlarge your horizons（眼界）, discovering artists and types of music that you’re not familiar with. Who knows, you might discover you like certain types of music you never even considered.
Have you ever wondered about the history and influences of your favorite types of music ? For example, did you know that rock ‘n’ roll originated（起源）from the blues, and that the blues began as a form of musical expression for African Americans during slavery（奴隶制度）？Did you know that most hip-hop is heavily influenced by early rhythm blues and jazz ?
There are many fun ways to learn about different musical styles and their historical roots. For example, if you like hip-hop, listen to some of your favorite CDs and take note of the samples the performers used to create the songs. There is a possibility that the artist used parts of older songs to create the music. You can go to the library or online to learn more about the artists and listen to more of their music by checking out CDs from the library or downloading songs online for a small fee.
You can learn so much about culture and history just by paying attention to different types of music and what is being expressed in the songs. There are so many different styles of music to learn about, and you owe（欠）it to yourself to make an effort to listen to and learn about them.
【小题1】The main topic of this passage is _____.

III. Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: 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.
She's open-minded and I'm conservative(保守的). She loves vegetables and I prefer doughnuts. She saves ducks and I eat them. We are very best friends, completely ___(50)___ in everything we do, but true soul mates to the core.
It's truly an unusual relationship. Pat and I started out with the same ___(51)___ in Catholic(天主教) school, but over the years Pat could no longer handle the guilt and completely ___(52)___ her ideas, while I remain a Catholic and practice religiously.
___(53)____ our relationship sometimes has its ups and downs, it has lasted longer than any of our marriages, and ___(54)___, all of our disagreements work themselves out. We ___(55)___ our inner thoughts and dreams, and we know that our deepest darkest secrets are sacred.（神圣的）
When my father was dying, I ___(56)___ endless hours in the hospital. Pat visited ___(57)___, lifting my spirits in the midst of the sadness. Even my dad, in his final days, __(58)____ about Pat's native energy healings, after she performed one in his room, and he questioned if it was Santeria（古巴的一种宗教）—Cuban black magic. Those were the days I truly understood the meaning of ___(59)___, as she brought my Bombshell friends in, filled with gifts designed to make me laugh.
I didn't have time for new friends ___(60)___ Pat brought these Bombshell women into my life. On this day, I understood why my friend brought us all together. The compassion(同情，怜悯) and ___(61)___ I received from these women is a feeling I will ___(62)___ for the rest of my life.
Dad died that same night my friends came to see me, and Pat stood with my family at his bedside as he ___(63)___ his last breath. As my family embraced in a(n) ___(64) ___ farewell, I was thankful to God for bringing Pat into my life.
50. A. common                    B. opposite                  C. consistent                       D. same
51. A. interests                    B. ambitions                C. beliefs                          D. wishes
52. A. transformed                      B. kept                         C. develop                           D. promote
53. A. As                      B. if                             C. Though                           D. once
54. A. hardly                       B. unfortunately           C. especially                        D. finally
55. A. have                         B. share                       C. speak out                        D. change
56. A. spent                        B. kept                         C. lasted                              D. took
57. A. rarely                       B. specially                   C. carefully                         D. frequently
58. A. played                             B. joked                       C. showed                           D. brought
59. A. surprise                     B. help                        C. friendship                       D. joy
60. A. whom                        B. which                      C. because                           D. when
61. A. gifts                          B. friends                       C. love                   D. responsibility
62. A. emphasize                  B. admire                            C. value                              D. enjoy
63. A. got back                    B. took                         C. held                                D. let out
64. A. emotional                  B. amazing              C. shocking              D. unexpected

第三部分： 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
My Teacher in the School of Life
I spent the opening day of school this year at DeMatha Catholic High School in much the same way I spent the first day of classes   36   30 years ago; I sat in Dr Charles E. Offutt’s British literature class, listening to him   37   what his seniors would learn and get them excited about the journey they would  38  . I’m the principal (校长) of the school now , but for a few minutes I was back in 1975,   39  what the future held.
I have been learning from Dr Offutt for 30 of the 51 years he had been teaching at DeMatha. He not only taught me to think, he   40  me, as much by example as  41  , that it was my moral duty to do so and to serve   42   .
Neither of us could know how our  43  would develop over the years. When I first came back to DeMatha to teach English. I worked for Dr Offutt, the then department chair. After several years, I was  44  department chair, and our relationship changed   45  . I thought that it might be  46  chairing the department, since all of my former English teachers were still there, but Dr Offutt   47  me throughout. He knew when to give me   48   about curriculum, texts and personnel, and when to let me design my own course.
In 1997, I needed his advice about leaving DeMatha to become principal at another school. If he had asked me to stay at DeMatha, I might have.   49   , he encouraged me to seize the new     50  .
Five years ago, I became the   51   of DeMatha. Once again, Dr Offutt was there for me, letting me know that I could   52  on him as I tried to fill such big shoes. I’ve learned from him that great teachers have a (n)   53   wealth of lessons to teach.   54  his students don’t know it yet, I know how   55   they are; I’m still one of them.
36．A．mostly         B．exactly   C．only           D．simply
37．A．explain    B．predict   C．speak         D．teach
38．A．keep            B．achieve  C．choose    D．take
39．A．preparing    B．discovering  C．wondering   D．realizing
40．A．assisted    B．reminded       C．advised   D．convinced
41．A．words   B．action       C．explanation  D．models
42．A．the others        B．everyone       C．others          D．anyone
43．A．relationship  B．position     C．situation   D．condition
44．A．pointed      B．named       C．given          D．taken
45．A．already      B．yet   C．still          D．again
46．A．foolish     B．surprising        C．uncertain  D．challenging
47．A．promoted        B．accepted   C．supported  D．welcomed
48．A．advice       B．information       C．notice          D．thought
49．A．Otherwise       B．Therefore        C．Furthermore  D．Instead
50．A．choice    B．opportunity     C．occupation   D．possibility
51．A．teacher    B．principal  C．officer   D．clerk
52．A．live      B．look            C．depend   D．take
53．A．rich     B．little            C．valuable        D．endless
54．A．Once          B．Even if    C．Unless    D．Until
55．A．fortunate B．curious       C．innocent   D．satisfied

In January 1986 I saw a show about cartooning called “Funny Business” on TV. I had always wanted to be a __36__but never knew how. So I wrote to the host of the_37_, cartoonist Jack Cassady, asking for advice on entering the profession(职业).
Two weeks later I got a (n) __38__letter from Jack, answering my questions about materials and process(过程). He also __39__ me not to get discouraged if I was refused__40__. He said the cartoon samples（样本） I sent him were good and worthy of publication（出版）.
I got very __41__, finally understanding how the whole process__42__. I sent my best cartoons to Playboy and New Yorker, ___43___ the magazines rejected（拒绝）me immediately. Discouraged, I put my art supplies in the box and__44__to forget all about cartooning.
To my__45__, in June 1987 I got another letter from Jack, although I hadn’t even__46__ him for the former advice. Here’s what he said:
Dear Scott,
I was reviewing my “Funny Business” mail file when I again came__47__ your letter and your cartoons. I remember answering you letter.
I’m writing to encourage you to submit(提交) your ideas to various publications again. I hope you have __48__ done so and are making progress and having some__49__ too. Sometimes encouragement in the funny business is hard to come by. That’s__50__ I am encouraging you to hang in there and keep drawing.
I wish you good luck.
Sincerely,
Jack
I was deeply__51__because Jack had nothing to gain—including my thanks. I acted on his__52__, took out my art supplies and inked the sample strips(漫画连载) that__53__ became Dilbert.
I feel__54__that I wouldn’t have tried cartooning again if Jack hadn’t sent the second letter. As Dilbert became more successful I came to __55__ Jack’s simple act of kindness.