完形填空 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从41—55各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Never Save Something Beautiful for That Special Day

　　Years ago I was talking with a classmate in Sydney. At the time his wife had just passed away not too long ago. He told me while going through her things, he found a silk scarf _1  in a designer store when they had traveled to New York City. The scarf was beautiful, with elegant _2 , and a high price tag still hanging. His wife begrudged wearing it; she was _3  it for a special day.

　　He _4  at that moment; I didn't say anything either. After a long pause he said: “Never save something beautiful for that special day. Each _5  day is a special day.”

　　Whenever I _6  what he had said, I would put down the things I was doing to grab a novel, turn on the music and lie down on the couch to _7  some time for myself. I would appreciate the glorious scenery of the Tanshui River through a French window, _8  the dust gathered on the glass. I would take my wife out to _9 , not thinking what to do with the meal already cooked. Life should be the experience we truly cherish, not days we just have to endure.

　　One time I shared the above conversation with a lady. When I saw her again, she told me that she no longer _10  the beautiful china in a cabinet. She had thought to save them for a special day, only to discover that it never _11  came. “Future”, “someday” are not contained in her _12  any more. If there are things that are pleasant or make her complacent, she wants to hear or see them now.

　　We often hope to gather with old friends, but always say, “let's find a(n) _13 .” We often want to hug our grown children, but always wait for the appropriate moment. We often want to write to our spouses to express our strong affection or to show our deep admiration, but always tell ourselves that there is no need to _14 . In fact, each morning when we open our eyes, we should tell ourselves that this is a special day. Each day, each minute is so incredibly _15 .

With alarming regularity, we read about oil tankers having accidents near land and the terrible consequences of the oil spills(泄露) on people, nature, and the environment．

Millions of dollars have been used in developing special chemicals to help dismiss the spills and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil．Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea．

Of all today's environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious．Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material．In the end, it breaks down naturally．There are, of course, long-term effects, but it is usually more serious in the short term．

Nature by itself works better than chemical materials, but when there is a spill, we demand that governments act immediately with as much hi-tech knowledge as possible．In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Scilly Isles n ear the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tons of oil into the ocean．If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened．

Governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage．Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run.

We should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil．Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power, electricity, hydrogen, and so on．Much of this research has, in the past, been held back by the oil, gas, and coal．

If the world's millions of cars were 10% more efficient —and the industry could easily produce cars at least twice as efficient, we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year．If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too．

What is the passage mainly talking about?

A. Oil spills pollution．                        B. What oil pollution is．

C. Oil tanker accidents.                   D. How to reduce oil pollution.

How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people

believe?

A. By giving a description．                 B. By making an argument．

C. By giving an example．                 D. By drawing a diagram．

What does the underlined word "risk" in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A. Transportation depending more on oil．

B. Poisonous oil breaking down naturally．

C. Millions of tons of oil spilling into the sea．

D. More environmental damage being caused．

Which suggestion is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?

A. We should build safer tankers in the near future．

B. We should develop new technologies to cut oil use．

C. Tankers should not be allowed to sail near the coastlines．

D. Countries should build more oil pipelines under the sea．

One winter during college in New York, I took an 8: 00 a.m. history class. The professor was very __36  in class. He just looked at his lecture notes and __37__ looked up at us. I felt that I needed to get rid of my boredom, so I created a little __38__ for myself. I tried to find something from his lecture to ask a question about, forcing me to __39__ rather than letting my eyes close. The first time I raised my hand, he was surprised, but obviously pleased to have a question to answer. __40__ , his answers were always interesting. I continued to do this every day in the course and found my-self ac tually __41__ the material. The professor became a bit more __42__ and some other students also joined me in asking questions. My little game had __43__ me from being bored, __44__ it was expected to do. I learned a lot about world history in the discussions with him. The professor obviously knew his material, but had a hard time __45__ it on to his undergraduates in an interesting way. On the last day of class we gathered our books and headed for the door for the last time. The shy professor stepped directly in front of me as I reached the door. "Thank you for making this class so interesting,"

he said. I was so surprised. To me, it had been a pleasant way to pass the time; I had no idea that my asking questions had an effect on him and the others at all. That moment has stayed with me for 30 years. Each of us can have a(n) __46__ not just on our own experiences, but on those of others, and I’ll never forget the professor who taught me a lesson about the power of acts of kindness, intended __47__ not.

1. A. peaceful          B. accustomed           C. nervous     D. absent

2.A. frequently         B. suddenly             C. nearly   D. rarely

3. A. game          B. prize                C. toy     D. advantage

4. A. stare             B. concentrate          C. comment      D. present

5. A. Therefore         B. Otherwise            C. In fact   D. On the contrary

6. A. improving         B. writing              C. misunderstanding     D. enjoying

7.A. relaxed       B. graceful             C. serious D. clever

8. A. separated         B. saved           C. awoken   D. avoided

9.A. which          B. since                C. as           D.what

10. A. carrying         B. passing     C. bringing          D. putting

11. A. idea    B. effect       C. effort               D. power

12. A. and          B. so           C. or               D. but

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

A great many people are disappointed because of unrealistic expectations.

Walking up to a department store’s cloth counter, a(n)  1   young woman said, “I want to buy this material for a new dress. How much does it cost?”

“Only one   2   per yard,” replied the smirking (自鸣得意的) male clerk.

Not to be taken back by the funny words, the woman said,” That’s fine! I’ll take ten yards.”

With   3  written all over his face, the clerk   4   measured out and wrapped the cloth, then held it out teasingly,  5  forward to receive his “  6  ”.

The woman got the package quickly from the clerk and pointed to a little old man standing beside her. “Grandpa will pay the bill instead of me,” she   7  .

He was no doubt disappointed. But in the course of living, many people are  8         when others do not   9  their expectations. In order to be happy, some expectations must be dropped. These three particular   10   and unhealthy expectations are some of the main causes:

1. Expect too much  11  .When others say, “Thank you,” or in any way to show their gratitude, be happy. It is a gift!

2. Expect others to make you happy. They simply cannot do that. Make yourself happy and       12  your joy with others.

3. Expect not to be  13   . At times, people will simply not come through for you in the way you need.  14   them and move on.

Get rid of these three unrealistic expectations and you can begin to expect more   15        right away!

1.                A．tricky          B．attractive       C．ugly D．generous

2.                A．kiss            B．pay            C．dollar    D．cent

3.                A．happiness       B．enjoyment      C．expectation   D．courage

4.                A．hurriedly       B．slowly          C．patiently  D．curiously

5.                A．setting         B．sitting          C．leaning   D．taking

6.                A．reward         B．payment        C．bonus    D．money

7.                A．smiled         B．begged         C．waved    D．thought

8.                A．encouraged     B．disappointed     C．annoyed  D．surprised

9.                A．live up to       B．go against       C．go without D．hope for

10.               A．reasonable      B．proper         C．unimportant    D．unrealistic

11.               A．profit          B．kiss            C．appreciation    D．disappointment

12.               A．spare          B．share          C．make D．control

13.               A．put down       B．let down        C．taken down D．thrown down

14.               A．Forgive         B．Punish         C．Blame D．Praise

15.               A．happiness       B．encouragement  C．excitement D．pride