完形填空：（包括20个小题，每小题1。5分， 共30分）

It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man was waiting for a ride across the   36  . The wait seemed   37  .

       At last he heard the slight, steady rhythm of approaching hooves (马蹄) coming along the frozen path. Anxiously, he   38   as several horsemen came around the bend (转角处). He let the first one   39  . Then another, and another. Finally, as the   40   rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue, the old man   41   the rider’s eye and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn’t appear to be a passage way by  42  .”

       The rider replied, “Sure.” Seeing the old man was unable to  43   his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman got down and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination.

       As they neared the tiny but cozy (舒适的) cottage, the horseman’s   44   caused him to ask, “Sir, I notice that you let several other riders go by without making a(n)   45   to get a ride. Then I came up and you   46   asked me for a ride. I’m curious why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider.   47   I had refused and left you there?”

       The old man replied, “I’ve been   48   here for some time. I think I know people pretty good.” He continued, “I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no   49   for my situation. But when I looked into your eyes,   50   was evident. I knew,   51  , that your gentle spirit would   52   the opportunity to give me help in my time of   53  .”

       Those heartwarming comments   54   the horseman deeply.

       “I’m most grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I   55   to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”

       With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.

1.A. town                     B. river                 C. country                    D. island

2.A. meaningless    B. useless              C. careless                    D. endless

3.A. watched         B. asked         C. waved                   D. approached

4.A. come over      B. get off                  C. pass by                     D. take off

5.A. coming          B. leaving              C. next                         D. last

6.A. missed           B. caught            C. avoided                    D. saw

7.A. bus                B. car                    C. foot                         D. horse

8.A. feel                      B. push                 C. lift                           D. stand

9.A. honesty          B. courage             C. enthusiasm            D. curiosity

10.A. choice          B. stop                  C. effort                       D. scene

11.A. immediately  B. hurriedly           C. friendly                    D. strangely

12.A. What about   B. What if             C. How come                D. If only

13.A. in                B. out                   C. around                         D. beyond

14.A. concern B. doubt                C. chance                         D. reason

15.A. meaning              B. kindness            C. seriousness            D. help

16.A. then and there                           B. for a moment 

            C. all of a sudden                 D. sooner or later

17.A. offer            B. create                C. find                         D. welcome

18.A. need             B. danger                  C. fortune                     D. happiness

19.A. influenced    B. excited              C. touched                    D. hit

20.A. happen         B. try                    C. disagree                   D. fail

 

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.

Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

 

The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and he does not.

 

44. A greenhorn now refers to ____.

 

A. a person who is new in a job                          B. a new solider

C. a young horse                                                   D. a cow without horns

45. A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.

A. who is good at growing plants                     B. whose thumbs are of green color

C. whose garden is greener than others’            D. who is younger than his neighbors

46. The author is actually talking about ____.

 

A. colors                     B. language        C. politics                            D. agriculture 

47. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier.

B. The Green Revolution may have some connection with green thumbs.

C. The green-eyed monster was probably created by William Shakespeare.

D. The green-eyed monster can be used to describe a person who is jealous.

 

I can remember the day my father came home from the war. As he walked up the front path of our home, he saw Mum and me and he dropped the suitcase.
I was only five years old so Dad made a fuss of me, then began making an even bigger fuss of my mother. This left me free to examine all the stuff lying around the broken suitcase, and I was quick to notice a newspaper advertisement displaying a new piano. When Dad saw me holding up the newspaper cutting, he smiled.
“Yes, that’s right,” he said. “I bought your mum a piano for ten pounds down and two pounds a week.”
A few moments later, a horse pulled a cart with a piano on top. Soon we all stared at it in our small lounger room. Mum had never been close to a piano before, except at the kindergarten I attended, and she used to say how wonderful it would be if the teachers could teach her to play.
After tea that night, Mum began to teach herself to play. She plinked the keys for about two hours and drove everybody in the street mad, until Dad gently said, “Enough is enough.”
From that day on, she would plink between doing the cooking and housework. Three months went by and Mum was now a skilled pianist, holding parties with all the neighbors gathering around to sing.
Although we were poor, Mum felt like a princess and was delighted at all the attention she was receiving.
At the height of Mum’s happiness, I began to notice that Dad was looking increasingly worried. It turned out that since returning from the war, he’d been unable to find a job. Then, a few weeks later, I observed two men taking Mum’s piano away. Mum sobbed in the kitchen. Suddenly, it all became clear to me: no job, no money, no piano.
Dad finally got a job. Mum was happy again as if he’d just win the lottery(彩票). Dad had to study to qualify as an account. Every night after dinner he’d place a stack of books on the kitchen table and study late into the night. Mum didn’t say much but I could tell she was proud of Dad.
Two years later, Dad bought Mum another piano. This time he paid cash for it.
【小题1】How did the author’s Dad buy the piano for his mum?

A．He paid part of the bill regularly.

B．He earned it by winning a bet.

C．He paid cash for it.

D．He bought it as a big bargain.

【小题2】By saying “Enough is enough”, the author’s dad meant_______.

A．practice makes perfect

B．it was time to stop practicing

C．he couldn’t bear being troubled

D．his wife played the piano well enough

【小题3】What happened to the author’s mum’s first piano?

A．It was lost.

B．It was broken by one neighbor.

C．It was sold by his dad.

D．It was taken away.

【小题4】What made the author’s mum proud of his dad?

A．His dad’s willingness to help cook.

B．His dad’s winning the lottery luckily.

C．His dad’s loyalty to his motherland.

D．His dad’s determination to rebuild his life.

We all know that the painting, named Racing Horse, is a(n) ______ example of Xu Beihong’s style.

A．traditional         B．artificial           C．typical            D．unique

 

I can remember the day my father came home from the war. As he walked up the front path of our home, he saw Mum and me and he dropped the suitcase.

I was only five years old so Dad made a fuss of me, then began making an even bigger fuss of my mother. This left me free to examine all the stuff lying around the broken suitcase, and I was quick to notice a newspaper advertisement displaying a new piano. When Dad saw me holding up the newspaper cutting, he smiled.

“Yes, that’s right,” he said. “I bought your mum a piano for ten pounds down and two pounds a week.”

A few moments later, a horse pulled a cart with a piano on top. Soon we all stared at it in our small lounger room. Mum had never been close to a piano before, except at the kindergarten I attended, and she used to say how wonderful it would be if the teachers could teach her to play.

After tea that night, Mum began to teach herself to play. She plinked the keys for about two hours and drove everybody in the street mad, until Dad gently said, “Enough is enough.”

From that day on, she would plink between doing the cooking and housework. Three months went by and Mum was now a skilled pianist, holding parties with all the neighbors gathering around to sing.

Although we were poor, Mum felt like a princess and was delighted at all the attention she was receiving.

At the height of Mum’s happiness, I began to notice that Dad was looking increasingly worried. It turned out that since returning from the war, he’d been unable to find a job. Then, a few weeks later, I observed two men taking Mum’s piano away. Mum sobbed in the kitchen. Suddenly, it all became clear to me: no job, no money, no piano.

Dad finally got a job. Mum was happy again as if he’d just win the lottery(彩票). Dad had to study to qualify as an account. Every night after dinner he’d place a stack of books on the kitchen table and study late into the night. Mum didn’t say much but I could tell she was proud of Dad.

Two years later, Dad bought Mum another piano. This time he paid cash for it.

1.How did the author’s Dad buy the piano for his mum?

A．He paid part of the bill regularly.

B．He earned it by winning a bet.

C．He paid cash for it.

D．He bought it as a big bargain.

2.By saying “Enough is enough”, the author’s dad meant_______.

A．practice makes perfect

B．it was time to stop practicing

C．he couldn’t bear being troubled

D．his wife played the piano well enough

3.What made the author’s mum proud of his dad?

A．His dad’s willingness to help cook.

B．His dad’s winning the lottery luckily.

C．His dad’s loyalty to his motherland.

D．His dad’s determination to rebuild his life.