完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I grew up poor－living with my wonderful mother. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I was 21 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 22 a dream.
My dream was 23 . By the time I was sixteen, I started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and 24 anything that moved on the football field. I was also 25 : My high school coach was John, who not only believed in me, but also taught me 26 to believe in myself. He 27 me the difference between having a dream and remaining true to that dream. One particular 28 with Coach John changed my life forever.
A friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket－money
for a new bike, new clothes and the 29 of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to 30 up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell John I wouldn’t be playing.
When I told John, he was 31 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work, ”He said. “Your 32 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them. ”I stood before him with my head 33 , trying to think of the 34 that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 35 in me.
“How much are you going to make at this job, son? ”He asked. “3.5 dollars an hour, ”I replied.
“Well, ”he asked, “is $3.5 an hour the price of a dream? ”
That simple question made 
36 for me the difference between 37 something right now and having a 38 . I decided myself to play sports that summer and the next year I was 39 by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was 40 a $20,000 contract（agreement）. In 1999, I bought my mother the house of my dream!
A．happy B．polite C．shy D．honest
A．live B．afford C．make D．need
A．athletics B．music C．business D．money
A．kick B．play C．pass D．hit
A．right B．popular C．lucky D．confident
A．how B．why C．when D．whether
A．gave B．taught C．brought D．asked
A．accident B．matter C．problem D．experience
A．keep B．end C．give D．pick
A．mad B．mournful C．frightened D．shameful
A．living B．playing C．working D．learning
A．moving B．nodding C．shaking D．hanging
A．answers B．excuses C．words D．ways
A．sadness B．regret C．hopelessness D．disappointment
A．direct B．clear C．straight D．bare
A．wanting C．dreaming D．enjoying
A．wish B．goal C．score D．desire
A．fired B．accompanied C．avoided D．hired
A．paid B．got C．offered D．presented
My dad's company used to provide rental accommodations for its employees. Usually the accommodations were in buildings and we were on Level 4.
For two years,my dad had been trying his application for a level house to make the much easier for my mom who had complications (并发症）after her second operation. She was advised to have outdoor but going up the stairs every day was for her. As luck would have it, my dad's ground level application was . Hearing the good news Mum and Dad were extremely to move into the ground level accommodation in a separate building.
Without wasting time, they did the big the following Saturday and Mum's 45 was removed. The following Monday, when my dad was about to enter the house, he saw an old lady and her old husband to bring a wheelchair down the stairs. He was and moved. When he ran quickly to48 them，the old lady said,"Don't worry,son. We are used to it now. We have been doing the same thing for our daughter during the past 15years. ” Her kind and yet sad words my dad in the heart.
The following Saturday,my mum and dad the apartment with the old couple and they were back to Level 4 in their previous building.
My father was dead for twenty years， it is still in my memory that every time the old couple my dad and me anywhere, they would just look at us with in their tearful eyes and say to me,"You have an angel for a father!”and it brought tears of to my eyes every time.
A．commercial B．multi-level C．three-storey D．historic
A．ground B．top C．fourth D．higher
A．work B．treatment C．climb D．visit
A．cured B．lessened C．suffered D．treated.
A．practice B．education C．training D．exercise
A．confusing B．different C．exciting D．difficult
A．approved B．delayed C．rejected D．developed
A．serious B．eager C．proud D．curious
A．job B．offer C．return D．move
A．anxiety B．excitement C．happiness D．illness
A．stopping B．waiting C．learning D．struggling
A．satisfied B．shocked C．interested D．encouraged
A．inform B．greet C．help D．serve
A．disabled B．intelligent C．lucky D．careless
A．inspired B．struck C．broke D．disappointed
A．sold B．shared C．compared D．exchanged
A．since B．for C．but D．so
A．described B．met C．reminded D．praised
A．appreciation B．sadness C．regret D．envy
A．sorrow B．admiration C．pride D．guilt
If you are a modern art lover, you should be sure to drop by the Saatchi Gallery during your visit to London. The original gallery was by Charles Saatchi, a British art collector for founding the Saatchi and Saatchi advertising agency with his brother. It moved from its old in St. John’s Wood to its new home in County Hall near the Thames in the spring of 2003.
Anyone who has heard in the past of the often shocking but always inspiring works on at the Saatchi Gallery will not be when visiting the gallery’s new location. Along with the of new British artists, the gallery still the works of Damien Hirst, the Chapman brothers, and Tracy Emin in its permanent .
Of the artworks, one can see in the Saatchi Gallery, Hirst’s works are probably the most . Hirst’s work first made headlines in the early 1990s when he art from dead animals.
Along with Hirst, the Chapman brothers, Dinos and Jake, also a certain amount of their fame to the Saatchi Gallery. It was through Saatchi these two brothers came to public attention. At the gallery, visitors can see the brothers’vision of Hell, made from 30, 000 plastic toy soldiers.
Another artist featured at the gallery who has grabbed with her art is Tracy Emin. In 1998, Emin gave to argument when she sold her messy, unmade bed to Saatchi as a work of art My Bed at ￡150, 000.
Are any of these works really art? That is a question you will have to answer for when you visit the Saatchi Gallery. Charles Saatchi himself says, “I don’t have any ground rules for art. Sometimes you look and don’t feel very with it—but that doesn’t tell you very much. It doesn’t reveal much about the quality of the work.”
A．repaired B．opened C．built D．rented
A．keen B．suitable C．eager D．famous
A．location B．history C．city D．society
A．concerts B．reports C．rumors D．advice
A．store B．board C．display D．sale
A．addicted B．interested C．disappointed D．worried
A．business B．story C．exhibits D．tradition
A．produces B．publishes C．revises D．includes
A．collection B．station C．memory D．basement
A．ready-made B．well-known C．well-prepared D．easy-going
A．copied B．created C．invented D．discovered
A．devote B．suggest C．bring D．owe
A．when B．why C．that D．while
A．headlines B．position C．advantages D．occupations
A．way B．rise C．anxiety D．hope
A．adapted B．written C．referred D．titled
A．yourself B．it C．them D．one
A．praising B．judging C．appreciating D．studying
A．surprised B．confused C．comfortable D．acceptable
A．necessarily B．exactly C．completely D．likely
Challenges and tough experiences can help you find out who you really are.
About 2 years ago, I was in one of my first taekwondo (跆拳道) championships (锦标赛). I was very in myself My opponent (对手) was skinny. The thoughts in my head were something like "She's so of course you'll win". As the match started, my opponent's true came out. She came straight at me and landed a head kick on me, three points in the first five seconds. I was so shocked, and forgot everything my coach said. I was kicking , in hopes of not losing. But hit me. I lost 21-5.1 had never lost before. I was afraid of the girl, and to me, her name was with defeat.
The experience lasted with me. I worked and trained harder than before. I listened to my wholeheartedly and made sure I was not overconfident. The following year, I the same girl once again at the state championships. I was But with encouragement from my coach, I some confidence. When the fight started, I did not panic like the previous match but listened to my coach's . His voice me around the ring (拳击场), attacking at key moments. The main thought in my head was not about winning or losing, doing my best. Eventually, I won. My hard work, and listening to my coach all . My opponent had the skinny figure, but did not frighten me anymore.
From this experience, I learned not to let confidence overshadow reality. It is important to_ the fact that there are people better than you. But with this idea in mind, you can work hard to become that person mat is better. This experience also taught me not to judge others based on their .
A．competing B．struggling C．playing D．quarrelling
A．proud B．confident C．content D．ashamed
A．young B．tiny C．strong D．ugly
A．expression B．sense C．personality D．figure
A．taking B．catching C．reaching D．scoring
A．surprised B．panicked C．tired D．excited
A．angrily B．bravely C．blindly D．cautiously
A．reality B．courage C．imagination D．memory
A．filled B．associated C．mixed D．compared
A．coach B．teammate C．opponent D．judge
A．recognized B．faced C．admired D．reminded
A．afraid B．courageous C．delighted D．alone
A．lacked B．borrowed C．developed D．remembered
A．judgment B．praise C．encouragement D．advice
A．showed B．forced C．kept D．directed
A．but B．or C．so D．and
A．paid back B．called off C．called back D．paid off
A．different B．same C．rare D．common
A．oppose B．ignore C．receive D．accept
A．appearances B．words C．description D．behavior
Predictions of many robots in industry have yet come true. For ten years or more, manufacturers of big robots have explained how their machines can make industry more competitive and productive. The maker for robots is oversupplied now, and the driving force of the robotics revolution is to be with the maker of machines that handle a few kilos at most.
"Heavy-robot manufacturers are in some difficulty finding customers. They are offering big just to get in the door. There has been a growth everywhere in the numbers of robots, so we admit we are either deceiving or that the market is slowly growing，" said John Reekie, chairman of Colen Robotics. "The following things must hap-pen the robotics revolution to occur. We must achieve widespread robot literacy. there has been a computer program, there must be a robot literacy program. ，some kind of artificial intelligence needs to be ”
Colen makes educational robots and machine tools. It is small with companies like ASEA or Fujitsu Fanuc. But Colen with others in departments in universities such as Surrey, Manchester, and Dur-ham possesses an advantage the giants. The big companies sell very expensive to businesses with expert knowledge in automation. The companies make robots for teaching people, and now they have realized that there is a need for small， robots that they can meet.
The little companies either bring their educational machines an industrial standard or design from the start. One technique that they all adopt is to choose (18） components where possible. The major cost of making their models is the electronics, which will fall in price. There is scope for reductions in mechanical costs. The use of standard parts，which are easily replaced, should give these robots a mechanical life of something in the order of five years.
A．small B．educational C．big D．business
A．claimed B．called C．thought D．told
A．to B．with C．over D．in
A．money B．discounts C．prices D．costs
A．exciting B．encouraging C．satisfying D．disappointing
A．ourselves B．customers C．companies D．us
A．to B．for C．in D．with
A．As if B．Even though C．Just as D．Although
A．custom B．literacy C．poem D．tradition
A．However B．Finally C．Whereas D．Because
A．capable B．possible C．probable D．available
A．compared B．comparing C．contrasted D．contrasting
A．than B．above C．over D．from
A．took B．robots C．machines D．electronics
A．other B．big C．little D．robot
A．expensive B．artificial C．educational D．low-cost
A．up to B．on C．in D．about
A．mechanical B．standard C．cheap D．small
A．much B．many C．both D．some
A．more B．less C．no D．least
I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And otherwise assigned a seat by the teacher, I always to sit at the back of the classroom.
All this after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy because I didn’t have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my “ for it”, I wouldn’t have decided to give it a try.
Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts was only the of it! When I first started the practice sessions, I didn’t even know the rules of the game, much what I was doing. Sometimes I’d get and take a shot at the wrong direction—which made me feel really stupid. , I wasn’t the only one “new” at the game, so I decided to on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not to be too hard on myself for the things I didn’t “just yet”.
I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the and the “moves”. Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive in me was winning over my lack of confidence. With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the --friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!
With my self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates. I have gone from “ “in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself, raising my hand—even when I sometimes wasn’t 100 percent I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.
A．as B．until C．unless D．though
A．hoped B．agreed C．meant D．chose
A．continued B．changed C．settled D．started
A．idea B．plan C．belief D．saying
A．right B．chance C．ability D．patience
A．going B．looking C．cheering D．applying
A．point B．half C．rest D．basis
A．enjoying B．preparing C．attending D．watching
A．less B．later C．worse D．further
A．committed B．motivated C．embarrassed D．confused
A．Interestingly B．Fortunately C．Obviously D．Hopefully
A．focus B．act C．rely D．try
A．want B．do C．support D．know
A．steps B．orders C．rules D．games
A．role B．part C．mind D．value
A．process B．operation C．movement D．situation
A．expressed B．improved C．preserved D．recognized
A．dreaming B．playing C．relaxing D．hiding
A．by B．for C．with D．To
A．lucky B．happy C．sure D．Satisfied