It was at the very beginning _____ Mr. Fox made the decision _____ we should send more fire-fighters there.

完形填空：（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
In history,a real cowboy was a simple farm worker on horseback．He spent a long time a day outdoors working with cows．The work was dirty,tiring and not very well paid．
People in the western states had to __36__ cattle at low cost and send them by railway to the eastern __37__．But someone had to __38__ the cattle and get them to the nearest railroad．This was the job of a cowboy．Sometimes the __39__ was more than a thousand kilometers away and it could take as __40__ as six months to move the cattle．The __41__ was long but the cattle were driven __42__ as not to lose __43__．Then they could be sold at a good price．
Most cowboys were young, __44__ men．A good horse _45__ their job of moving cattle much easier．A good cowboy __46__ cows and knew how to control them．At night,he __47__ to the cows to keep them calm．
In the late 1800s,America was changing from a nation of farm to one of __48__ and cities．The cowboy seemed __49__ compared with other Americans doing ordinary jobs．
Today,the __50__ of cowboys has __51__ greatly．One change is the use of trucks．The job is not so hard __52__ it used to be．And cowboys are better __53__ now．They are _54__ to be married．Some of them are farmers or teachers or truck drivers．Some work for big companies．
__55__ at night and on weekends,they become cowboys．These part-time cowboys increase the total production of meat,keeping the beef price low．

Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine’s Day.One legend dates as far back as the days of the Roman Empire.According to the story,Claudius,the Emperor of Rome,wanted to increase the size of his army.He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join.Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army.

A priest(牧师) named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people.Finally,Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison,where he remained until his death on February 14.

After his death,Valentine was made a saint(圣人),and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine’s Day.It became the custom for lovers to send each other message on this day.Now Saint Valentine’s Day is a time for people to send one another greeting of many kinds.

February 14,Valentine’s Day,is sweethearts’ day,on which people in love with each other express their tender(温柔的) emotions.

People sometimes put their love message in a heartshaped box of chocolates,or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons(带子).Words of letters may be written on the flower covered card,or something else.Whatever the form may be,the message is almost the same：”Will you be my Valentine?”

1.Valentine was put in prison because 　　　.

A.he secretly got married　　　　　　　　 B.he didn’t serve in the army

C.he married many young people secretly　　 D.he broke the laws

2.According to the rule,　　 .

A.no young men could get married unless they were old enough

B.young men could marry if they served in the army for several years

C.no one could get married without the emperor’s permission

D.young men could marry only in the army

3.This passage mainly tells us about 　　　.

A.how Valentine died　　　　　　　　 B.the Emperor of Rome

C.how Valentine’s Day is celebrated　　　　 D.the origin Valentine’s Day

4.February 14 is chosen as Valentine’s Day because 　　　.

A.lovers express their tender emotions on this day

B.people want to remember Valentine

C.people send one another greetings of many kinds on this day

D.people want to fix a date for lovers to express their emotionse

In peace, too , the Red Cross is expected to send help _________there is human suffering.

第二节：完型填空（共20 小题；每小题1分；满分20分）
She was a four-year-old girl with very fine golden hair when I first met her. She was carrying a bowl of soup. I was 29 at that time and   11   from the flu.
Her mom and I had been friends for years.   12   that friendship grew into care, from care into   13   and marriage. Marriage brought the three of us together as a   14  . At first I was afraid to be a “stepfather”. Therefore, I tried not to come   15   my future daughter and her   16   father. I acted in that way in order to be liked. However,   17   she was growing up, I found it increasingly hard to   18   with her.
Once her school required the parents to individually(个别的) write an open and   19   letter to our children. I wrote a letter about a little golden-haired girl who had   20   me a bowl of soup when I needed   21  .
A week later,  all the parents   22   together with our children. The students were allowed to make a few statements. I was   23   to hear what my daughter would say.
Finally my daughter   24   make her way up to the microphone. She said something like others and then   25  , “At this very moment, I just want to say …I love you, Father.”
Immediately people around me started   26   at me. For a teenage girl to say  27   in front of so many people, “I love you,” took a great deal of courage.
Since then I have   28   to understand I didn’t need to have any   29   about being a stepfather. I can still   30   honest love with the same little girl I met so many years before － carrying a bowl full of what turned out to be kindness. I can also be friends with the girl － my dear daughter.
11. A. hurting               B. attacking           C. suffering           D. experiencing
12. A. Immediately        B. Finally              C. Especially         D. Generally
13. A. like                    B. pleasure            C. excitement         D. love
14. A. union                 B. group                C. family               D. whole
15. A. between                 B. among                     C. from                 D. for
16. A. natural                B. following          C. untrue               D. old
17. A. after                   B. as                     C. with                  D. before
18. A. connect               B. share                 C. communicate     D. argue
19. A. honest                B. formal                     C. powerful           D. responsible
20. A. taken                 B. shown               C. shared               D. brought
21. A. cure                   B. care                  C. help                  D. friend
22. A. presented            B. invited                     C. gathered            D. asked
23. A. glad                   B. hopeful             C. serious              D. anxious
24. A. determinedly          B. independently    C. patiently            D. unexpectedly
25. A. lasted                 B. declared            C. continued          D. responded
26. A. hugging                     B. smiling             C. kissing              D. celebrating
27. A. quietly                B. openly                     C. brightly             D. attractively
28. A. used                   B. stepped             C. desired              D. come
29. A. courage                     B. fear                  C. happiness          D. idea
30. A. exchange            B. send                  C. expect               D. fall