完形填空二則

楊曉東

A

My First Day

I was still shy in the presence of a crowd. And my first day at the new _1_ made me a laughing stock of the classroom. I was sent to the blackboard to write my _2_. I knew my name， and knew how to write it， but standing at the blackboard with the _3_ of so many pupils on my back made me _4_ inside and I was unable to write a single letter.

“Write your name，” the teacher called to me. I _5_ the white chalk to the blackboard and， as I was about to write， my mind went blank （空白）; I could not remember my name， _6_ the first letter.

Somebody laughed and I became _7_. “Just forget us and write your name，” the teacher called and walked to my side， _8_ at me to give me confidence.

“What's your name？” she asked. “Richard，” I _9_. “Then write it.”

I turned to the blackboard and lifted my hand to write， but then I was _10_ again. I tried to ?_11_ my senses but I could remember nothing. I realized how totally I was _12_ and I grew weak and leaned （斜靠） my hot forehead _13_ the cold blackboard. The room burst into a loud _14_ and my muscles froze. I sat and _15_ myself. Why did I always appear so speechless _16_ I was asked to perform in a crowd？ I knew how to write as well as any other pupil in the classroom， and there was no _17_ I could read better than any of them， and I could talk _18_when I was sure of myself. Then why did strange _19_ make me freeze？ I sat with my ears and neck _20_， hearing the pupils around me whisper， hating myself.

1. A. school B. house C. office D. lab

2. A. address ? ? ? B. name ? ? ? ? ? ? C. website ? ? ? ? ? D. hobby

3. A. tears ? ? ? B. pressure ? ? ? ? C. eyes ? ? ? ? ? ? D. smiles

4. A. freeze ? ? ? B. struggle ? ? ? ? C. fall ? ? ? ? ? ? ? D. think

5. A. bought ? B. picked ? ? ? ? ? C. carried out ? ? ? ? D. lifted

6. A. still ? ? ? ? ? B. ever ? ? ? ? ? ? C. even ? ? ? ? ? D. also

7. A. delighted ? ? B. nervous ? ? ? ? ? C. disappointed ? ? ? D. angry

8. A. pointing ? ? ? B. looking ? ? ? ? ? C. smiling ? ? ? ? D. waving

9. A. whispered ? ? ? B. explained ? ? ? ? C. shouted ? ? ? ? ? D. nodded

10. A. cried ? ? ? B. stupid ? ? ? ? ? C. quiet ? ? ? ? ? D. blank

11. A. form ? ? ? ? B. collect ? ? ? ? ? C. make ? ? ? ? D. lose

12. A. fighting ? ? ? B. laughing ? ? ? ? ? C. failing ? ? ? ? ? D. happy

13. A. by ? ? ? ? B. before ? ? ? ? ? C. from ? ? ? ? ? D. against

14. A. laughter ? ? ? B. noisy ? ? ? ? ? ? C. happiness ? ? ? ? ? D. cheer

15. A. calmed ? ? ? ? B. hid ? ? ? ? ? ? ? C. comforted ? ? ? ? D. blamed

16. A. where ? ? B. that ? ? ? ? ? ? C. when ? ? ? ? ? D. since

17. A. need ? ? ? ? B. doubt ? ? ? C. wonder ? ? ? ? ? D. use

18. A. correct ? ? ? B. anxiously ? ? ? ? C. clear ? ? ? ? ? ? D. freely

19. A. faces ? ? ? ? B. teachers ? ? ? ? C. headmasters ? ? ? ? D. classrooms

20. A. shaking ? ? B. suffering ? ? ? C. burning ? ? ? D. hurting

B

On the way to the university. I often read advertisements. One day， I saw in a newspaper a teacher _1_ at a school about ten miles from where I lived. Being very short of _2_ and wanting to do something useful， I applied （申請(qǐng)） for it， _3_ as I did so， that without a degree or ?_4_ of teaching my chances of getting the job were _5_.

However， three days later， a letter _6_， calling me to Corydon for a _7_ with the headmaster. It proved to be a _8_ journey; a train to Corydon station， a ten-minute bus ride and then a walk of at _9_ a quarter of a mile. As a result I arrived there， feeling _10_ hot to be nervous. It was clearly the _11_ himself that opened the door. He was short and round.

The school， he said， is made up of one _12_ of twenty-four boys between seven and thirteen. I should have to teach all the subjects except art， _13_ he taught himself. I should have to divide the class into _14_ groups and teach them in turn at three different levels， and I was ?_15_ at the thought of teaching maths _16_ at which I wasn't very good at school. Worse perhaps was the idea of _17_ to teach them on Saturday afternoon because most of my friends would be _18_ themselves at that time.

Before I had time to ask about my salary （薪水）， he got up to his _19_. “Now，” he said， “you'd better meet my wife. She is the one who really _20_ this school.”

1. A. kept ? ? B. lost ? ? ? C. wanted ? ? D. found

2. A. money ? B. time ? ? C. students ? ? D. clothes

3. A. expecting ? B. whispering ? ? C. fearing ? ? ? D. hoping

4. A. material ? ? B. experience ? ? C. means ? ? ? D. books

5. A. nice ? ? B. possible ? ? C. slight ? ? ? D. helpful

6. A. arrived ? ? B. returned ? ? C. wrote ? ? ? D. received

7. A. match ? ? ? B. meeting ? ? C. quarrel ? ? ? D. visit

8. A. difficult ? ? B. pleasant ? ? ? C. comfortable ? ? D. short

9. A. most ? ? B. least ? ? ? C. last ? ? ? D. first

10. A. very ? ? B. almost ? ? C. so ? ? ? D. too

11. A. teacher ? ? B. headmaster ? C. student ? ? D. door-keeper

12. A. group ? ? B. class ? ? C. dozen ? ? D. score

13. A. what ? ? B. that ? ? ? C. which ? ? D. this

14. A. one ? ? B. two ? ? C. three ? ? ? D. four

15. A. excited ? ? B. disappointed ? C. glad ? ? D. angry

16. A. lesson ? ? B. book ? ? C. subject ? ? D. problem

17. A. forcing ? ? B. having ? ? C. forgetting ? ? D. managing

18. A. playing ? ? B. studying ? ? C. enjoying ? ? D. helping

19. A. office ? ? B. feet ? ? ? C. hands ? ? ? D. wife

20. A. runs ? ? ? B. starts ? ? C. observes ? ? D. begins