Mary speaks with a strong southern accent so that she is taking classes to      herself of it.

第二節(jié)：完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，共30分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從36---55各題后的 A B C D四個選項中選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。
A gift left to her
Early in the morning, I was taken in a nylon bag into a truck. I felt horrible as well as ___36___What would she do with me? She was almost mad after the___37__of her husband.
A few minutes later, I heard the truck___38__its engine and move fast. I kept making sounds to show my protest, but failed to make any___39___ Finally she put me down in a __40__place. Maybe she didn’t want me to die from lack of air; she untied the bag.
I ___41___ out and looked up, only to see many strange faces and fingers pointing at me.
It turned out that my owner meant to___42___ me. I saw my owner on the truck, which was going farther and farther. So I cast my head ___43__the direction of the truck. The days we spent together was like a movie playing in front of my eyes as I ran after the truck. I saw my male owner, who suffered liver cancer; look at me with his sad eyes. I saw myself___44__my owner everywhere; I saw him lie in his dying bed, she all___45__.
I ran as fast as I could. And the___46___I saw her wave to me, my eyes became wet. I wouldn’t blame her for treating me like this for she was such a (n) ___47___ lady. She seemed even somewhat ___48___ at his leaving her alone, trying many ways to ___49___the pains of losing him. She ___50___ his pictures and clothes, and she redecorated the whole house. Now I was the only ___51___ thing to remind her of him. ___52___ later, I am pretty sure that she would realize how mad she was to do this…
The truck finally stopped when I was almost ___53___. She ran up to me and hugged me ___54___. I heard her ___55___: “I know you are a present he left to me.”
36. A. puzzled           B. excited          C. delighted             D. frightened
37. A. separation           B. absence       C. departure           D. death
38. A. run                        B. begin            C. start                    D. operate
39. A. sense                  B. trouble                 C. effort                      D. difference
40. A. usual                  B. strange              C. familiar               D. dark
41. A. walked        B. rushed           C. ran                      D. struggled
42. A. harm               B. desert            C. punish                      D. sell
43. A. into                    B. at                        C. in                            D. to
44. A. follow            B. bring            C. guide                        D. support
45. A. with tears            B. in tears                 C. out of breath        D. in silence
46. A. time                  B. direction       C. way                    D. moment
47. A. cruel                  B. unfriendly     C. unfavorable          D. unfortunate
48. A. calm                   B. depressed      C. angry                       D. sad
49. A. kill                        B. remove             C. bear                    D. prevent
50. A. kept                   B. burned                 C. sold                    D. hit
51. A. moving           B. walking         C. existing               D. blessing
52. A. But                    B. And                  C. Thus                   D. Then
53. A. worn out             B. knocked out    C. left out               D. made out
54. A. tightly            B. patiently        C. sadly               D. desperately
55. A. shout                  B. speak            C. whisper            D. talk

 She had prepared carefully for her English examination so that she could be sure of passing it on her first ________. 
A. try              B. attempt           C. purpose         D. hope

Childhood memories _______ the new gardener that she has a little nature knowledge after all.

It is the third time that she has won the race, ______ has surprised us all.