Question

    I was successful at my job. I worked very hard, but it _______ me and my family a fabulous lifestyle. I’d worked for the same company for twenty years and had worked my way up to department director. _______, one afternoon last May, I was called to the office, and it was _______ explained to me that they were letting me go. I just sat there _______ they talked on and all I could think was, “I’ve _______.” I’d been so well respected _______ I was of no value.

For six weeks, I was in a very _______ place. I wandered around my house like a zombie(僵尸). I could _______ things needed doing, but would not do anything. My beliefs in looking forward and seeing the positive in everything _______ me.

Then, in late June, my youngest son’s football team made the city cup final. The year before, he’d been very sad when I __________ the same final, so he was __________ when I told him I’d go. Not only did they win, but the look on his face as he saw me __________ him on was unbelievable. From then on, I spent the summer enjoying their passions. I attended match after match and performances of my elder son’s band — I __________ went to another city to watch him play. These moments were so __________. My life had been so much devoted to __________ for so long, and I felt __________ that my sons were happy to welcome me into their world.

__________, being unemployed gave me back a sense of purpose — I was someone’s mum! I felt a sense of being __________ again. Now I feel more positive about my professional __________ and I’m getting on better with my family than I ever have. Losing my job made me realize just how __________ it is to achieve real balance in life.

1.A.promised B.afforded C.showed D.left

2.A.Therefore B.Anyhow C.Otherwise D.However

3.A.quickly B.gently C.partly D.easily

4.A.until B.after C.as D.so

5.A.failed B.finished C.tried D.changed

6.A.suddenly B.finally C.immediately D.shortly

7.A.secret B.quiet C.lonely D.dark

8.A.see B.get C.suggest D.understand

9.A.defended B.directed C.deserted D.disturbed

10.A.watched B.missed C.lost D.won

11.A.disappointed B.worried C.honoured D.delighted

12.A.cheering B.taking C.leading D.passing

13.A.just B.even C.still D.almost

14.A.hopeful B.meaningful C.difficult D.strange

15.A.work B.family C.matches D.performances

16.A.successful B.thoughtful C.thankful D.peaceful

17.A.Naturally B.Doubtfully C.Disagreeably D.Unexpectedly

18.A.employed B.comforted C.valued D.encouraged

19.A.education B.experience C.relationship D.future

20.A.important B.interesting C.simple D.surprising

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.C

5.A

6.A

7.D

8.A

9.C

10.B

11.D

12.A

13.B

14.B

15.A

16.C

17.D

18.C

19.D

20.A

【解析】

文章大意：本文讲述了作者一直认为自己的事业是成功的，但是有一天却被解雇了，在经历了一段灰暗时间后，作者回归了家庭，享受到了与孩子们一起的欢乐时光，这时作者认识自己以前太忙于工作，决定要平衡工作与家庭。

1.句意：我工作很辛苦，但它能给我和我的家人提供一种极好的生活方式。

promised承诺；afforded提供；showed展示；left离开。根据题干中“but it ___ me and my family a fabulous lifestyle”可知此处是说工作给作者和家人提供了极好的生活方式，用afforded符合题意。故选B。

2.句意：然而，去年五月的一个下午，我被叫到办公室……

Therefore因此；Anyhow总之；Otherwise否则；However然而。根据下文中“they were letting me go”可知语意出现转折，用However符合题意。故选D。

3.句意：……温和地向我解释说他们打算让我走。

quickly快速地；gently温和地；partly部分地；easily容易地。根据题干中“they were letting me go”可知要辞退作者，礼貌起见，要用客气的语气表达，用gently符合题意。故选B。

4.句意：当他们继续谈话时我只是坐在那里……

until直到……为止；after在……之后；as当……时；so因此。根据题干中“I just sat there ____ they talked on”可知前后两个动作同时进行，用as引导时间状语从句。故选C。

5.句意：我失败了。

failed失败；finished完成；tried试图；changed改变。根据上文中“I was successful at my job.”可知此处与上文说的“成功的”形成对比，用failed符合题意。故选A。

6.句意：我一直都受到尊重，突然间我却一文不值了。

suddenly突然；finally最终；immediately立刻；shortly不久。根据上文“all I could think was, ‘I’ve ____.’”作者的反应很大，由此可知作者突然觉得自己很没用，用suddenly符合题意。故选A。

7.句意：六个星期，我仿佛陷身在一个黑暗的地方。

secret秘密的；quiet安静的；lonely孤独的；dark黑暗的。根据下文“I wandered around my house like a zombie.”可知我是心情不好的，用dark符合句意。故选D。

8.句意：我能看到有事情需要做，但是不去做任何事情。

see看见；get得到；suggest建议；understand明白。根据题干中“but would not do anything”可知作者是看得到有事情需要做，用see符合题意。故选A。

9.句意：我展望未来、积极乐观的信念离我而去。

defended保卫；directed指导；deserted离弃；disturbed打扰。根据上文中“I wandered around my house like a zombie.”讲作者像僵尸一样游荡，可知“展望未来、积极乐观的信念”已经离作者而去，用desert符合题意。故选C。

10.句意：去年，他一直很难过，我错过了相同的决赛……

watched观看；missed错过；lost丢失；won赢得。根据题干中“he’d been very sad”可推出是说我错过了相同的决赛。故选B。

11.句意：……因此当我告诉他我会去的时候，他很高兴。

disappointed失望的；worried担忧的；honoured荣幸的；delighted高兴的。根据上文中“he’d been very sad”可知我错过的时候他难过，由此推出能去的时候他会高兴，用delighted符合题意。故选D。

12.句意：他们不仅赢了，而且当他看到我为他加油时脸上的表情也是难以置信的。

cheering欢呼；taking带去；leading领导；passing通过。根据题干中“___ him on”可知要用短语cheer on表示“为……加油”。故选A。

13.句意：我甚至去另一个城市看他表演。

just只是；even甚至；still仍然；almost几乎。根据上文中“I attended match after match and performances of my elder son’s band”可知不只参与了比赛和表演，还跑到另一个城市去看他表演，此处表示程度的深化，用even符合题意。故选B。

14.句意：这些时刻是如此有意义的。

hopeful有希望的；meaningful有意义的；difficult困难的；strange奇怪的。根据下文“being unemployed gave me back a sense of purpose — I was someone’s mum!”可知与孩子们一起的时光使“我”意识到我是一个妈妈，由此可推出这些时刻是有意义的。故选B。

15.句意：长久以来，我的生活都致力于工作，……

work工作；family家庭；matches比赛；performances表演。根据上文中“I’d worked for the same company for twenty years”可知作者长期以来致力于工作。故选A。

16.句意：我感到欣慰的是，我的儿子很高兴地欢迎我进入他们的世界。

successful成功的；thoughtful体贴的；thankful欣慰的；peaceful平静的。根据题干中“my sons were happy to welcome me into their world”可知孩子们依旧欢迎作者进入他们的世界，由此可推出作者是欣慰的。故选C。

17.句意：出乎意料地，失业使我重新意识到——我是别人的妈妈！

Naturally自然地；Doubtfully怀疑地；Disagreeably不愉快地；Unexpectedly出乎意料地。根据上文中作者觉得自己一无是处可知，失业带给她的这些好处是意料之外的，用Unexpectedly符合题意。故选D。

18.句意：我重新找的了自己的价值。

employed雇佣；comforted安慰；valued重视；encouraged鼓励。根据下文中“I was someone’s mum!”可知作者意识到自己还是个妈妈，有了被重视的感觉，找回了自己的价值，用valued符合题意。故选C。

19.句意：现在对我的职业生涯我有更积极的前景了，而且我跟家人的关系越来越好。

education教育；experience经历；relationship关系；future未来。根据题干中“more positive about”可推出是对未来的积极期待，由此可推出此处是说职业前景，用future符合题意。故选D。

20.句意：失业使我认识到在生活中实现真正的平衡是多么重要。

important重要的；interesting有趣的；simple简单的；surprising令人惊讶的。上文说到失业使作者和儿子们更亲近，使她意识到自己是位母亲，且变得更积极，由此可推出是说实现真正的平衡很重要，用important符合句意。故选A。