Question

After my brother's serious heart attack, he lay in a coma(昏迷) in the hospital. Tubes and wires   1   him up to machines that kept him alive. The only sound in his room was the    2   whoosh(呼呼聲) of the pump forcing air into his lungs. My sister-in-law stood by,    3    .

As a minister I had been with families in similar   4   . I had searched for the right   5  , a phrase of hope, trying to   6   them. But this was a new   7   .

During these difficult days, my sister- in- law and I were   8   between hope and resignation. We 9   every visitor. We were grateful for their stories of people who had    10   comas and return to   11   . We listened when they talked knowledgeably about the stages of grief. We knew they cared. But many visitors came   12  the door talking, and kept talking. Was that how I had dealt with my nervousness when I didn't know   13   to say?

Then a/n    14    friend came to visit. He stood with us around the bed, looking at my brother's body. There was a long silence. Suddenly   15   with emotion, he said, "I'm sorry." There was another long pause. 16   , he hugged my sister-in-law and then turned to shake my hand. He held it a   17   longer than necessary and squeezed a little harder than   18 . As he looked at me, tears came to his eyes. And then he left. One week later, my brother died.

Years   19   passed and I still remember that visitor. I do not recall his name, but I'll never forget how he shared our grief, quietly and   20  and without awkwardness. His few words spoke volumes.

1. A. added            B. hooked           C. put                D. held

2. A. rhythmical         B. loud                C. irregular              D. harmonious

3. A. careful            B. hopeful              C. helpless              D. useless

4. A. conversations      B. considerations   C. locations            D. situations

5. A. words          B. places                C. roles                 D. choices

6. A. convince        B. teach         C. comfort             D. serve

7. A. challenge          B. adventure              C. experience           D. opportunity

8. A. filled              B. torn                 C. worn              D. settled

9. A. appreciated        B. expected             C. depended            D. evaluated

10. A. suffered from    B. shaken off            C. come down with      D. kept out

11. A. reality           B. origin                C. function                D. normal

12. A. in                    B. across              C. over                D. through

13. A. why                  B. what               C. how               D. when

14. A. casual                B. expected             C. close               D. familiar

15. A. concentrated     B. controlled             C. overcome            D. disappointed

16. A. However              B. Therefore             C. Besides              D. Finally

17. A. second           B. lot              C. great deal       D. period

18. A. before         B. possible              C. usual               D. past

19. A. had             B. have                C. are                  D. were

20. A. extraordinarily  B. desperately       C. nervously        D. sincerely

Answer 1

1—5  BACDA    6—10  CCBAB    11—15  DDBAC    16—20  DACBD