第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Today I am known for my voice. Perhaps the greatest honor came when I was asked to read a book on tape.
But it   36   a long time to believe such good things could happen to me. When I was a youngster I stuttered(口吃) so badly that I was completely   37   to speak in public.
38 , when I was 14, Professor Donald Crouch came to our school. He was a retired college professor. English was his favorite subject and   39   was his deepest love. He held a book of poems as if it were a diamond necklace,   40   pages as if uncovering treasures. When he heard our school was teaching Shakespeare and other classics, he could no longer   41   not being a part of our school.
When he   42   that I not only loved poetry but was   43   it, we became closer. There was, however, one   44   between us－Professor Crouch could not bear the   45   that I refused to read my poems to the class.
“Jim, poetry is   46   to be read aloud,” he said. “You should be able to speak those beautiful words.” I shook my head and turned away.
One day he   47   me. After handing in a poem, I waited for his   48   . It didn’t come. Instead, one day as the students gathered together, he   49   me, “Jim, I don’t think you wrote this poem.”
I stared at him in   50   . “Why,” I started, anger   51   me. “of course I did!” “Well, then,” he said, “you’ve got to prove it by getting up and reciting it    52   memory.”
By then the other students had settled at their desks. With knees shaking, I walked up to the front. For a moment I stood there,   53    . Then I began, and kept going. I recited my poem all the way   54   !
Afterwards, Professor Crouch congratulated me, and encouraged me to read other writers’ poetry before public. I discovered I did have a(n)   55   and found my fellow students actually looked forward to hearing me recite.
36. A. lasted     B. took           C. spent          D. wasted
37. A. uncertain    B. uncomfortable   C. unbelievable      D. unable
38. A. However    B. Besides         C. Then          D. Therefore
39. A. novel     B. architecture          C. art             D. poetry
40. A. drawing     B. writing          C. turning          D. finding
41. A. protect          B. help           C. keep          D. stand
42. A. learned      B. recognized     C. decided         D. proved
43. A. writing      B. reading         C. reciting         D. saving
44. A. difference  B. difficulty      C. promise       D. similarity
45. A. truth      B. idea           C. fact            D. belief
46. A. said       B. meant         C. taught         D. prepared
47. A. fooled     B. joked         C. tricked              D. scolded
48. A. idea       B. reward              C. congratulation    D. comment
49. A. told       B. noticed          C. attacked        D. challenged
50. A. disbelief     B. silence              C. sadness          D. excitement
51. A. flowing      B. flooding        C. filling         D. sweeping
52. A. with      B. by             C. from          D. in
53. A. terrified     B. hopeless        C. disappointed      D. breathless
54. A. down     B. along         C. through         D. around
55. A. voice    B. sound         C. appearance     D. interest