第三节：完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
He must have been completely lost in something he was reading because I had to tap on the windshield to get his attention.
“Is your taxi  21  ?” I asked when he finally looked  22  at me. He nodded, then said  23  as I settled into the back seat, “I'm sorry, but I was reading a  24  .” He  25  as if he had a cold .
“I am not in a hurry,” I told him. “Go ahead and finish your letter.” He  26  his head. “I've read it several times already. I guess I  27  know it by heart.”
“Letters from home always mean a lot,” I said. “From a child?”
“This isn't  28  ,” he replied. “Although it  29  just as well have been family. Old Ed was my oldest friend. In fact, we used to call each other 'Old Friend' when we'd meet. I'm not much good at  30 .”
“I don't think any of us keep  31  our correspondence (通信) too well,” I said. “I know I don't. But I take it he's someone you've  32  quite a while?”
“All my life. We were kids together, went to school together and all the  33  through high school.”
“There are not too many people who've had such a long friendship,” I said.
“ 34 ,” the driver went on, “I hadn't seen him more than once or twice a year over the past 25 or 30 years because I  35  away from the old neighbourhood and you kind of lose touch  36  you never forget.”
“You said 'was'. Does that mean….?” He nodded. “ 37  a couple of weeks ago.”
“I'm sorry,” I said. “It's no fun to lose any friend—and losing a real old one is  38  tougher.”
He didn't  39  to that, and we rode on in silence for a few minutes. But I realized  that Old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me: “I should have kept in touch.”
“Well,” I agreed, “we should all keep in touch with old friends more than we do. But things  40  and we just don't seem to find the time.”
When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away. First I had to write a letter and mail it.
21. A.available         B.acceptable           C.beneficial      D.occupied
22. A.down              B.up                  C. to                      D. off
23. A.unexpectedly       B. curiously             C. apologetically    D.  definitely
24. A.booklet          B. novel            C.    book           D. letter
25. A.sounded           B. spoke            C.seemed          D. continued
26. A.hung            B.nodded          C. shook          D. kept
27. A.anyhow           B.hardly            C.almost          D. really
28. A.friendship          B.family            C.leadership       D. colleague
29. A.could              B. might            C.maybe          D. would
30. A.writing           B.reading           C.talking          D. earning
31. A.up               B.with             C.on                   D. in
32. A.found             B.written           C.known          D. seen
33. A.curriculum         B.coincidence       C.life             D. way
34. A.Eventually         B.Actually         C.Additionally           D. Besides
35. A.removed                B.left              C.headed          D. moved
36. A.even though       B.as though         C.when           D. whereas
37. A.Died               B. Suffered         C.Choked           D. Survived
38. A.ever               B.even             C.fairly           D. quite
39. A.appeal           B.reply                  C.adapt           D. talk
40.A.take up           B.pick up          C.come up        D. break up