完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
Love in a Box
When I was a little girl, I found love in a box all because of a class assignment. On a Friday night I   36___  at dinner table, “MY teacher said we have to bring a box, a special box, for our valentines (情人节) on Monday”.
Mother said, “We’ll see,” and she continued eating.
What did “We’ll see” mean? I had to have that box   37  my second grade Valentine’s Day would be a disaster. Maybe they didn’t love me enough to help me with my   38 .
All Saturday I waited   39  and with Sunday arriving, my concern increased, but I   40  an enquiry about the box might  41  anger or loud voice, for in my house children only asked once. More than that   42  trouble.
Late Sunday afternoon, my father called me into the kitchen. The table was covered with colorful  43  of different kinds. A (n)   44  shoebox rested on top of it.   45  flooded through me when Daddy said, “Let’s get started   46  your project.”
In the next hour my father   47 the shoebox into impressive valentine box. Colorful paper covered the ugly cardboard with red hearts   48 to what I considered all the right places. He sang while he worked. When he finished, he was so delighted that a  49 smile spread over his face. “What do you think of that?” he asked.
I answered him with a hug.
But inside, ___ 50 ___  danced all the way to my heart. It was the first time that my father devoted so much ___ 51  ___ to me, for his world consisted of work only.
The holiday party arrived, and my classmates put cards, and presents into the valentine boxes. Laughter filled our classroom until dismissal time  52_____m
On the way home, I held out my valentine box for the world to  __53 __. The love that filled it meant more to me than all the valentines inside.
The valentine box became a symbol of his love that  __54__  through decades of other Valentine’s Days. He gave me other gifts through the years, but none  __ 55 __ compared with the love I felt within the limits of the old, empty shoebox.
36．A．announced    B．appeared             C．served                 D．sat
37．A．and              B．however              C．or                       D．so
38．A．design          B．plan                    C．idea                    D．project
39．A．sadly           B．anxiously            C．disappointedly     D．patiently
40．A．found          B．realized               C．knew                  D．imagined
41．A．start             B．cause                  C．mark                   D．produce
42．A．invited         B．took                    C．saved                  D．had
43．A．boxes           B．gifts                    C．paper                  D．food
44．A．new             B．big                     C．attractive             D．empty
45．A．Relaxation    B．Relief                 C．Cheer                  D．Calm
46．A．by               B．at                       C．in                       D．on
47．A．folded          B．packed                C．changed              D．pressed
48．A．joined          B．attached              C．linked                 D．connected
49．A．slight           B．brief                   C．broad                  D．confident
50．A．joy              B．fun                     C．interest                D．amusement
51．A．money         B．time                    C．support               D．hope
52．A．reached        B．set                      C．spent                   D．came
53．A．accept          B．respect                C．admire                D．recognize
54．A．carried         B．kept                    C．spread                 D．lasted
55．A．ever             B．even                   C．yet                      D．still