41. 42. 43. 44. 45.

41. C
42. A
43. D
44. E
45. B

1. 第一空（41题）：根据上文“Struggling with this, he left everything behind and went into the forest.”以及下文“He shared his story with the old man”，可以推断出他在森林中遇到了一位老人。选项C“There he met a wise old man who had lived there for long.”符合语境，因此选择C。
2. 第二空（42题）：根据下文老人的回答“When I planted the fern and bamboo seeds...”，可以推断出老人是在问男子是否看到了蕨和竹子。选项A“Do you see that fern and bamboo there?”符合语境，因此选择A。
3. 第三空（43题）：根据下文“Although I watered and took care of the bamboo seed for years, it did not sprout.”，可以推断出老人在讲述他种植蕨和竹子的经历，且蕨很快发芽了。选项D“In a short period of time, the fern quickly grew from the earth.”符合语境，因此选择D。
4. 第四空（44题）：根据上文“There was no sign of growth.”以及下文“In the fifth year, a small sprout came out of the earth.”，可以推断出尽管竹子多年没有发芽，但老人并没有放弃。选项E“But I did not give up on the bamboo seed and went on looking after it.”符合语境，因此选择E。
5. 第五空（45题）：根据上文“The little bamboo tree had been growing underground for the past four years, developing a root system strong enough for its ground growth in the fifth year and beyond.”，可以推断出竹子在前四年实际上是在地下生长，建立强大的根系。选项B“If it hadn't done this, it would not be as strong as it is now.”解释了这一过程的重要性，因此选择B。