一、完形填空

Modesty is a valuable quality in many cultures around the world. In China, this is no different. 1 , the phrase “毛遂自荐” seems to disagree with this.
During the Warring States Period, the Qin army marched (进军) on Handan. 2 that Handan was in danger, Lord Pingyuan asked for help from the State of Chu. He wanted to pick twenty talented people to go 3 him. However, he could only find nineteen people who were good enough. Then, a man named Mao Sui 4 .
Lord Pingyuan looked at Mao Sui with doubt. “How 5 have you been here with me?” “Three years,” Mao Sui answered. “I hear that a person with 6 is like an awl (锥子) in a cloth bag. Its sharp point will soon pierce (刺穿) through the 7 . You've been here for a long time, but I haven't seen any of your 8 . Maybe you don't have any talent,” said Lord Pingyuan.
“What I'm 9 you for now is to put me into that bag. If you do that, I will 10 through it. But not only the point—the whole awl,” Mao Sui said in a 11 way.
Impressed, Lord Pingyuan allowed Mao to join his team, and Mao 12 proved that he was very helpful. Now the phrase “Mao Sui recommending himself” is used to 13 someone who volunteers to do a task. However, there is a fine 14 between self - confidence and arrogance (傲慢). It's important to believe in yourself, but a strong ego (自我) can 15 your career (事业) and professional relationships. So, it's better to let your work speak for itself.
()1. A. So
B. However
C. But
D. Anyway
()2. A. Seeing
B. Touching
C. Smelling
D. Hearing
()3. A. to
B. with
C. from
D. across
()4. A. complained
B. supported
C. volunteered
D. thought
()5. A. often
B. long
C. much
D. far
()6. A. talent
B. smile
C. interest
D. personality
()7. A. window
B. wood
C. person
D. bag
()8. A. instructions
B. achievements
C. conclusions
D. plans
()9. A. asking
B. helping
C. waiting
D. telling
()10. A. get
B. look
C. break
D. pull
()11. A. patient
B. happy
C. careful
D. confident
()12. A. simply
B. successfully
C. quietly
D. politely
()13. A. control
B. allow
C. describe
D. record
()14. A. line
B. river
C. land
D. room
()15. A. help
B. guide
C. cause
D. hurt

【语篇解读】本文是一篇记叙文。讲述成语故事“毛遂自荐”。
1. B 根据前文“Modesty is a valuable quality in many cultures around the world. In China, this is no different.”可知，前文说到“谦虚”是一种宝贵的品格，而“毛遂自荐”一词似乎不太认同这一点，前后句意存在转折关系，且此空后有逗号。故选 B。
2. A 根据“During the Warring States Period, the Qin army marched on Handan.”可知，此空应是 Seeing，强调看到邯郸处于险境的这一事实。故选 A。
3. B 根据“Lord Pingyuan asked for help from the State of Chu.”可知，平原君要到楚国寻求帮助，想要带 20 个有才能的人一起去。go with sb.和某人一起去。故选 B。
4. C 根据“However, he could only find nineteen people who were good enough. Then, a man named Mao Sui 4.”可知，平原君要挑 20 个有才能的人跟他一起去楚国，但他只找到 19 个足够优秀的人，于是毛遂就自荐了，volunteer“自告奋勇”符合语境。故选 C。
5. B 根据后文“Three years”可知，该疑问句“How 5 have you been here with me?”应以 How long 来提问，故选 B。
6. A 根据后文“Maybe you don't have any talent”可知，此处“a person with 6”应是指有才能的人。故选 A。
7. D 根据前文“an awl in a cloth bag”可知，尖端刺穿的应是布袋。故选 D。
8. B 根据前文“I hear that a person with 6 is like an awl in a cloth bag. Its sharp point will soon pierce through the 7.”可知，有才能的人是会很快被注意到的，而毛遂在平原君门下已经很久了，却从未被关注到，说明毛遂未创下任何功绩，achievements 符合语境。故选 B。
9. A 根据“If you do that, I will 10 through it. But not only the point—the whole awl”可知，毛遂自荐意味着毛遂恳请平原君将他“放进那个袋子里”。故选 A。
10. C 根据“If you do that, I will 10 through it. But not only the point—the whole awl”可知，毛遂认为自己不仅能刺破袋子，露出尖头，甚至能露出整个锥子，此处表示毛遂能把袋子刺穿。故选 C。
11. D 根据毛遂所说的话“What I'm 9 you for now is to put me into that bag … But not only the point—the whole awl”可知，他请求平原君把他放进袋子里，他会把袋子刺穿，甚至露出整个锥子。由此可推测，毛遂应是很自信地说这些话。故选 D。
12. B 根据“that he was very helpful”可知，毛遂用事实成功证明了自己是有用处的。故选 B。
13. C 根据“Now the phrase ‘Mao Sui recommending himself’ is used to 13 someone who volunteers to do a task.”可知，此处应是表示这个成语被用来描述某种类型的人。故选 C。
14. A 根据“there is a fine 14 between self-confidence and arrogance”可知，此处应是表示自信与傲慢只有一线之隔，即它俩之间是有界限的。故选 A。
15. D 根据“It's important to believe in yourself, but a strong ego can 15 your career and professional relationships.”可知，but 表转折，相信自己固然重要，但过度自我则有损事业及职业关系。故选 D。

【分析】
拿到这篇完形填空，首先先通读全文，明确文章核心是介绍中国传统成语典故“毛遂自荐”的由来，最后点明要区分自信和傲慢边界的道理。解题时逐空结合上下文逻辑、语境提示、固定搭配推导：
1. 首段前文说谦虚是全球很多文化的宝贵品质，中国也不例外，后文说“毛遂自荐”似乎和这个特点相悖，前后是转折关系，且空格后有逗号，可直接对应正确选项；
2. 顺着故事线，秦军进军邯郸，平原君看到邯郸陷入险境才去楚国求救，对应动作选seeing；
3. 平原君要挑选20位有才能的人和他一同前往楚国求援，对应“和某人一起去”的搭配选with；
4. 平原君只找到19位合格的人，此时毛遂主动站出来自荐，对应“自告奋勇”的含义选volunteered；
5. 后文答句是“三年”，明显是对时长提问，用how long；
6. 后文平原君直接提到“你或许没有任何才能”，对应这里“有才能的人就像布袋里的锥子”的表述选talent；
7. 前文已经点明锥子是放在布袋里，尖自然会刺穿布袋，对应选bag；
8. 平原君质疑毛遂待了很久，自己从没见过他的任何功绩，对应选achievements；
9. 毛遂向平原君提出请求，希望对方把自己放进那个“布袋”的类比场景里，对应ask sb for的搭配选asking；
10. 毛遂表示自己不止露出尖，整个锥子都会刺穿袋子，对应“刺穿、突破”的含义选break；
11. 从毛遂的表述能看出他对自己的能力非常笃定，是用自信的态度说出这番话，选confident；
12. 后续毛遂确实完成了求援的任务，成功证明了自己的价值，选successfully；
13. 现在“毛遂自荐”这个成语是用来描述主动自愿承接任务的人，选describe；
14. 固定搭配a fine line between A and B表示“A和B之间仅有一线之隔、存在明确边界”，选line；
15. 转折词but提示语义反向，过度的自我会损害事业和职业人际关系，选hurt。
【解析】
1. 考查连词辨析：前后句是转折逻辑，且空格后有逗号，however可单独放在句首表转折后接逗号，but表转折一般直接连句子，故选B。
2. 考查动词辨析：平原君看到邯郸陷入险境，才动身去楚国求援，seeing符合语境，故选A。
3. 考查介词辨析：go with sb是固定搭配，意为“和某人一同前往”，符合平原君带人同行的语境，故选B。
4. 考查动词辨析：毛遂在还差一人的情况下主动站出来自荐，volunteered意为“自告奋勇、主动请缨”，符合典故内容，故选C。
5. 考查疑问词辨析：答句是“三年”，是对时长的回答，用how long提问时长，故选B。
6. 考查名词辨析：后文平原君直接质疑毛遂没有才能，对应此处“有才能的人像布袋里的锥子”的类比，talent符合语境，故选A。
7. 考查名词辨析：前文明确提到锥子放在布袋里，尖会刺穿布袋，bag对应前文的cloth bag，故选D。
8. 考查名词辨析：平原君表示毛遂在门下待了很久，自己从没看到他做出任何功绩，achievements意为“成就、功绩”，符合语境，故选B。
9. 考查动词辨析：毛遂向平原君提出请求，ask sb for sth意为“向某人请求某事”，符合语境，故选A。
10. 考查动词辨析：毛遂表示自己不止露出锥尖，整个锥子都会刺破布袋，break through表示“刺穿、突破”，符合语境，故选C。
11. 考查形容词辨析：毛遂对自己的能力非常笃定，是用自信的态度说出这番自荐的话，confident符合人物状态，故选D。
12. 考查副词辨析：毛遂最终顺利完成了求援任务，成功证明了自己的价值，successfully符合语境，故选B。
13. 考查动词辨析：现在“毛遂自荐”这个成语是用来描述主动自愿承接任务的人，describe意为“描述、形容”，符合语义，故选C。
14. 考查名词辨析：a fine line between...and...是固定常用表达，意为“……和……之间仅有一线之隔、存在明确边界”，故选A。
15. 考查动词辨析：but表转折，过度的自我意识会损害事业和职业人际关系，hurt意为“伤害、损害”，符合语义，故选D。
【答案】
1-5 BABCB 6-10 ADBAC 11-15 DBCAD
【知识点】
完形语境推断，固定短语辨析，传统文化常识
【点评】
本题选取中国传统成语“毛遂自荐”的典故作为语篇，将英语语言能力考察和传统文化传播结合，考点覆盖连词、动词、名词、形容词、副词等多类词性辨析，绝大多数空格都能在前后文找到明确的提示线索，同时也考察了部分高频固定搭配的积累，既考察学生完形填空的常规解题能力，也对学生的文化常识储备有正向引导。
【难度系数】
0.3