二、完形填空
KEY→P1
范畴:人与社会 主题:家庭生活 体裁:记叙文 难度:★★★★ 建议用时:10分钟 评价:/15
It's still light out, and Dad isn't home yet. He works all day cleaning pools. In Southport, Florida, that means a lot of pools. Mom tells us we need to 1 dinner so all of us can eat together. Even when Dad doesn't get home 2 after eight or eight thirty, usually on days when he has to clean pools, I don't mind. If Dad is 3, it means I can spend more time outside playing basketball with my brother.
A few years ago, life was 4 and we had more money to spend—this was before the pandemic(流行病). Back then, some of Dad's 5 lost their jobs and told him they couldn't afford to pay him to clean their pools anymore. Even so, Dad 6 us a backboard and a hoop(篮
筐), and he also paid someone to fix a tall metal pole on the side of the driveway so we could have our own basketball court(球场). It was a dirt 7 with small stones and broken shells, but still, we could imagine it as a basketball court.
My brother and I will shoot baskets from morning to night if Mom 8 to let us, but she says homework always comes 9. Still, during the summer months, between part-time jobs selling newspapers, mowing lawns, and helping Dad clean pools, we almost 10 as much of the day as we can on the court. We practice all kinds of shots. All the 11 of the world seem to disappear—and I feel like I'm the magician making the 12 happen each time I throw the ball toward the basket and watch it fly toward its destination. Each time the ball leaves my 13, it feels like I've just discovered the secret of flight.
Dad once told me he 14 pretty much the same way about cleaning pools. Well, almost the same. He said it was like being a magician, turning the water from cloudy to 15 and cleaning the dirt off the pool floor so the pool shone brightly. It was one of the things Dad and I shared—the ability to see magic in things.
素材来源: Cricket
()1. A. ask for B. look for C. wait for D. care for
()2. A. until B. when C. so D. while
()3. A. early B. late C. hard D. free
()4. A. difficult B. strange C. similar D. normal
()5. A. customers B. friends C. neighbors D. workmates
()6. A. created B. bought C. borrowed D. found
()7. A. path B. floor C. road D. ground
()8. A. promises B. refuses C. agrees D. forgets
()9. A. first B. last C. next D. second
()10. A. take B. spend C. cost D. pay
()11. A. resolutions B. answers C. problems D. dreams
()12. A. magic B. fun C. luck D. success
()13. A. shoulder B. eyes C. arms D. hands
()14. A. sounded B. felt C. smelt D. tasted
()15. A. cold B. dark C. dirty D. clear

完形填空
家境普通的“我”和弟弟拥有爸爸打造的简易篮球场，打球时总能忘却烦恼、倍感快乐；爸爸清理泳池时也有这般体验，“我们”都能从平凡小事中发现生活的美好。
1. C 由“这样大家就能一起用餐了”可知，上文对应表示：“我们”需要等晚餐。
2. A 即便爸爸直到晚上八点或八点半后才回家，“我”也不介意。“not ... until”意为“直到……才”。
3. B 由“我能花更多时间和弟弟一起在户外打篮球”可知，上文表示：如果爸爸回家晚了。
4. D 下文表示“这是在流行病暴发之前”，上文对应表示：几年前，生活还算正常，那时还有更多的钱可以花。
5. A 爸爸的一些客户因为失业而无法付钱请他清洗泳池了。
6. B 上文提及“一些客户无法付钱请他清洗泳池”，下文表示让步：即使如此，爸爸仍给“我们”买了一个篮板和一个篮筐。
7. D 由“这样我们就能拥有自己的篮球场了”可知，此处用ground，表示“场地”。
8. C 如果妈妈允许，“我”和弟弟会从早到晚投篮。agrees符合语境。
9. A 但她说家庭作业永远是首要任务。
10. B “我们”会在兼职工作之余，尽可能多地把时间花在球场上。“spend ... on ...”意思是“在……上花时间”。
11. C 下文描述打篮球时的愉快感受，上文对应表示：（打篮球时）世界上所有问题似乎都消失了。
12. A 此处表示“我”觉得自己就是那个创造奇迹的魔术师。
13. D 由常识可知，打篮球得用“手”。
14. B 爸爸曾经跟“我”说，他对清理泳池也有类似的感受。表示心理感觉，故选动词felt。
15. D 此处表示把浑浊的水变得清澈。