第二节完形填空（共15小题；每小题2分, 满分30分）

阅读下面短文, 掌握其大意, 然后从41～55各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Saint-Ex back from the dead

The French Government confirmed last Wednesday that pieces found at the bottom of the Mediterranean belonged to a plane piloted by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, one of France's most beloved authors. The discovery throws some  41  on Saint-Exupery's mysterious disappearance about sixty years ago.

The author of "The Little Prince" disappeared completely during World War II while      42  a group of men for the Allies (联盟)over  43  of France on July 31, 1944. But  in May 2000, a professional diver discovered the remains of a Lockheed Lightning P38 plane thrown here and there on the seabed in 70 metres of water  44  the French port of Marseilles. A state ban (禁令) on  45 dives in the area delayed further searches until October 2003. At that time, a salvage (打捞)team  46  pieces of the aircraft's landing parts and engine. One of the pieces  47  a maker's number. It wasn't until last Wednesday that  the researchers 48  confirmed that it belonged to Saint-Exupery’s plane.

Saint-Exupery was 44 when he  49   out to photograph parts of southern France in  50  for the Allied landings there, but was never seen again. Repeated searches of the coast  51   to turn up the aircraft, leaving the author's disappearance  52  in mystery. The discovery was a dream for  53  , even if it did not explain why the plane came down.

Saint Exupery was a great adventurer whose life and  54   turned him into one of the country's biggest heroes. "The Little Prince" is a tale about a little boy who tells his      55   to a pilot he meets in the Sahara Desert.

41.A. ideas                   B. light                 C. thought                    D. views

42.A. sending           B. seeing off          C. flying                      D. being together with

43.A. the east                  B. the west          C. the north            D. the south

44.A. along            B. off                 C. over                         D. to

45.A. late                   B. immediate       C. further                   D. new

46A. searched         B. got                 C. found out               D. recovered

47.A. got                   B. bore                  C. made                     D. put

48.A.surely                  B. carefully         C. completely             D. finally

49.A. sent                     B. flew                  C. turned                  D. came

50.A. preparation        B. search             C. group                    D. secret

51.A. succeeded      B. failed             C. got                          D. missed

52.A. recovered      B. covered          C. unknown                  D. known

53.A. dives                B. France            C. authors                  D. historians

54.A. books                  B. stories           C. plane                       D. war

55.A. discoveries       B. author       C. experiences            D. searches

According to historical records，the first (1) Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC.They (2) dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the (3) plains of Olympia.They continued for nearly 12 centuries， (4) Emperor Theodosius decreed in 393 A.D.that aU such"pagan cults" (5) banned.
The oldest myth which concerns the beginning of the (6) Games is that of Idaios Daktylos Herakles.According to other (7) ，Zeus，the father of humanity，fought and defeated Cronus in a (8) for the throne of the gods.Finally，the well-known (9) Herakles is mentioned who staged games in Olympia in honour (10) Zeus,because the latter had helped him conquer Elis when (11) went to war against Augeas.
Through the 12 centuries of (12) Olympic Games，many wonderful athletes competed in the stadium and (13) hippodrome of ancient Olympia’s sacred area，moving the crowds with (14) great achievements.Although mortal，their Olympic victories immortalised them.Of (15) best athletes who left their mark on the sacred vallev (16) Olympia，some surpassed all limits and became legends by winning (17) successive Olympic Games and remaining at the forefront of their (18) for more than a decade.
The ancient Olympic Games were (19) a one.day event until 684 BC.when they were extended (20) three days.In the 5th century B.C.，the Games were extended again to cover five days.