第二节完形填空 (共20小题，每小题1分，满分20分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36至55各个题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The moment I knew my mother had incurable lung cancer, I realized for the first time that time will one day run out for us all.
I have determined to be with my mother as much as I possibly can. This is not out of a sense of
36 , but because I really want to be near her. But making the time to 37 with my mother has been my greatest 38 . I have a husband, a four-year-old son and a home to nm. I also hold down a(n) 39 job as a radio announcer at the BBC.
I arrived at work one day to be told we would be doing a radio series exploring “time poverty”. I’ve 40 been taken with the idea that we are time-poor. How can I - who have so many labor-saving machines and an only child – have 41 time than my mother who had six children and no 42 ?
I put this 43 a professor. He pointed out that it is because I try to keep my home much cleaner than my mother did. I admit I like to 44 to my friends. My husband says 45 that I remove all traces (痕迹) of human life 46 anyone arrives.
The professor said 47 has become the new religion. We expect work to provide us with a sense of identity and a means to secure our future. And because we 48 so much time in our working lives, we like to reward ourselves with material things. Frequently, we spend our money before it’s earned. 49 is an annoying worry, keeping us 50 to the work treadmill (跑步机).
The same professor suggested we 51 a Buddhist concept -- to enjoy each moment and activity for its own sake, 52 try to do lots of things at once. Since then I have been 53 the art of “living in the moment” whenever I get the chance. I have cleared my schedule of nonessential tasks, 54 house and garden plans, and turned down some extra work.
It is my mother’s illness, a once-in-a-lifetime event, that sets me 55 on the fact that we forget that time is a limited resource.
36. A. duty B. guilt C. sorrow D. sympathy
37. A. live B. be C. chat D. go
38. A. concern B. challenge C. chance D. trouble
39. A. demanding B. critical C. boring D. amazing
40. A. almost B. seldom C. never D. often
41. A. better B. worse C. less D. more
42. A. tape-recorder B. washing machine C. air-conditioner D. television
43. A. with B. for C. in D. to
44. A. show off B. draw attention C. look forward D. get close
45. A. angrily B. surprisingly C. jokingly D. seriously
46. A. after B. when C. as D. before
47. A. time B. entertainment C. work D. family
48. A. invest B. contribute C. give D. devote
49. A. Pressure B. Expense C. Life D. Debt
50. A. led B. chained C. relied D. focused
51. A. adopt B. advocate C. adapt D. acquire
52. A. more than B. instead of C. rather than D. other than
53. A. exercising B. practicing C. believing D. holding
54. A. fixed B. conducted C. postponed D. made
55. A. reflecting B. thinking C. considering D. wondering
