My __27__ must have shown. “Everything happens for the best,” Mom reminded me. For my convenience, Dad offered me the __28__ to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director told me they had already __29__ an announcer.

After I left his office, I asked aloud, “How can a fellow get to be a sports __30__ if he can’t get a job in a radio station?” __31__, I heard the director calling, “Do you know anything about __32__?” Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to __33__ an imaginary game. It was easy, and I did it without difficulty. Later I was told that I would be broadcasting a game on the __34__ Saturday.

On my way home, as I have many times since, I kept on thinking of my mother’s words.

I often wonder what direction my __35__ might have taken if I’d gotten the job at Montgomery Ward.

16. A. put on B. carry on C. take on D. look on

17. A. obvious B. slight C. previous D. personal

18. A. false B. great C. strong D. right

19. A. found B. devoted C. designed D. enjoyed

20. A. turned down B. set down C. worn out D. wiped out

21. A. tall B. rude C. kind D. stubborn

22. A. inexperienced B. abnormal C. irresponsible D. important

23. A. time B. ride C. chance D. list

24. A. fought B. played C. taken D. settled

25. A. own B. manage C. enter D. build

26. A. So B. And C. Since D. But

27. A. encouragement B. determination C. intelligence D. disappointment

28. A. car B. goods C. rewards D. money

29. A. appreciated B. hired C. promoted D. supported

30. A. coach B. fan C. announcer D. player

31. A. Suddenly B. Usually C. Attentively D. Occasionally

32. A. finance B. football C. music D. radio

33. A. watch B. make C. broadcast D. have

34. A. latest B. last C. coming D. past

35. A. mother B. life C. hope D. family

三、阅读理解

A

Rene Descartes’ explanation of pain has long been acknowledged in medicine. He proposed that pain is a purely physical phenomenon — that tissue injury makes specific nerves send a signal to the brain, causing the mind to notice pain. The phenomenon, he said, is like pulling on a rope to ring a bell in the brain. It is hard to overstate how deeply fixed this account has become. In medicine, doctors see pain in Descartes’ terms as a physical process, a sign of tissue injury.

The limitations of this explanation, however, have been apparent for some time, since people with obvious injuries sometimes report feeling no pain at all. Later, researchers proposed that Descartes’ model be replaced with what they called the gate control theory of pain. They argued that before pain signals reach the brain, they must first go through a gating mechanism in the spinal cord (脊髓). In some cases, this imaginary gate could simply stop pain signals from getting to the brain.

Their most amazing suggestion was that what controlled the gate were not just signals from sensory nerves but also emotions and other “output” from the brain. They were saying that pulling on the rope may not necessarily make the bell ring. The bell itself (the mind) could stop it. This theory led to a great deal of research into how such factors as mood, gender, and beliefs influence the experience of pain. In a British study, for example, researchers measured pain threshold and tolerance levels in 53 ballet dancers and 53 university students by using a common measurement: after putting your hand in body-temperature water for two minutes to establish a baseline condition, you put your hand in a bowl of ice water and start a clock running. You mark the time when it begins to hurt: that is your pain threshold. Then you mark the time when it hurts too much to keep your hand in the water: that is your pain tolerance. The test is always stopped at 120 seconds, to prevent injury.

The results were striking. On average female students reported pain at 16 seconds and pulled their hands out of the ice water at 37 seconds. Female dancers were almost three times as long on both counts. Men in both groups had a higher threshold and tolerance for pain, but the difference