Directions:There are 10 blanks in the following passage. For each numbered blank, there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the centre.

In the dining room of my grandfather's house stood his heavy clock. Meals in the dining room were a __76 __ for our four generations to become one. My grandfather's clock always stood like a trusted old family friend, __77 __ us playing jokes and telling stories, which was already a __78__ of our life.

When I was a child, the old clock interested me. I watched and listened to it during __79 __. I was surprised how at __80 __ times of the day, the clock would strike three times, six times or more, with a wonderful great __81 __ that echoed throughout the house. The clock chimed year after year, a part of my __82 __, a part of my heart.

Even more __83 __ to me was my grandfather’s special action each day. He meticulously __84 __ the clock with a special key each day. The key was magic to me. It __85 __ our family’s magnificent clock ticking and striking all year round.

76. A. time B. possibility C. problem D. pleasure

77. A. seeing B. hearing C. watching D. looking

78. A. start B. part C. signal D. mark

79. A. stories B. jokes C. periods D. meals

80. A. busy B. urgent C. happy D. different

81. A. shock B. sound C. song D. music

82. A. memories B. minds C. comfort D. information

83. A. comfortable B. hopeful C. wonderful D. skillful

84. A. opened B. wound C. turned D. started

85. A. made B. controlled C. kept D. fixed

76.［答案］A

【精析】a time意为“一段时光”，become one意为“成为一体，聚集一堂”。

77.［答案］C

【精析】该句使用拟人手法，把闹钟比作朋友，watch表示动作，指“观看，留意看运动着的东西”；see强调看的结果，无进行时态；look后不能直接跟宾语，需要加介词。这里用动词的现在分词形式表示伴随。故此处选择C项更为恰当。

78.［答案］B

【精析】指上文提到的事已经成为我们生活的一部分，A、C、D与文意不符。

79.［答案］D

【精析】根据上一段内容及生活常识可知，当我们在听故事或开玩笑的时候很难留意到其他事物，只有在吃饭的时候才会注意到the old clock.故D项更为恰当。

80.［答案］D

【精析】根据下文和生活中有关闹钟的常识判断，应该是在一天中的不同时间，闹钟敲响不同的次数。

81.［答案］B

【精析】该部分意为：闹钟发出的奇妙宏大的声音（sound）在满屋子里回荡。

82.［答案］A

【精析】该句句意为：闹钟年复一年地打点报时，留在我的记忆里，也留在我的心里。根据后文的a part of my heart容易排除掉B、C、D项。

83.［答案］C

【精析】根据上下文，对我来说，更精彩的是爷爷每天的特殊动作。

84.［答案］B

【精析】wind the clock，动词wind在这里意为“（给闹钟）上发条”。wound是wind的过去式。

85.［答案］C

【精析】该句句意为：它（这个钥匙）能保证我们家的神奇的闹钟一年到头滴答作响和打点报时。made：使得；controlled：控制；kept：保持；fixed：修理。C项更为恰当。