二、完形填空 (共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)
There is a fine line between a parent who is active and open-minded and one that doesn’t know when to let go. As my daughter, Nicole, prepares to leave home for college, I’m discovering how hard it is to stay on the  16  side of this line. When I hold  17  the apron strings connecting us, Nicole, eager to  18  independence, tries to loosen my grasp. What results is a (an)  19  mother-daughter, push-me, pull-you kind of tango.
For the past two years, it’s gone like this:
Mother’s question: “Have you thought of taking an advanced class so that you can earn college credit?”
Daughter’s  20  : “No, I’m not interested in that.”
……
Two months ago, she was  21  to a great university. However, I was still the mother having a  22  time letting go. The night before the introductory meeting of the university, I had read the course catalog carefully and  23  courses which I thought looked good. We met on the campus the next afternoon, and Nicole’s face  24  with excitement. “I have had my entire schedule figured out,” she said. “Already?” I was astonished,  25  she should have discussed it with me. I examined the schedule. Nicole hadn’t taken a (an)  26  one of the courses I had suggested. Every course she had chosen  27  suited her interests. Just then I saw a mature, capable young woman with a  28  mind and the ability to shape her future. She no longer needed her mother  29  every decision she made. I felt proud, though still a bit  30  .
I  31  the lessons carefully. Nicole has struggled to learn over the past 18 years:  32  , sympathy, and hard work. There have been a few holes along the way.  33  , she is well-equipped and eager to  34  the future. The next step, I recognized, was mine to take: giving my daughter and myself the  35  we both needed.
16. A. left                    B. right                        C. either                      D. each
17. A. onto                  B. up                           C. back                        D. out
18. A. keep                  B. refuse                      C. taste                        D. bear
19. A. awkward            B. relaxing                   C. lively                      D. beautiful
20. A. comment            B. word                       C. concept                   D. response
21. A. received             B. invited                     C. treated                     D. accepted
22. A. good                  B. great                       C. hard                        D. easy
23. A. taken                 B. underlined               C. offered                    D. emphasized
24. A. lit up                 B. built up                   C. turned up                 D. made up
25. A. imagining          B. thinking                   C. hoping                    D. adding
26. A. only                  B. just                         C. even                        D. single
27. A. mostly               B. hardly                     C. exactly                    D. slightly
28. A. sharp                 B. normal                    C. different                  D. typical
29. A. encouraging       B. evaluating                C. disagreeing              D. agreeing
30. A. anxious              B. excited                    C. sad                          D. tense
31. A. reviewed            B. observed                  C. checked                   D. studied
32. A. competence        B. honesty                    C. confidence               D. responsibility
33. A. Therefore          B. Instead                    C. Still                        D. Besides
34. A. determine           B. embrace                   C. discover                  D. control
35. A. character            B. strength                   C. relief                       D. independence