第二节完形填空（20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
“I can’t believe it．These blooms have lasted so long this year,” my wife said．
“I hadn’t really thought about it, but you are right．As much as I love lilacs （丁香）, they come and go so   36  ,” I said．
It has been incredibly   37   this year here in my back-yard．Our lilac tree has   38   the most blooms I have ever seen．The scent （香味） is so wonderful that I spend a lot of time just standing on our small deck   39   it all in．
Many of the   40   are hollow and almost broken, leaving me to believe it has   41 _ many springs．A few winters ago one of the biggest branches crashed to the ground under the   42   of melting snow．It   43   my heart．I guess I wasn’t   44   much from the old thing this year．But it is magnificent!
Since we have been   45   so much rain lately the flowers have become heavier．The   46_ tall branches seem to be under a lot of pressure．I can relate to that．There are big gaps because the branches are   47 ．
48  , today I noticed the first bunch of flowers turning brown．It won’t be long   49 _ they are all gone．But here’s what I’ve learned from it．
Some people are like fragrant flowers．They come into our lives ever so   50   and leave behind a scent that stays in our being．They   51   your day by just having had contact with them even if for a moment．You cannot possibly   52   a day without thinking about them．Their beautiful   53   gently touches your heart each time you hear their name．In the coldest, darkest days of the winter of my life, the   54   of them will get me through it all and bring a smile to my face and I will have “spring forever in my   55 ．”
36．A．slowly        B．steadily       C．gently       D．fast
37．A．confusing     B．exciting      C．disappointing   D．annoying
38．A．supplied      B．raised          C．produced     D．presented
39．A．taking          B．breathing       C．bringing      D．getting
40．A．branches       B．leaves          C．flowers      D．fruits
41．A．seen           B．won           C．found         D．missed
42．A．threat       B．attack         C．weight       D．control
43．A．hurt          B．broke           C．struck          D．cured
44．A．expecting      B．learning         C．judging       D．borrowing
45．A．predicting     B．lacking         C．desiring      D．experiencing
46．A．still         B．even            C．once          D．just
47．A．lighter        B．softer         C．stronger      D．lower
48．A．Sadly       B．Luckily        C．Hopefully      D．Jokingly
49．A．when       B．before         C．after          D．since
50．A．casually       B．slowly         C．secretly       D．briefly
51．A．brighten      B．waste        C．ruin          D．end
52．A．put off        B．take up       C．go through    D．use up
53．A．expression    B．appearance    C．figure         D．spirit
54．A．memory      B．understanding  C．sympathy     D．tolerance
55．A．experience      B．theory       C．heart           D．conscience