第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（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。
When I began my high school years, I was quite interested in biology. I read lots of books of my father’s about animals, and I was   36   much educated about such matters as a 16-year-old could be.
One Sunday afternoon, I was   37  with friends about animals. I said the whale（鲸鱼）was  __38  a mammal animal. They disagreed. Finally, I called a   39  over to help settle the matter. I knew I was  40 , so I was looking forward to the teacher  41   I was right. My friends were eager for an opposite answer. We asked her   42 the whale was a mammal. “No, the whale is a fish,” she said without a moment’s   43  .
You could have knocked me over with a feather. My   44   was hurt because I lost the argument, but that wasn’t the main reason I was too  45 to speak. I still knew I was right, which   __46  the teacher was wrong. Not only was she wrong,   47  she was completely ignorant（无知的） about something I thought was   48   knowledge. But she was a teacher who had taught a long time. Everyone   49   her and no one else thought she could be wrong.
__50  that, I hadn’t known grown-ups could be wrong. This   51  shaped the way I viewed people as I grew up.   52   I found anyone treated another person with too much respect and admiration, I thought——and still think——“   53  silly.” From that point on, I had no  54__ for authority（权威）. To earn my respect, you have to be smart or  55   . I’ll never respect you just because you happen to be in charge or have a degree.
36. A. as  B. so       C. too          D. very
37. A. meeting       B. working     C. arguing      D. staying
38. A. about    B. like         C. beside      D. above
39. A. professor     B. biologist     C. librarian     D. teacher
40. A. clever   B. fight       C. creative    D. silly
41. A. proving       B. finding       C. promising   D. hoping
42. A. how     B. why        C. if      D. when
43. A. doubt   B. silence       C. regret  D. hesitation
44. A. heart    B. mind   C. pride   D. feeling
45. A. foolish  B. anxious      C. serious       D. astonished
46. A. meant   B. suggested   C. admitted     D. concluded
47. A. and         B. but     C. for           D. or
48. A. special  B. normal       C. regular       D. common
49. A. pleased B. admired     C. believed     D. loved
50. A. Before  B. After   C. Until   D. Since
51. A. fairly    B. properly     C. nearly D. greatly
52. A. Whenever    B. Although    C. While D. Whether
53. A. I’m         B. that’s  C. he’s    D. you’re
54. A. idea      B. respect       C. choice D. question
55. A. energetic      B. patient       C. talented      D. diligent