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，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Football, I suppose, is the most popular game in England: One has only to go to one of the important matches to see this. Rich and poor, young and old, one can see them all there, shouting and  36  for one side or  37 .
One of the most  38  thing about football in England to a stranger is the great 39  of the game which even the smallest boy seems to have. He can tell you the names of the players in most of the important teams. He  40  photos of them and knows the results of large numbers of matches. He will  41  you, with a great air of authority, who he expects will win such and such a match,  42  his opinion is usually as valuable as that of men three or four times his  43  .
Most schools in England take  44  seriously — much more seriously than nearly all European schools,  45  lessons are all important, and games are left for one’s  46  arrangements. In England, it is believed that  47  is not only a matter of filling a boy’s mind with facts  48 ; it also means character training. And one of the  49  ways of training character is by means of games,  50  team games, where the boy has to learn to  51  with others for his team; instead of working  52  for himself alone. The school therefore arranges games and matches for its  53 . Football is a good team game, and it is good exercise for body. It needs _54 and a quick brain. It is popular and it is cheap. As a  55 , it is the school’s favorite game in winter.
36. A. jumping        B. laughing            C. running          D. cheering
37. A. their own       B. another       C. the other              D. other side
38. A. surprising       B. exciting                 C. pleasant                    D. different
39. A. skill            B. knowledge           C. interest          D. success
40. A. takes              B. has           C. accepts           D. receives
41. A. explain           B. tell                 C. ask                      D. advise
42. A. so             B. though        C. thus                  D. and
43. A. size            B. experience           C. age           D. weight
44. A. education       B. children             C. football       D. matches
45. A. whose           B. where        C. there          D. because
46. A. his                 B. himself                C. own                   D. itself
47. A. education                B. training           C. learning               D. textbooks
48. A. in the lab                B. at the school      C. on the playground   D. in the classroom
49. A. best              B. quickest                C. maturest              D. oldest
50. A. usually                  B. namely              C. especially            D. reasonably
51. A. think               B. work            C. do                D. deal
52. A. happily            B. foolishly            C. selfishly           D. seriously
53. A. players                  B. teams              C. teachers                 D. pupils
54. A. knowledge               B. time                  C. skill                       D. memory
55. A. consequence     B. whole                 C. rule                     D. matter