完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
An African American man named John Henry was the hero of the people who built the railroads in the 19^th century. He was the strongest man who ever lived and was the      steel-drivers（钢钻技师）involved in a railway project. He was almost two meters tall,     more than ninety kilograms.
One day a salesman came to the working      with a new drilling machine（钻机） powered by     . He said it could drill holes faster than twelve men      together. The boss of the workers believed Henry could      more than twenty men. In the end, the salesman promised the company could      the machine without      if John was faster. Henry told the boss he would never let the machine      his job. The      began. At first, the drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a      in each hand. Henry’s wife      when the machine that had     was pulled from the tunnel（隧道）. She      him to come out. But he kept working, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became     , and his heart burst. He fell down to the ground but he      held one of the hammers. However, in no time, the steam drill and other machines      the steel-drivers in America.
Confirming details of John Henry’s life is not possible. That is because no one knows for     whether he really lived. This is one of the things that make his story     . However, John Henry is based, in part, on real events. Many people say he represents the      of America during this period.

A．fastest B．slowest C．most handsome D．most experienced

A．weigh B．weighing C．weighed D．to weigh

A．room B．hall C．shop D．area

A．water B．coal C．wind D．steam

A．standing B．running C．working D．sitting

A．cover B．beat C．lead D．hire

A．repair B．have C．borrow D．lend

A．pay B．choice C．delay D．reason

A．give B．take C．fetch D．bring

A．party B．meeting C．competition D．show

A．stick B．hammer C．knife D．gun

A．shouted B．laughed C．cried D．cheered

A．put down B．turned up C．broken down D．looked up

A．urged B．waited C．convinced D．refused

A．weak B．strong C．alive D．awake

A．hardly B．even C．almost D．still

A．discovered B．damaged C．replaced D．killed

A．sure B．fun C．good D．bad

A．annoying B．depressed C．interesting D．discouraged

A．memory B．failure C．imagination D．spirit