完形填空专项练习：
1
A "dark horse "is one that shows unexpected racing speed and comes in first, 1 the
experts said he had little chance of winning.
In politics, an 2 candidate (候选人) for office who 3 a nomination(提名)or
election is called a "dark horse".
British Prime Minister Benjamin Disrael is believed to 4 the first to use the phrase. In
his novel, "The Young Duke ", published in 1831, Disrael described a horse race and told how
the two top choices fell 5 ,while "a dark horse "which had never been thought of rushing
past the grandstand (看台)in a sweeping triumph.
From racing to politics was a short step. As a political phrase, “dark horse ” 6 for the
first time in the national Democratic Party congress of 1844. The "dark horse" was James Knox
Polk who became the llth President of the United States. Polk had been the leader of the House
of Representatives from 1835 to 1839. He had 7 been Governor of the state of Tennessee. But
as a national leader, he was considered a political 8 .
Nevertheless, he 9 won the Democratic nomination and was elected 10 .Martin
Van Buren of New York, A former President, seemed sure of getting the nomination. But he
opposed making the territory of Texas part of the United States as mother state. He was 11
it because there was slavery in Texas. Van Buren did not want another slave state in the Union.
As a result, he 12 support among those Democrats who supported slavery.
At the 1884 congress, Van Buren could not get enough votes to win the nomination. The
congress got into 13 . Therefore, the Democratic leaders decided that the only wise thing
would be to run a "dark horse ", 14 who could unite the party.
And so, one of the party leaders, George Bancroft, proposed the name of James Knox Polk.
He won, and the party 15 behind him, And he defeated his opponent , Henry Clay of the
Whig Party.
16 the 1844 congress, the "dark horse "candidates became an established fact of
national political life. One historian said, "The invention of the dark horse was 17 a
remarkable product of our professional politics. "This made 18 possible for party leaders
to choose candidates who were not tied to certain ideas. Therefore, they represented 19
and had developed 20 enemies.
1. A. so B. even though C. so that D. as if
2. A. unknown B. famous C. popular D. known
3. A. accepts B. looks forward to C. refuses D. wins
4. A. be B. being C. been D. have been
5. A. about B. behind C. asleep D. back
6. A. happened B. appeared C. used D. was come about
7. A. as well B. either C. also D. too
8. A. somebody B. everybody C. anybody D. nobody
9. A. difficultly B. successfully C. surprisingly D. easily
10. A. President B. a President C. the President D. the governor
11. A. for B. against C. in favor of D. in favor with
12. A. won B. received C. lost D. wasted
13. A. votes B. help C. efforts D. money
14. A. a horse B. a man C. an animal D. an organization
15. A. laughed B. succeeded C. won D. united
16. A. After B. Since C. Before D. Because
17. A. in itself B. of itself C. for itself D. by itself
18. A. one B. it C. that D. this
19. A. anything B. nothing C. something D. everything
20. A. quite a few B. a lot of C. few D. little
2
It is an usual sunny afternoon in the village of Midwich, England. It seems not 1
any afternoon in the village, but all of a sudden, 2 and animals lose consciousness. 3
they awake, all of the women of child--bearing age have become pregnant (怀孕的).
This is an episode from a 1960 science fiction story. The women in the story 4 birth
to children that have the 5 appearance. They 6 have blond hair and “strange eyes”. 7
the children grow, they run around the village in a pack, 8 the same clothing and hairstyles,
stating at everyone 9 . 10 one child learns is also known by the others
immediately. Villagers begin to 11 their belief that the children all have "one mind." In this
story, the children are 12 by some unexplained force from outer space. But this story 13
40 years ago 14 predicted the arrival of a recent method of genetic engineering cloning.
Cloning is the genetic process of producing copies of an individual. Will the genetic copies of a
human really have "one mind" as 15 in this story? This situation is so strange 16 us
that we do not know what will 17 of it. 18 with this new situation, people have
19 to find out how to 20 it.
1. A. dislike B. unlike C. alike D. like
2. A. people B. women C. men D. youths
3. A. Then B. When C. Since D. And
4. A. send B. make C. take D. give
5. A. pretty B. same C. ugly D. funny
6. A. every B. both C. themselves D. all
7. A. If B. For C. As D. So
8. A. having on B. wearing C. in D. with
9. A. lonely B. bravely C. impolitely D. patiently
10. A. Which B. While C. Where D. What
11. A. express B. wonder C. select D. argue
