19. A. gaining B. achieving C. developing D. obtaining

20. A. prevent B. protect C. save D. free

21. A. suggested B. demanded C. required D. insisted

22. A. presence B. practice C. patience D. potential

23. A. hopefully B. certainly C. finally D. naturally

24. A. key B. breaking C. basic D. turning

25. A. progress B. experience C. competence D. confidence

26. A. horse-riding B. football C. speech D. farming

27. A. in return B. in brief C. in turn D. in fact

28. A. convey B. overcome C. understand D. build

29. A. express B. stress C. contribute D. repeat

30. A. besides B. beyond C. like D. with

第二部分 阅读理解（共25小题；每小题2分，满分50分）

A

　　What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?

This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.

I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem