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，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、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。
My wife and I moved into our home nine years ago. We16 a lot of time and 17 in the yard to get it looking the way it does today. We live on a corner, and the entire side of the yard is surrounded by a professionally built rock wall.
We did the best to cultivate(耕种) it and called this area our rock garden. 18 We had found flowers and plants, Denise or I will plant them, just to bring some 19 to the area.
Last summer I found a tiny little plant that I could not immediately
20. I was sure that we didn’t plant it. We decided to let it 21 to grow until we could 22 what it was.
Weeks passed, and as I made my way back to the 23 plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I 24 to nurture(培育) it and weed around it. As I picked up rocks from the area to get to the 25, I noticed something 26 . The sunflower had not started to grow from where I first saw the stalks(茎）appear. 27 it had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to 28 the sun.
That's when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower wouldn't let a big rock stand in its way when growing up, then we have the29 to do the same. 30 we believe in ourselves, like that little sunflower, we can
31 the type of nourishment(营养）and growth. We need to believe in
32, knowing that we have the ability to 33 our desires. If you stand all like the sunflower and are 34 of who and what you are, then the environment will begin to 35 you. You will find a way to go under or around your obstacles( 障碍）in order to reach your goals.
16. A. took B. spent C. cost D. pay
17. A. strength B. energy C. power D. force
18. A. However B. When C. Whenever D. Whatever
19. A. weed B. color C. water D. soil
20. A. classify B. accept C. clarify D. identify
21. A. remain B. prevent C. continue D. leave
22. A. figure out B. hold out C. stand out D. try out
23. A. endangered B. convenient C. mysterious D. enormous
24. A. refused B. decided C. adapted D. proposed
25. A. seeds B. stalks C. rocks D. weeds
26. A. unusual B. common C. fantastic D. unnatural
27. A. Casually B. Basically C. Actually D. Strangely
28. A. enlarge B. expand C. reach D. spread
29. A. chance B. choice C. power D. ability
30. A. What if B. As far as C. Only if D. As long as
31. A. inspire B. attain C. lose D. refuse
32. A. ourselves B. yourselves C. themselves D. myself
33. A. preserve B. comfort C. achieve D. suggest
34. A. ashamed B. pride C. proud D. ambitious
35. A. ensure B. support C. satisfy D. protect