阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。
The Keeper of the River
An old man had been working for many years for a town．His job was to clear away natural waste from the pool water in the hills, which made up the lovely river flowing through the town nearby．Quietly and
, the old man guarded the hills,
the leaves and branches, and cleaned up the dirt that would have
and polluted the fresh flow of water．The town soon became a popular attraction for tourists．Elegant swans （天鹅） floated along the clear river and the view was so beautifu
l words．
Years passed．One evening the town
met．As they reviewed the budget, one man's
caught sight of the salary
being paid to the seldom seen keeper of the river．He asked, "Who is the old man? Why do we
to employ him? No one in town ever
him． For all we know, the strange keeper of the hills isn't doing his job．His position isn't
any longer．" Then they voted to
the man．
For several weeks, nothing changed ．．．
By early autumn, the trees began to
their leaves．Small branches broke off and fell into the pools of the hills,
the flow of the shining water．One afternoon, someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown
in the river．A few days later, the water was much
. Within another week, an oily something covered some sections of the water along the banks, and a terrible
was soon sensed．Swans left, and so did the
. The only thing that was now visiting the village was disease and sickness．
Quickly , the
town committee called a special meeting．Realising their huge mistake in
, they rehired the old keeper of the river again, and within a few weeks, the river began to clear up．Swans and tourists came back again and new life returned to the small town in the Alps．
Never ignore the seeming smallness of a task, job, or life．They may all make a
.
| 小题1: | | A．regularly | B．suddenly | C．casually | D．seldom |
|
| 小题2: | | A．assumed | B．opposed | C．removed | D．conveyed |
|
| 小题3: | | A．rejected | B．poured | C．selected | D．blocked |
|
| 小题4: | | A．beyond | B．despite | C．within | D．after |
|
| 小题5: | | A．sympathy | B．employment | C．masterpiece | D．committee |
|
| 小题6: | | A．eye | B．care | C．hand | D．spirit |
|
| 小题7: | | A．list | B．privilege | C．skill | D．concept |
|
| 小题8: | | A．donate | B．continue | C．stop | D．fail |
|
| 小题9: | | A．decorates | B．swears | C．shares | D．sees |
|
| 小题10: | | A．negative | B．urgent | C．necessary | D．complex |
|
| 小题11: | | A．find | B．fire | C．support | D．forget |
|
| 小题12: | | A．lose | B．avoid | C．expand | D．admit |
|
| 小题13: | | A．pulling | B．speeding | C．slowing | D．pushing |
|
| 小题14: | | A．fish | B．color | C．flower | D．leaf |
|
| 小题15: | | A．aliver | B．cooler | C．warmer | D．darker |
|
| 小题16: | | A．sound | B．smell | C．wave | D．light |
|
| 小题17: | | A．managers | B．players | C．villagers | D．tourists |
|
| 小题18: | | A．embarrassed | B．accepted | C．focused | D．delighted |
|
| 小题19: | | A．depression | B．voyage | C．judgment | D．amusement |
|
| 小题20: | | A．suggestion | B．difference | C．platform | D．devotion |
|