题目内容：

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中,选出可以填人空白处的最佳答案，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Once a group of tourists who were staying at a hotel in Birmingham were having dinner in the restaurant. Fish was brought in and while they were   16  it, some of them told interesting stories about  17  pearls and other   18   things inside fish.

An old gentleman, who up to now had   19   quietly to their conversation, at last said,

“ I’ve heard all your stories, now I’ll tell you   20  . When I was a young man I was working in a large importing factory in New York, and   21   is usual with young persons, I fell in   22   with a pretty young girl. Very __23__ we were engaged（订婚）. About two months __24___ our marriage was to take place, I was suddenly   25  to Birmingham on a very important business. I left my sweetheart,   26   to write to her. ”

“ I had to stay in Birmingham longer than I had   27  . At last my work was done and I could leave Birmingham. But just before I  28  New York, I bought a beautiful and very expensive diamond   29  , planning to give it to my sweetheart. ”

“ On my way to New York, I was__30___ the morning newspaper, which had been brought on board by the sailor. Suddenly I   31   an announcement of my sweetheart’s   32   with another. This made me so angry that I threw the ring overboard. A few days  33  , when I was eating fish, I bit(咬) on something   34  . What do you think it was ? ”

“ The diamond ring, ” cried his companions. “ No ” , said the old gentleman  35  , “ it was a fish-bone.”

16. A. eating         B. cooking           C. peeling         D. weighing

17. A. exchanging      B. tasting                  C. finding          D. searching

18. A. valuable                     B. terrible                  C. common                D. cheap

19. A. sat                     B. listened                 C. stood                      D. thought

20. A. one                        B. all                      C. some                 D. another

21. A. it                   B. which                          C. that                        D. as

22. A. trouble              B. debt                                C. quarrel                            D. love

23. A. quickly               B. fast                        C. soon                  D. lucky

24. A. when                     B. before                         C. after                  D. since

25. A. reported                    B. sent             C. caught            D. taken

26. A. promising                  B. agreeing               C. refusing                 D. wishing

27. A. regretted             B. wondered                  C. expected       D. finished

28. A. left for               B. left to                          C. returned back   D. returned from

29. A. watch                B. ring                        C. earring                            D. necklace

30. A. looking at        B. looking up                  C. looking through   D. looking for

31. A. looked               B. saw                        C. heard                     D. recognized

32. A. marriage                   B. fight                            C. talk                         D. agreement

33. A. before               B. later                           C. earlier               D. ago

34. A. hard                            B. sweet                         C. soft                         D. crisp

35. A. happily              B. loudly                     C. angrily              D. sadly