题目内容：

完形填空

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，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

My sister and I have been a headache for my mother, because my father was in the army, he was not around too often. ______, my mother brought us up almost single-handedly and it must have _____ real strength of mind to bring up such naughty and stubborn children who got out from one trouble only to get into another.

Bonus and I weren’t scholars either. ______, we hated studying from the very beginning. We were ______ to spend time with our schoolbooks out of the fear of Mum’s scolding. I almost did not make it to 10th grade. That entire summer Mum ______ that I read my schoolbooks from the very first chapter till the last.

I left ______ college at 18. In my second year of college, while I was studying for my final exams, I got a phone call from Mum ______ my sister had failed her 9th grade exams. Mum was heartbroken. My mother was an English teacher in a famous school in the city and it was a(n) _____ for her.

Then started another ______ for my Mum. There always seemed to be people who would come and talk about how well their children were doing ______ my mother would be having a tough time making sure we stayed on the right path. Mum was ______ that we would do well for ourselves. She never let my sister and me ______ that we had lost out on something and always told us: “Let this be a lesson. We are going to work really really hard···Circumstances     __ change.”

Things did change, but very slowly and ______, one little step at a time. Last year I finished with law school and started working. My mother’s belief in me ______. And just a few days ago I got a phone from Bonus. She had ______ the exam with honors and was ______ to the best university in the country. I was in tears. Later that night I ______ Mum: “Mum, your two little failures didn’t do as badly as everybody thought.” Mum ______ and said: “You are my daughters and I knew you the best. I always knew that you would succeed. It was just a ______of time.”

1.A. However        B. Thus        C. Otherwise         D. Besides

2.A. devoted       B. spent       C. taken             D. wasted

3.A. In that case   B. In this way C. On the other hand D. On the contrary

4.A. pleased      B. annoyed     C. forced            D. advised

5.A. demanded       B. concluded  C. promised          D. mentioned

6.A. at            B. for         C. from              D. after

7.A. announcing     B. reading     C. knowing          D. saying

8.A. shame          B. challenge   C. pride             D. honor

9.A. experiment    B. research   C. conflict          D. trial

10.A. though        B. while       C. as                D. unless

11.A. determined    B. astonished C. satisfied        D. concerned

12.A. predict      B. imagine     C. guess             D. feel

13.A. need         B. would       C. will             D. shall

14.A. quickly      B. extremely  C. smoothly          D. gradually

15.A. made up       B. paid off    C. took on           D. burst out

16.A. attended     B. received    C. passed            D. failed

17.A. accepted     B. allowed     C. admitted          D. permitted

18.A. questioned  B. convinced  C. persuaded         D. called

19.A. nodded        B. laughed     C. shouted           D. joked

20.A. matter      B. period     C. waste             D. length