A Race Against Death
It was a cold January in 1925 in Nome, Alaska. The town was cut off from the rest of the world due to heavy snow.
On the 20th of that month, Dr. Welch _______a sick boy, Billy, and knew he had diphtheria, a deadly infectious(传染的) disease mainly affecting children. The children of Nome would be _______if it struck the town. Dr. Welch needed medicine as soon as possible to stop other kids from getting sick. _______, the closest supply was over 1,000 miles away, in Anchorage.
How could the medicine get to Nome? The town’s _______was already full of ice, so it couldn’t come by ship. Cars and horses couldn’t travel on the _______roads. Jet airplanes and big trucks didn’t exist yet.
_______January 26, Billy and three other children had died. Twenty more were _______. Nome’s town officials came up with a(n)_______. They would have the medicine sent by _______from Anchorage to Nenana. From there, dogsled(狗拉雪橇) drivers — known as ＂mushers＂ — would __________it to Nome in a relay(接力).
The race began on January 27. The first musher, Shannon, picked up the medicine from the train at Nenana and rode all night. __________he handed the medicine to the next musher, Shannon’s face was black from the extreme cold.
On January 31, a musher named Seppala had to __________a frozen body of water called Norton Sound. It was the most __________part of the journey. Norton Sound was covered with ice, which could sometimes break up without warning. If that happened, Seppala might fall into the icy water below. He would __________, and so would the sick children of Nome. But Seppala made it across.
A huge snowstorm hit on February 1. A musher named Kaasen had to brave this storm. At one point, huge piles of snow blocked his__________. He had to leave the trail(雪橇痕迹) to get around them. Conditions were so bad that it was impossible for him to __________the trail again. The only hope was Balto, Kaasen’s lead dog. Balto put his nose to the ground, __________to find the smell of other dogs that had traveled on the trail. If Balto failed, it would mean disaster for Nome. The minutes passed by. Suddenly, Balto began to __________. He had found the trail.
At 5:30 am on February 2, Kaasen and his dogs __________in Nome. Within minutes, Dr. Welch had the medicine. He quickly gave it to the sick children. All of them recovered.
Nome had been __________.
1.A.examined B.warned C.interviewed D.cured
2.A.harmless B.helpless C.fearless D.careless
3.A.Moreover B.Therefore C.Otherwise D.However
4.A.airport B.station C.harbor D.border
5.A.narrow B.snowy C.busy D.dirty
6.A.From B.On C.By D.After
7.A.tired B.upset C.pale D.sick
8.A.plan B.excuse C.message D.topic
9.A.air B.rail C.sea D.road
10.A.carry B.return C.mail D.give
11.A.Though B.Since C.When D.If
12.A.enter B.move C.visit D.cross
13.A.shameful B.boring C.dangerous D.foolish
14.A.escape B.bleed C.swim D.die
15.A.memory B.exit C.way D.destination
16.A.find B.fix C.pass D.change
17.A.pretending B.trying C.asking D.learning
18.A.run B.leave C.bite D.play
19.A.gathered B.stayed C.camped D.arrived
20.A.controlled B.saved C.founded D.developed
We choose this hotel because the price for a night here is down to $20, half of _______ it used to charge.
A.that B.which
C.what D.how
Lessons can be learned to face the future, ________ history cannot be changed.
A.though B.as C.since D.unless
（2018·江苏）It’s strange that he _______ have taken the books without the owner’s permission.
A.would B.should
C.could D.might
Most of us, if we know even a little about where our food comes from, understand that every bite put into our mouths was ________ alive.
A.steadily B.instantly
C.formerly D.permanently
The failure was a big __________ to him, but he wasn’t discouraged and soon got as enthusiastic as ever.
A.blow B.issue
C.excuse D.factor
