British postmen and milkmen have a reputation(名声)for being cheerful. As they__1__arrive very early in the morning, when you are perhaps not feeling very good-tempered, their lively__2__and bright whistling may get on your nerves. Of course, there are some__3__,who make you think that every letter includes bad news, but the__4__are jolly and good-humoured. This is quite surprising,__5__delivering the mail each morning is a job which is not very well paid and there are a great many__6__.

　　The city postman__7__go on foot, not only along streets but also up and down stairs, as many blocks of flats still have no lifts and no__8__letter box. If he has a registered(挂号的)letter to deliver, he has to wait for someone to come to the door to sign for it. That person may not__9__him warmly if he has just been woken from a deep__10__very early in the morning.

　　In the__11__, a postman may have a bike or a small van, so he does not have to__12__so far, but he still has his problems too. It is very annoying to go all the way to__13__lonely house simply to deliver a postcard, which__14__the journey half an hour longer. In winter, weather conditions are bad, but the postman must carry on in the rain or the snow. Sometimes it is__15__to use a van or a bike in these conditions, and he has to do his round on foot,__16__his city fellow workers. Most country people__17__a dog. Although there may be a__18__on the gate: "BE CAREFUL OF THE DOG", this is of little help to the postman. He is__19__to go in, whether the dog is dangerous or not. So every day the country postman knows that,__20__the dog is not safely tied up, it may bite him in the leg or tear the seat(臀部)out of his trousers.

　　1. A. both B. some C. none D. neither

　　2. A. dancing B. crying C. knocking D. singing

　　3. A. milkmen B. postmen C. dustmen D. firemen

　　4. A. majority B. few C. part D. other

　　5. A. after B. because C. whether D. although

　　6. A. situations B. animals C. problems D. friends

　　7. A. has to B. must C. may D. need

　　8. A. upstairs B. downstairs C. steps D. top-floor

　　9. A. refuse B. welcome C. strike D. hate

　　10. A. quarrel B. sleep C. work D. breakfast

　　11. A. school B. army C. country D. factory

　　12. A. climb B. jump C. walk D. run

　　13. A. the B. a C. an D. 不填

　　14. A. pays B. makes C. does D. spends

　　15. A. necessary B. impossible C. wise D. reasonable

　　16. A. by B. with C. like D. from

　　17. A. like B. keep C. sell D. hate

　　18. A. notice B. letter C. slogan D. name

　　19. A. forced B. pleased C. surprised D. excited

　　20. A. why B. unless C. if D. whether

　　[答案与解析]

　　1. A。本句中的they指代邮递员和送奶员, 故空格处填both。 2. C。邮递员上门送邮件或送奶员上门送奶时自然是先敲门。3. B。从非限制性定语从句中的letter可知,此空格处指邮递员。 4. A。由but可知此空格指"多数(信件)",majority与前面的some相对应。 5. B 6. C。这是很令人惊奇的,因为每天早晨送邮件是一个薪水不高的工作,而且还有很多问题。 7. A。邮递员的工作不仅要走街穿巷,而且要上下楼梯。由于这些客观条件的限制,邮递员不得不步行。故此处用has to,而不能用must。 8. B。邮递员只好步行,因为很多楼房仍然没有电梯和楼下信箱。downstairs在此处是形容词。 9. B 10. B。如果邮递员有挂号信要投递,他只好等着有人到门口签字。如果收信人一清早刚从睡梦中被叫醒,他是不可能热情欢迎邮递员的。11. C。第二段讲的是city postman, 本段讲的是农村邮递员的情况。 12. C。农村的邮递员有自行车,所以,他不必走得太远。 13. B 14. B。全程专为到一处偏僻的住户去送一张明信片,使行程时间延长半个小时,这是非常令人烦恼的。 15. B 16. C。在下雨或下雪天气时,骑自行车是不可能的。他也像城市邮递员一样,只好步行。17. B。keep a dog意为"养狗"。18. A。"小心狗"就是门上挂着的牌子的内容。19. A。尽管门上有牌子提出警告,但这对邮递员来说也没有多大帮助,不管这只狗是否危险,他也得被迫进去。20. C。此处是if引导的条件状语从句。

　　(文/文玉荣；英语辅导报高三版2003-2004学年第46期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)