Some myths are stories told since ancient times to explain the causes for natural happenings. The Greek myth that explains why there are changes of ___36___ is about Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. She had a daughter, Persephone, whom she loved very much. Hades, god of the underworld, fell in love with Persephone, and he asked Zeus, the ___37___ of the gods, to give Persephone to him as his ___38___. Zeus did not want either to disappoint Hades or to upset Demeter, so he said he would not agree to the marriage, but neither would he ___39___ it. Hades, therefore, decided to take the girl without ___40___. When Persephone was picking flowers in the garden, he seized her and took her to the underworld. When Demeter ___41___ what happened to Persephone, she became so ___42___ that she caused all plants to ___43___ People were in ___44___ of starving. But Demeter was determined not to let crops grow ___45___ her daughter, Persephone, was returned to her. ___46___, still not wanting to disappoint Hades, decided upon a condition for Persephone’s ___47___. She could go back to her mother if she had not ___48___ anything while she was in the underworld. Demeter ___49___ it because she did not know that Persephone had eaten several pomegranate(石榴) seeds in the underworld. When Zeus ___50___ this, he agreed that Persephone could spend part of the year with her ___51___, but he added that since she had eaten the seeds, she must spend part of the year in the underworld. And so it ___52___ that when Persephone is in the underworld, Demeter is sad and therefore ___53___ not let the crops grow. That is ___54___ we have winter when plants do not grow. When Persephone returns, Demeter is ___55___, it is spring, and plants begin to grow again.

36. A. periods           B. seasons                C. time                     D. age

37. A. winner            B. ruler                     C. advisor                 D. fighter

38. A. wife               B. lover                    C. partner                 D. daughter

39. A. forbid             B. forgive                 C. admit                   D. accept

40. A. arrangement    B. warning                C. reason                  D. permission

41. A. let out             B. worked out           C. thought out           D. found out

42. A. excited            B. tired                     C. angry                   D. serious

43. A. grow fast        B. start growing        C. stop growing        D. grow slowly

44. A. danger            B. hope                     C. turn                     D. case

45. A. since              B. until                     C. after                     D. when

46. A. Persephone     B. Zeus                     C. Demeter               D. Hades

47. A. return             B. change                 C. marriage               D. journey

48. A. stolen             B. found                   C. eaten                    D. heard

49. A. understood      B. refused                 C. doubted                D. accepted

50. A. discovered      B. studied                 C. forgot                  D. prepared

51. A. daughter         B. mother                 C. god                      D. ruler

52. A. works             B. remains                C. happens                D. starts

53. A. should            B. can                      C. dare                     D. will

54. A. where             B. because                C. why                     D. how

55. A. nice                B. friendly                 C. fresh                    D. happy

【答案与解析】

本文通常一个希腊神话说明了四季变化的由来。

36. B。根据文章最后几句话可知，文章讲的是季节(season)的更换。

37. B。Zeus是宇宙之神，是众神的统治者。从下文可以看出，不仅Demeter和Hades之间的矛盾的需要Zeus的调解，而且他们的想法也要取得Zeus的同意。

38. A。根据上文的Hades…fell in love with Persephone 以及后文的…agree to the marriage 可知，Hades想娶Persephone为妻。

39. A。此处指的是Zeus既不会同意这桩婚事，也不会禁止。

40. D。根据下文可知，Hades是抢走Persephone，即没有得到允许。

41. D。比较：find out查明真相；let out放开，放出；work out 算出；think out 想出。只有选项D最符合语境。

42. C。后文说Demeter 决定要让所有植物停止生长，可见她很生气(angry)。

43. C。根据第54空处的内容可知，此处指她使所有植物停止生长。

44. A。比较：in danger of 处于……的危险中；in the hope of 怀有……的希望；in turn 依次；in case of 以防万一。根据后文的starving 可知，此题填空in danger of 最佳。

45. B。not...until 意为“直到……才”，此处指的是她要直到她女儿回来才让植物生长。

46. B。根据其后的still not wanting to disappoint Hades可知答案。

47. A。此处指Persephone回到她母亲身边。

48. C。根据下文的Persephone had eaten several pomegranate seeds可知答案。

49. D。根据上下文的语境看，Demeter 接受了Zeus的条件。

50. A。此处指“发现”事情真相。

51. B。根据下文的she must spend part of the year in the underworld可知出此处应选with her mother。

52. C。句中的it 为形式主语，真正的主语是that 引导的主语从句。此处的意思是“……就这样发生了”。

53. D。比较四个选项，只有will 最合语境。

54. C。That’s why… 的意思是“这就是为什么……”“这就是……的原因”。

55. D。当 Persephone 回来时，Demeter很高兴，所以就是春天，植物开始生长。