When my daughter was in grade school, she brought home four tiny twigs one day. They were small ___21___given to the students to plant. None of them looked very hardy, but with a ___22___ for the future, I planted them in our backyard. Over the years the ___23___ soil brought an end to three of them.
All that was ___24___ was a single evergreen. It never got very tall and ___25___ to one side. Then, I noticed that it was starting to ___26___. The lower branches were becoming brown. Only the top ones of the tree were still ___27___.
I did my best to ___28___it by feeding it a lot of fertilizer (肥料), but it seemed hopeless. One morning I went out and looked at it again, ___29___ if it would be better to just cut it down. As I walked over to take a closer look at it, ____30____, I noticed something moving among the branches. It was a bird ____31____ building a nest (巢) in the topmost branches. I smiled and ____32____ that maybe this old tree had some life and usefulness left in it yet. It may not be healthy or pretty, but it was still giving a bird a ____33____.
This tree ____34____ me that all of our lives have a purpose. It doesn’t matter if we are young and strong, or old and sick. Until our last ____35____ we still have things to do: love for us to give, and joy for us to share. We can help to make this world a better and lovelier place.
21. A. flowers B. seeds C. trees D. vegetables
22. A. life B. hope C. chance D. end
23. A. rich B. soft C. poor D. deep
24. A. left B. gone C. deserted D. planted
25. A. turned B. bent C. sank D. flew
26. A. take B. lose C. grow D. die
27. A. green B. brown C. tiny D. pretty
28. A. change B. cut C. use D. save
29. A. regretting B. asking C. wondering D. knowing
30. A. however B. therefore C. moreover D. otherwise
31. A. freely B. busily C. gently D. vividly
32. A. whispered B. shouted C. decided D. wished
33. A. home B. purpose C. branch D. way
34. A. upset B. reminded C. ensured D. affected
35. A. night B. lesson C. word D. breath
【答案】21. C 22. B 23. C 24. A 25. B 26. D 27. A 28. D 29. C 30. A 31. B 32. C 33. A 34. B 35. D
【解析】
本文是一边夹叙夹的文章。主要讲了一棵树在将死之际，还能为鸟儿提供一个家，作者由此引发感慨：所有的生命都有存在的意义。
【21题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。句意：它们是供学生们种植的小树。A. flowers 花；B. seeds种子；C. trees树；D. vegetables蔬菜。根据前文“she brought home four tiny twigs one day.有一天她带了四根小树枝回家。”可知此处指的是小树苗，故答案为C选项。
【22题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。句意：但是出于对未来的希望，我把它们种在了我们的后院。A. life 生活、生命；B. hope 希望；C. chance 机会；D. end 结束。根据空格后“for the future”可知此处作者对小树苗的为来充满的希望，故答案为B选项。
【23题详解】
考查形容词词义辨析。句意：多年来，贫瘠的土地终结了其中的三个。 A. rich 丰富的、肥沃的；B. soft 柔软的；C. poor 贫穷的；贫瘠的；D. deep神的。根据空格后“brought an end to three of them.导致其中3棵结束生命”可知树苗生长的土壤并不好，故答案为C选项。
【24题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。句意：只剩下一棵常青树。A. left 留下；B. gone 离开；C. deserted 遗弃；D. planted种植。根据前文“brought an end to three of them.导致其中三棵结束生命”可知目前只剩下一棵，结合选项可知答案为A选项。
【25题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。句意：它从来没有变得很高，弯向一边。A. turned 转向；B. bent 弯曲；C. sank沉下去；D. flew飞。根据前文“It never got very tall它从来没有长高”和下文“The lower branches were becoming brown. 低矮的枝条开始变成褐色。”可知这个树是树枝弯曲着长开，并不是向高长，故答案为B选项。
【26题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。句意：我注意到它开始死亡了。A. take拿、携带；B.lose 丢失；C. grow 长大；D. die死。根据下文“The lower branches were becoming brown. Only the top ones of the tree were still ___7___ . I did my best to ___8___ it by feeding it a lot of fertilizer (肥料), but it seemed hopeless.”可知树叶变成棕色，作者施肥尽力拯救，但无济于事，故前一句的意思是作者发现这棵树快要死了，所以答案为D选项。
【27题详解】
考查形容词词义辨析。句意：只有树顶上的那些还是绿色的。A. green绿色的； B. brown棕色的、褐色的；C. tiny 细小的；D. pretty漂亮的。根据前一句“The lower branches were becoming brown.低矮处的树枝变成的棕色”，再结合树将要死时的常识，可知此处指树顶端还是绿色的，故答案为A选项。
【28题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。句意：我尽我最大的努力拯救它。A. change 改变；B. cut 砍；C. use使用； D. save拯救。根据前文作者发现这棵树快要死的细节描写可知此处作者是要拯救这棵树，故答案为D选项。
【29题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。句意：我想知道把树砍掉会不会更好。A. regretting 遗憾；B. asking 问；C. wondering想知道；D. knowing知道。根据空格后“if it would be better to just cut it down.是否把树砍掉会更好”这个if引导的宾语从句可知此处表达的是作者想知道是否把树看了会更好，结合选项可知正确答案为C选项。
【30题详解】
考查副词词义辨析。句意：然而我发现了有东西在树枝中动，当我走近时。A. however 然而；B. therefore因此；C.moreover 并且、而且；D. otherwise否则。分析句子“As I walked over to take a closer look at it,当我走近看它时”和句子“I noticed something moving among the branches.我发现有东西在树枝里动”的句意，可知两者之间有转折关系，故答案为A选项。
【31题详解】
考查副词词义辨析。句意：是一只鸟在树枝的最高处忙着筑巢。A. freely 自由地；B. busily忙碌地；C. gently 温柔地；D. vividly栩栩如生地。根据前文“I noticed something moving among the branches. 我发现有东西在树枝里动”可知小鸟一直在忙于筑巢，结合选项可知答案为B选项。
32题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。句意：我微笑着决定，也许这棵老树还有一些生命和用处。A. whispered 耳语；B. shouted 大喊；C. decided决定；D. wished希望。根据前文作者想知道是否要砍掉这棵树以及发现小鸟后的惊喜可知，作者决定要留下这棵树，故答案为C选项。
【33题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。句意：这棵树也许不健康也不漂亮，但它仍然给了鸟儿一个家。A. home家；B. purpose 目的；C. branch 树枝；D. way方法。根据前文鸟儿在树枝中忙着筑巢的细节描写，可知此处指这棵树为鸟儿提供一个家，故答案为A选项。
【34题详解】
考查动词词义辨析。句意：这棵树提醒我，我们的生命都有存在的意义的。A. upset 失望；B. reminded 提醒；C. ensured 使确信；D. affected影响。根据前文这个树虽然快死掉了，但依然能让鸟儿筑巢的细节描写可知作者是由这件事引发了“all of our lives have a purpose.所有生命都有存在的意义”这一感慨，结合选项可知答案为B选项。
【35题详解】
考查名词词义辨析。句意：直到我们咽下最后一口气，我们还有事要做: 给予我们的爱，分享我们的快乐。A. night夜晚；B. lesson 课、教训；C. word单词、话语； D. breath呼吸。根据前文树在生命的最后时刻还能为鸟儿提供一个家的细节描写，可知此处指直到我们生命的最后一刻，我们也是有一些有意义的事情要做的，结合选项可知答案为D选项。
