One day, a man was walking in his garden and he found a cocoon (茧). As he watched the cocoon, he 1 a small opening appear. He sat and watched the cocoon for several hours as it
2 to force its body through the little hole. After some time, it seemed to stop making any 3 . It appeared as if it had got as far as it could and could go no further. The man was so 4 to see the butterfly that he decided to help it. Using his hands he opened the cocoon large enough for the butterfly to 5 . He thought to himself, “What a great thing I’ve done for this butterfly. It would surely 6 if I were not here to help.”
He watched the butterfly 7 get out from the cocoon. But the butterfly had a swollen body and small, shriveled (皱缩的) wings. The man continued to watch. He expected that, at any moment, the wings would expand to be able to 8 its body. In time, he thought the butterfly would be as beautiful as other butterflies in the garden. To his 9 , neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its 10 crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man did not understand was that the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny 11 was nature’s way of forcing fluid (液体) from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its 12 from the cocoon. The butterfly needed the struggle to free itself from the cocoon.
1. A. made B. noticed C. had D. let
2. A. asked B. offered C. promised D. struggled
3. A. effort B. sense C. progress D. difference
4. A. anxious B. happy C. sorry D. lucky
5. A. turn over B. slide out C. stand up D. stay on
6. A. die B. fall C. escape D. return
7. A. hardly B. carelessly C. easily D. nearly
8. A. warm B. support C. reduce D. protect
9. A. relief B. shame C. joy D. surprise
10. A. year B. life C. weekend D. season
11. A. body B. window C. opening D. pool
12. A. harmony B. power C. balance D. freedom