On August 26, 1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm. The rain caused the streets _ _36_ __ and the subway system almost came to a stop. Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour. Many people who were going to work were _ _37_ _ to go home. Some battled to __ 38_ _a taxi or to get on a bus. Still others faced the __ _39_ __ bravely, walking miles to get to work. I ___ 40 __ to be one of people on the way to work that morning. I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most _ 41_ _ had stopped. After making my way __ 42 __ crowds of people. I finally found a subway line that was __ 43 ___. Unfortunately, there were so many people waiting to __ 44 __ the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the __ _45_ _. So I took the train going in the opposite direction, and then switched back to the downtown train. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the train __ 46_ _ my stop. Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain. When I got to my office, I was _ 47__ _ through, exhausted and __ 48 __. My co-workers and I spend most of the day drying off. When it was 5:00 pm, I was ready to go home. I was about to turn off my computer _ _49 __I received an email from Garth, my Director: I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and _ _50_ _ reported to work. It is always reassuring (令人欣慰), at times like these, when employees so clearly show their _51_ _ _to their jobs. Thank you. Garth’s email was short, but I learned more from that ___ 52_ _ message than I ever did from a textbook. The email taught me that a few words of __ 53_ _ can make a big difference. The rainstorm and the traffic __ 54_ __ had made me tired and upset. But Garth’s words immediately __55_ ___ me and put a smile back on my face. 36. A. break        B. flood        C. sink          D, crash 37. A. forced       B. refused      C. adjusted      D. gathered 38. A. order        B. pay         C. call          D. search 39. A. climate      B. scenery     C. storm         D. burden 40. A. used        B. promised    C. deserved      D. happened 41. practice        B. routine      C. process       D. service 42. A. to          B. through      C. over          D. for 43. A. operating    B. cycling      C. turning        D. rushing 44. A. check       B. carry       C. find           D. board 45. A. street       B. ground       C. floor          D. platform 46. A. paused      B. crossed      C. reached        D. parked 47. A. wet        B. weak         C. sick            D. hurt 48. A. ashamed    B. discouraged    C. surprised       D. puzzled 49. A, while       B. when         C. where          D. after 50. A. hardly      B. casually       C. absolutely      D. eventually 51. A. devotion    B. donation       C. connection      D. reaction 52. A, accurate    B. urgent        C. brief          D. humorous 53. A. promise     B. appreciate      C. advice        D. guidance 54. A. troubles     B. signals        C. rules          D. signs 55. A. corrected     B. supported      C. amazed        D. refreshed