阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

While Andrew was getting ready for work one Friday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt nervous.   36   Mr. Larchmont refused to   37   his request? Andrew had   38   so hard in the last 18 months.  39  , he deserved a wage increase.

The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak   40  . Late in the afternoon he finally gathered the   41   to approach his superior. To his   42   and surprise, the ever-frugal (一贯节省的) Harvey Larchmont agreed to give Andrew a   43  !

Andrew arrived home that evening,   44   their dining table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina, had prepared a delicate meal   45   his favorite dishes. Immediately he   46   someone from the office had tipped her off!

Next to his plate Andrew found a beautiful lettered   47  . It was from his wife, which read: “  48  , my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I’m so   49   of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to   50   how sensitive and caring Tina was.

After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen   51   he observed a second card had slipped out of Tina’s pocket. He picked it up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you   52   you didn’t get the increase.”

Tears   53   in Andrew’s eyes. Total acceptance! Tina’s support for him was not   54   upon his success at work.

The fear of rejection is often softened and we can undergo almost any setback or rejection when we know someone loves us   55   our success or failure.

A. What about            B. How come         C. How about        D. What if

A. grant                     B. admit                C. submit                     D. guarantee

A. managed             B. studied              C. worked             D. conducted

A. Finally                  B. Absolutely         C. Successfully      D. Effectively

A. for the weight     B. at the knees              C. in the heart        D. for the leg

A. thoughts            B. force                 C. strength             D. courage

A. shock                    B. enjoyment         C. delight                     D. amazement

A. praise                    B. award               C. reward                     D. raise

A. to find                   B. to appreciate      C. to notice            D. to decorate

A. as                   B. through             C. including           D. for

A. understood             B. recognized         C. figured              D. predicted

A. letter                B. note                  C. envelope           D. mail

A. Best wishes            B. Good news        C. Congratulations  D. Wonderful job

A. cool                   B. admirable          C. cheerful            D. proud

A. call on                   B. reflect on          C. feed back          D. remind of

A. while                    B. before               C. until                 D. when

A. as though            B. even though       C. whether             D. unless

A. welled up                  B. flowed over              C. rushed out         D. streamed down

A. qualified             B. restricted           C. conditional        D. concerned

A. despite                  B. without             C. either                D. regardless of