阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Until 1954 it was thought that no man could run one mile in less than four minutes. As years ___36___, the record came closer and closer to four minutes and Roger Bannister, a young English ___37___, began to believe be might ___38___ this almost magic barrier.

It was a cold afternoon on May 6th, 1954, when Bannister knew be had a ___39___ chance. Bannister had been ___40___ hard and was very fit, but the weather conditions were a real ___41___ to him. Describing the ___42___ later, Bannister said, “On the way to the track the wind blew strongly. As I ___43___ for the start I glanced at the flag. It moved ___44___ now. This was the moment when I made my decision.”

“The gun fired. My legs ___45___ to meet no resistance, as if I was ___46___ forward by some unknown force. The noise from the faithful ___47___ gave me greater strength. I felt the ___48___ of a lifetimes had come.”

“I was driven on by a ___49___ of fear and pride. My body had long since used up all its energy ___50___ it went on running just the same. This was the critical moment when my legs were strong enough to carry me over the last few yards as they ___51___ could have done in previous years. When I leapt at（冲向）the ___52___ tape, I fell, almost ___53___.

“I knew I had done it, even before I ___54___ the time. The announcement came. ‘Result of the one mile…Time, three minutes…’the test was ___55___in the noise of excitement.”

36. A. passed along B. passed down
C. went by D. went over

37. A. coach B. athlete
C. captain D. judge

38. A. defeat B. move
C. beat D. break

39. A. real B. lucky
C. serious D. false

40. A. competing B. training
C. fighting D. attending

41. A. eagerness B. pleasure
C. relief D. worry

42. A. accident B. event
C. issue D. topic

43. A. did up B. made up
C. put up D. lined up

44. A. safely B. heavily
C. thinly D. gently

45. A. seemed B. used
C. happened D. had

46. A. dragged B. drawn
C. pulled D. pushed

47. A. mass B. residents
C. crowd D. team

48. A. moment B. period
C. while D. date

49. A. concentration
B. collection

C. combination
D. classification

50. A. so B. but
C. or D. as

51. A. never B. ever
C. even D. still

52. A. starting B. lasting
C. finishing D. running

53. A. unconcerned B. unconscious
C. unknown D. unnoticed

54. A. offered B. told
C. announced D. beard

55. A. stuck B. involved
C. lost D. spread