Key words & expressions. Fill in the blanks with words or phrases from the box. Change the form where necessary.alien array assume elusiveexplore gear giant hostileimpact landmark observeoverlook species specimenvital as yet feed on fit intofit together for the first timefrom the beginning learn abouton the heels of1. Autumn has arrived here______a hot summerwith unexpected speed.2. As a diplomat, he has witnessed thebirth of the new nation and is wellplaced to______its growthduring this critical period of itshistory.3. When you make travel plans, you'dbetter______that every flightcan be late.4. "I have made it quite clear______that I wantto be part of the team," John said.5. When Alice first came to thecountry, she was shocked by theway of life there that was totally______to her and theenvironment where local peoplelooked at her with a suspicious (怀疑的) eye.6. Andrew made an initialcontribution. But there is______no firm commitment to furthercash payments.7.______indecades, the leaders of the twonations shook hands and sat downto talk.8. "Do fish______each other?""Yes. At least many of them do."9. Our old classroom building, whichwas built a century ago, hasbecome a sort of a local______.10. The dwarf sees farther than the______when he stands on thelatter's shoulder.11. All these parts are supposed to______in this device.12. We visited the local markets andsaw a wonderful______of fruitand vegetables.13. I am afraid this plan of yours doesnot______the company'soverall marketing strategy.14. Astronauts have brought back______of rock from themoon.15. If one wants to______thepossibilities of Europe's politicalfuture, one needs to examine thedevelopment of European culture.16. A set of______are installed tocontrol the speed and direction ofthe vehicle.

本题主要考查对所给词汇和短语的理解与运用，需要根据句子的语境和语义来选择合适的词汇或短语，并在必要时进行形式的变化。

1. “Autumn has arrived here ____ a hot summer with unexpected speed.”

   • 解题思路：根据语境，秋天在炎热的夏天之后到来，“on the heels of”表示“紧随……之后”，符合句子逻辑。
   • 解析：这里需要一个表示时间顺序的短语，说明秋天和夏天的先后关系，“on the heels of”能准确表达这种意思，所以填“on the heels of”。

2. “As a diplomat, he has witnessed the birth of the new nation and is well placed to ____ its growth during this critical period of its history.”

   • 解题思路：外交官见证了新国家的诞生，那么在其历史的关键时期，应该是能够“观察”其发展，“observe”有“观察”的意思。
   • 解析：“is well placed to do sth.”表示“处于有利地位做某事”，这里需要一个动词，“observe”符合语义，所以填“observe”。

3. “When you make travel plans, you'd better ____ that every flight can be late.”

   • 解题思路：做旅行计划时，最好“假设”每趟航班都可能晚点，“assume”有“假设，假定”的意思。
   • 解析：“had better do sth.”是固定用法，后面接动词原形，“assume”符合要求，所以填“assume”。

4. “I have made it quite clear ____ that I want to be part of the team,” John said.

   • 解题思路：从句子意思可知，John说从一开始就表明想成为团队的一员，“from the beginning”表示“从一开始”。
   • 解析：这里需要一个表示时间起点的短语，“from the beginning”能准确表达语义，所以填“from the beginning”。

5. “When Alice first came to the country, she was shocked by the way of life there that was totally ____ to her and the environment where local people looked at her with a suspicious (怀疑的) eye.”

   • 解题思路：根据语境，当地的生活方式对Alice来说是完全“陌生的”，“alien to”表示“与……陌生，与……格格不入”。
   • 解析：“that was totally... to her”是一个定语从句，修饰“the way of life”，“alien to”符合句子逻辑，所以填“alien”。

6. “Andrew made an initial contribution. But there is ____ no firm commitment to further cash payments.”

   • 解题思路：前面说Andrew做了初步贡献，但后面用“but”转折，说明到目前为止还没有对进一步现金支付的坚定承诺，“as yet”表示“到目前为止，迄今”。
   • 解析：这里需要一个表示时间状态的短语，“as yet”能准确表达句子的意思，所以填“as yet”。

7. “____ in decades, the leaders of the two nations shook hands and sat down to talk.”

   • 解题思路：根据语境，两国领导人握手交谈是几十年来“第一次”，“For the first time”表示“第一次”。
   • 解析：“For the first time in decades”是一个常用的时间状语，能准确表达这种情况的罕见性，所以填“For the first time”。

8. “Do fish ____ each other?” “Yes. At least many of them do.”

   • 解题思路：根据常识，鱼会“以……为食”，“feed on”表示“以……为食”。
   • 解析：“Do fish... each other?”是一个一般疑问句，需要一个动词短语，“feed on”符合语义，所以填“feed on”。

9. “Our old classroom building, which was built a century ago, has become a sort of a local ____.”

   • 解题思路：一座有百年历史的老教学楼，通常会成为当地的一个“地标”，“landmark”有“地标，标志性建筑”的意思。
   • 解析：“a sort of a local...”需要一个名词，“landmark”符合句子逻辑，所以填“landmark”。

10. “The dwarf sees farther than the ____ when he stands on the latter's shoulder.”

    • 解题思路：根据常识，当矮子站在巨人的肩膀上时，能看得更远，“giant”表示“巨人”。
    • 解析：“The dwarf sees farther than the...”是一个比较句，需要一个与“dwarf”相对的名词，“giant”符合要求，所以填“giant”。

11. “All these parts are supposed to ____ in this device.”

    • 解题思路：这些零件应该在这个设备中“装配在一起”，“fit together”表示“装配在一起，组合起来”。
    • 解析：“are supposed to do sth.”表示“应该做某事”，后面接动词原形，“fit together”符合语义，所以填“fit together”。

12. “We visited the local markets and saw a wonderful ____ of fruit and vegetables.”

    • 解题思路：在当地市场看到各种各样的水果和蔬菜，“an array of”表示“一系列，大量的”。
    • 解析：“a wonderful... of fruit and vegetables”需要一个名词短语，“array”符合句子逻辑，所以填“array”。

13. “I am afraid this plan of yours does not ____ the company's overall marketing strategy.”

    • 解题思路：这个计划不符合公司的整体营销策略，“fit into”表示“适合，符合”。
    • 解析：“does not... the company's overall marketing strategy”需要一个动词短语，“fit into”符合语义，所以填“fit into”。

14. “Astronauts have brought back ____ of rock from the moon.”

    • 解题思路：宇航员从月球带回的是岩石的“标本”，“specimen”表示“标本”，这里要用复数形式“specimens”。
    • 解析：“brought back... of rock”需要一个名词，且根据常识，带回的不止一个标本，所以用复数“specimens”。

15. “If one wants to ____ the possibilities of Europe's political future, one needs to examine the development of European culture.”

    • 解题思路：要了解欧洲政治未来的可能性，需要研究欧洲文化的发展，“learn about”表示“了解，得知”。
    • 解析：“wants to... the possibilities”需要一个动词短语，“learn about”符合语义，所以填“learn about”。

16. “A set of ____ are installed to control the speed and direction of the vehicle.”

    • 解题思路：一套“装置”被安装来控制车辆的速度和方向，“gear”有“装置，设备”的意思。
    • 解析：“A set of...”需要一个名词，“gear”符合句子逻辑，所以填“gear”。