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【完形填空】Cloze: The Storm Delivery
Mei checked her phone as the rain beat against the window. The wind was getting stronger, and the city streets were already starting to flood. She worked for a small company that (1) medical samples across the delta.
The company had once been successful, but now it was struggling. The number of deliveries had (2) from 12,000 a month to just 6,000. Clients, mostly hospitals, demanded speed but paid little.
At 4:17 p.m., a problem (3). A refrigerated capsule carrying blood samples for a cancer trial was stuck in traffic. The driver, Chen, called in a panic. 'The road is flooded,' he said. 'Water is up to my wipers.'
Mei had to make a quick decision. She (4) Chen to switch to a longer but higher route. 'It adds 40 minutes,' Chen complained. 'Do it,' she said. 'Or we lose the whole batch.'
The new route went through a poor neighbourhood with narrow streets. Chen's van could barely (5). The temperature inside the capsule began to rise. A red light blinked. Chen remembered his training: if the temperature exceeded 8°C for more than 30 minutes, the samples would (6).
He called Mei again. 'I can't make it,' he said. 'A fallen tree is blocking the road.' Then Zhou, an older colleague, took the phone. 'There's a back alley,' he said. 'Turn left after the bakery. It's not on the map, but it's concrete.' Chen hesitated. 'That alley is full of potholes.' 'Then drive slowly,' Zhou said. 'But drive.'
The alley was narrow and dark. Chen's van scraped a wall. He heard a metallic (7). The side mirror was gone. He kept going.
At 4:52 p.m., he arrived at the lab. The temperature had peaked at 7.8°C. A technician checked the samples and nodded. 'Valid,' she said. Chen sat on the curb, his hands (8). He had been driving for 11 hours. His pay for the day was 180 yuan. A failed delivery would have cost him 2,000 yuan.
That night, Mei and Zhou met in the office. 'We need a backup plan,' Mei said. 'Maybe a stockpile of dry ice.' Zhou shook his head. 'The problem isn't technology,' he said. 'It's the system. We treat drivers like replaceable parts.' He paused. 'I've seen this before. In 1998, a colleague falsified a forecast because his boss threatened his career. The distortion became a habit. (9), he couldn't tell the difference between a warning and a slogan.'
Mei was silent. She thought of Chen's face. 'What do we do?' she asked. Zhou folded a napkin diagram and put it in his pocket. 'We start with the truth,' he said. 'Even if it's just a sketch.' The next morning, Mei submitted a report to management. She recommended a flexible delivery window, a higher minimum wage, and a mandatory rest period after 10 hours of driving. She didn't know if anyone would read it. (10) 6:30 a.m., she stood by the harbour, watching the ferries. The water was calm. A single earthworm crawled across the pavement. She knelt and moved it to the soil. Then she went back inside.
Choices
(1) A. transport B. transported C. transporting D. transports
(2) A. doubled B. dropped C. increased D. remained
(3) A. arose B. rose C. raised D. aroused
(4) A. advised B. ordered C. suggested D. persuaded
(5) A. fit B. suit C. go D. match
(6) A. break up B. break in C. break down D. break out
(7) A. crash B. clash C. crush D. crack
(8) A. shook B. shaking C. shaken D. shakes
(9) A. Immediately B. Eventually C. Fortunately D. Suddenly
(10) A. By B. In C. At D. On