第二节 完型填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。
Do you know insurance (保险)？ Buying insurance is a (36) by which people can protect themselves (37) large losses. Protection against fire is one kind of insurance. Large numbers of people pay (38) sums of money to an insurance company. Although thousands of people have paid for fire insurance, only (39) will lose their homes by fire. The insurance company will pay for these homes out of the sums of money it has (40) .
The first modern fire insurance company was (41) in London, England, in 1666. A great fire had just (42) most of the cities, and people wanted protection against (43) losses. The first company (44) rapidly. Soon other companies were founded in other areas.
Benjamin Franklin helped form. the first fire insurance company in America in 1752. He also (45) a new kind of insurance for (46) . The new insurance would offer protection against the loss of crops (47) storms.
In 1775, Benjamin Franklin helped start (48) new insurance company in America. This company, (49) offered life insurance, collected some money (50) from many different men. (51) a man died, his family was given a large sum of money. Today, this company is (52) in business.
Over the years, people have (53) from many new kinds of insurance when they have suffered from (54) accidents as ear and plane crashes. (55) ,almost everyone has some kinds of insurance.
(33)

A. way
B. company
C. thought
D. means