I made a pledge （发誓） to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage．For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father．Totally loving．No ifs, ands or buts．

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio．The speaker was quoting a Biblical （圣经） passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives．Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will．A person can choose to love．” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband．Well, for two weeks that would change．

And it did．Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you．”

　　　 “Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased．Maybe a little puzzled．

　　　 After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read．Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach．I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me．” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites．

　　　 So it went．Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums．Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed．I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love．

　　　 There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however．Evelyn and I still laugh about it today．On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with saddest expression．

　　　 “What’s the matter?” I asked her．

　　　 “Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “do you know something I don’t?”

　　　 “What do you mean?”

“Well… that checkup I had several weeks ago… our doctor… did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me… am I dying?”

　　　 It took a moment for it all to sink in．Then I burst out laughing．

　　　 “No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms．“You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live．”

67．In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably mean ________．

　　　 A．unnecessarily　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．unconditionally　　 　　　　　　　　　

　　　 C．impossibly　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．unintentionally

68．From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ________．

　　　 A．alone　　　　　　　　　　 B．with his family　 C．with Evelyn　　　　　 D．with his children

69．During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ________．

　　　 A．she looked lovely in her new clothes

　　　 B．she was seriously ill

　　　 C．he was determined to be a good husband

　　　 D．he had made a lot of money in Wall Street

70．By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that ________．

　　　 A．he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before

　　　 B．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

　　　 C．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

　　　 D．he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

My heart sank when the man at the immigration counter gestured to the back room. I was born and raised in America, and this was Miami, where I live, but they weren’t quite ready to let me in yet.

　 “Please wait in here, Ms. Abujaber,” the immigration officer said. My husband, with his very American last name, accompanied me. He was getting used to this. The same thing had happened recently in Canada when I’d flown to Montreal to speak at a book event. That time they held me for 45 minutes. Today we were returning from a literary festival in Jamaica, and I was shocked that I was being sent “in back” once again.

　　The officer behind the counter called me up and said, “Miss, your name looks like the name of someone who’s on our wanted list. We’re going to have to check you out with Washington.”

　　“How long will it take?”

　　“Hard to say…a few minutes,” he said, “We’ll call you when we’re ready for you.” After an hour, Washington still hadn’t decided anything about me.

“Isn’t this computerized?” I asked at the counter, “Can’t you just look me up?”

“Just a few more minutes,” they assured me.

　　After an hour and a half, I pulled my cell phone out to call the friends I was supposed to meet that evening. An officer rushed over. “No phones!” he said, “For all we know you could be calling a terrorist cell and giving them information.”

　　“I’m just a university professor,” I said. My voice came out in a squeak.

　　“Of course you are. And we take people like you out of here in leg irons every day.”

　　I put my phone away.

　　My husband and I were getting hungry and tired. Whole families had been brought into the waiting room, and the place was packed with excitable children, exhausted parents, and even a flight attendant.

　　I wanted to scream, to jump on a chair and shout: “I’m an American citizen; a novelist; I probably teach English literature to your children.”

After two hours in detention (扣押), I was approached by one of the officers. “You’re free to go,” he said. No explanation or apologies. For a moment, neither of us moved. We were still in shock. Then we leaped to our feet.

　　“Oh, one more thing,” he handed me a tattered photocopy with an address on it, “If you aren’t happy with your treatment, you can write to this agency.”

　　“Will they respond?” I asked.

　　“I don’t know—I don’t know of anyone who’s ever written to them before.” Then he added,” By the way, this will probably keep happening each time you travel internationally.”

　　“What can I do to keep it from happening again?”

　　He smiled the empty smile we’d seen all day, “Absolutely nothing.”

　　After telling several friends about our ordeal, probably the most frequent advice I’ve heard in response is to change my name. Twenty years ago, my own graduate school writing professor advised me to write under a pen name so that publishers wouldn’t stick me in what he called “the ethnic ghetto”—a separate, secondary shelf in the bookstore. But a name is an integral part of anyone’s personal and professional identity—just like the town you’re born in and the place where you’re raised.

　　Like my father, I’ll keep the name, but my airport experience has given me a whole new perspective on what diversity and tolerance are supposed to mean. I had no idea that being an American would ever be this hard.

1.The author was held at the airport because ______.

A. she and her husband returned from Jamaica

B. her name was similar to a terrorist’s

C. she had been held in Montreal

D. she had spoken at a book event

2.She was not allowed to call her friends because ______.

A. her identity hadn’t been confirmed yet

B. she had been held for only one hour and a half

C. there were other families in the waiting room

D. she couldn’t use her own cell phone

3.We learn from the passage that the author would ______ to prevent similar experience from happening again.

A. write to the agency?????????? B. change her name??

C. avoid traveling abroad??????? D. do nothing

4.Her experiences indicate that there still exists ______ in the US.

A. hatred???????????????????? B. discrimination?????

C. tolerance?????????????????? D. diversity

5.The author sounds ______ in the last paragraph.

A. impatient?? B. bitter???????? C. worried??????????? D. ironic (具有讽刺意味的)

We spent a day in the country, picking wild flowers. With the car full of flowers we were going home. On our way back my wife noticed a cupboard (柜厨) outside a furniture shop. It was tall and narrow. “Buy it,” my wife said at once. “We’ll carry it home on the roof rack (车顶行李架). I’ve always wanted one like that.”

　 What could I do? Ten minutes later I was ￡20 poorer; and the cupboard was tied on the roof rack. It was six feet long and eighteen inches square, quite heavy too.

　 In the gathering darkness I drove slowly. Other drivers seemed unusually polite that evening. The police even stopped traffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.

　 After a time my wife said, “There’s a long line of cars behind. Why don’t they overtake, I wonder?” In fact a police car did overtake. The two officers inside looked at us seriously as they passed. But then, with great kindness, they led us through the rush-hour traffic. The police car stopped at our village church. One of the officers came to me.

　“Right, sir,” he said.“Do you need any more help?”

　I was a bit puzzled. “Thanks, officer,” I said. “You have been very kind. I live just on the road.”

　 He was staring at our car, first at the flowers, then at the cupboard. “Well, well,” he said, laughing. “It’s a cupboard you’ve got there! We thought it was something else.”

　 My wife began to laugh. The truth hit me like a stone between the eyes. I smiled at the officer. “ Yes, it’s a cupboard, but thanks again.”I drove home as fast as I could.

1. In fact the husband _______ the cupboard.

A．would like very much to buy               B．badly wanted

C．would rather not buy                    D．was glad to have bought

2.Other drivers thought they were _______.

A．carrying a cupboard to the church

B．sending flowers to the church

C．carrying nothing but a piece of furniture

D．going to attend a funeral(葬礼) at the church

3.The police will be more polite to those who are _______.

A．in great sadness                        B．driving in gathering darkness

C．driving with wild flowers in the car          D．carrying furniture

4.What did the husband think of this matter?

A．It was very strange.                      B．He felt ashamed of it.

C．He took great pride in it.                  D．He was puzzled at it.

       Could you imagine your parents choosing your husband or wife for you? And can you imagine not setting eyes on him or her until your wedding day? This situation is common in India, the Middle East and many parts of Africa．Marriage customs around the world often differ from our own．We don’t realize that people in other places often get married in very different ways and with different motives．
In many countries, marriage is a practical matter．A marriage provides a safe and stable home for the husband and wife．It also joins two families, which benefits the couple’s parents and makes them happy．Marriage also brings children, making sure the couple will be taken care of in old age．Because a marriage is important for the whole family, some cultures don’t let young people choose whom to marry．
Just as there are many different reasons for marriage, there are also many different wedding rituals．Every culture has its own ways of bringing good luck to the happy couple．In a typical Western wedding, the bride seeks good luck by wearing “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”．Something old represents the past．Something new represents success in the future．Something borrowed reminds the bride she can get help from her friends and family．And something blue reminds her to be true to her husband．
In Poland, one wedding tradition is not only lucky, but also very practical．The wedding guests pin money to the bride’s dress while she is dancing．The money is meant to bring luck and to help the young couple build their new life．In Bermuda, the young couple plants a tree in the yard of their new home．Once they move in, they take good care of the tree and make it grow．The planting of the tree is a good metaphor（比喻） for marriage．A truly good marriage is something that grows with care．
【小题1】Which of the following statements does NOT support the idea that marriage is a practical matter?

A．The couple may have a safe home through their marriage．

B．The parents had better help their children choose whom to marry．

C．A marriage benefits the couple’s parents and makes them happy．

D．A marriage brings children who will take care of the couple when they are old．

A．People across the world get married in different ways and for different reasons．

B．Every culture has its own ways of bringing good luck to the young couple．

C．A truly good marriage is something that grows with care．

D．In many countries, marriage is a practical matter．