I made a promise 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 passage from the Bible 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 the 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 medical 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.”

 

1.From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.

A. with his family                              B. with Evelyn

C. all by himself                               D. with his children

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

A. she looked lovely in her new clothes

B. he could afford time to care for her

C. he was willing to be a good husband

D. she was seriously ill

3.The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she would be dying.

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

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

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

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

D. he is beginning to regret what he did to his wife before

 

I made a promise 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 passage from the Bible 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 the 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 medical 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.”

 

1.From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.

A. with his family                              B. with Evelyn

C. all by himself                               D. with his children

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

A. she looked lovely in her new clothes

B. he could afford time to care for her

C. he was willing to be a good husband

D. she was seriously ill

3.The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she would be dying.

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

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

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

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

D. he is beginning to regret what he did to his wife before

 

Once while being prepared for a television interview, I was chatting with the host about stay-at-home fathers. I made the point that one reason why we’re seeing more stay-at-home dads may be that many families now take earning power into account when deciding which parent will stay home.

At that point, one of the male crew members commented, “It should be the better parent who stays home. ” A lot of guys say things like that. I was a stay-at-home father for eight years, so his declaration made me exited. It implied that our family’s choice could only have been correct if I was a “batter” parent than my wife.

I suppose an argument could have been made that when I began staying home my wife was the “better” parent: She spent more time with Ray, could read him better and calm him more quickly. And given a choice, he’d have picked her over me. But as she was the more employable one, my wife went out to work and I looked after our son.

Because of the increased time I spent with him, I soon knew Ray well, and could look after him more or less as well as my wife. Actually, the experience helped me unlock one of the world’s great secrets: Women are good at looking after children because they do it. It’s not because of any innate（先天的）female gift or a mother’s instinct. It’s because they put in the time and attention required to become good at the job.

Women obviously get a biological head start from giving birth and nursing，but over the long term experience is more important. When I got the experience myself, I was good，too. As good? I don’t know . Who cares?

1．Which of the following does the first paragraph imply?

A．Actually more men like staying at home.

B．The author has found a job at a TV station.

C．The wife earns more in more and more families.

D．The husband proves to be the better parent

2．Why did the author decide to stay at home to look after their son eight years ago?

A．Because he thought he was the better parent.

B．Because their son Ray liked him better.

C．Because he found himself better at looking after baby.

D．Because he was less likely to find a job than his wife.

3．Which of the following is NOT mentioned or implied in the passage?

A．Good parents should spend sufficient time with their children.

B．Good parents should take turns to take care of their children.

C．Good parents should try to understand their children well.

D．Good parents should help each other to support the family.

4．It is often believed women are good at taking care of children because        .

A．they devote much time and attention to them

B．they learned to do it when they were young

C．they were born with this ability

D．they have a gift to understand babies well

5．What does the author conclude finally?

A．It is difficult for a baby to make a choice between Dad and Mum.

B．It is hard for a man to take care of his baby but easy for his wife.

C．A man can take good care of children if he gets the experience.

D．A man cannot do as well as his wife no matter how hard he works.