After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner.   36   woman was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but my work had made   37   impossible to visit her very often. That night I called to   38  her to go out for dinner.“What’s wrong? Are you   39  ?”she asked. “I thought that it would be   40   to spend some time with you. Just the two of us,”I answered. She thought about it   41   moment, and agreed.

That Friday after work,   42   I drove to pick her up, I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I   43   that, she, too, seemed to be   44   about our date. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to   45   her last wedding anniversary.

We went to a restaurant that,   46   not elegant, was very nice and cozy. When I read the menu, Mom sat there   47   at me. A nostalgic(怀旧的)smile was   48   her lips. During the dinner, we had a(an)   49   conversation—nothing special but catching up on(了解)recent events of each other’s life.

A few days   50  , my mother died of a heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do   51   for her. Sometime later, I received an envelope with a note   52  “You will never know what that night meant to me. I’m looking forward to the   53   dinner. I love you, Son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time“I LOVE YOU”. Nothing in life is more important than your   54  . Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be   55   till“some other time”.

1.A. Another        B. This other       C. Other            D. Others

2.A. this           B. that             C. one              D. it

3.A. force          B. order                C. advise           D. invite

4. A. happy     B. good             C. well             D. bad

5.A. glad           B. pleasant         C. interesting      D. pleased

6.A. at the     B. for a                C. in a             D. for the

7.A. until          B. after                C. as               D. since

8.A. noticed        B. observed         C. watched          D. heard

9.A. confused       B. calm             C. nervous          D. easy

10.A. congratulate  B. celebrate            C. memorize     D. honor

11.A. though        B. even             C. but              D. yet

12.A. glancing      B. staring          C. glaring          D. smiling

13.A. in            B. beyond           C. above            D. on

14. A. deep         B. curious          C. agreeable            D. short

15.A. later         B. after                C. before           D. ago

16.A. anything      B. everything       C. nothing          D. something

17.A. writing       B. saying           C. speaking         D. telling

18.A. first         B. second           C. last             D. next

19.A. mother        B. wife             C. family           D. work

20.A. put off       B. taken over       C. cut off          D. picked up

 

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. The other woman my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That Friday after work, when I arrived at her house, my mother waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined. An attached note said: “I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates—one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: ‘I love YOU’ and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve.

Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till some “other” time.

1. From the passage we can see _________.

A．the mother was happy to have dinner with her son

B．the author doesn’t like his work and his three children

C．the author and his mother went to a high-class restaurant

D．the author saw a movie with his mother after dinner

2. What can we know about the author’s mother according to the passage?

A．She wanted to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

B．She wanted to invite her son to have dinner again.

C．She died of a massive heart attack very suddenly.

D．She wrote a letter to tell her son about her illness.

3. During the dinner, what did they talk about?

A．Extraordinary things.

B．Some national events.

C．Each other’s daily life.

D．Movies and dishes.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that_________.

A．the author regretted for not showing much love to his mother

B．the author was satisfied to do something for his mother

C．the mother felt happy to pay for the bill in advance

D．the mother was sorry for inviting her son to have dinner

5. The author of the passage tends to agree that _________.

A．family should be as important as work

B．work is more important than family

C．we can show our love till some other time

D．we should spend more time with our family