Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to  31  in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don’t act in the 32 ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, “I love you” is too 33 for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even more out of 34.
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I sat down beside her. “Mom, I have a question to ask you. Is there _35  between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice. She didn’t answer immediately. She  36  her head and continued to sew the quilt.
I was very worried because I thought I had _37_ her. I was 38_ and I didn’t know what I should do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words:
“Susan,” she said thoughtfully, “Look at this thread．Sometimes it __39_, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt _40__. If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread．It can hardly be seen _41 , but it’s really there. Love is 42_.”
I listened carefully but I __43_ her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly _44 seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they both looked __45_. It seemed both of them had had a serious illness. After they were back, every day in the morning and dusk, my mother helped my father 46__ on the country road．
“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.
“Susan, don’t _47  me.” he said gently. “To tell you the truth, I just like walking with your mom.”_48_ his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.
Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and 49 . But from this experience, I understand that love is just _50_ in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.

He met her at the party. She was so outstanding, with many boys around her, while he was so normal, with nobody paying attention to him.

At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised, but due to being polite, she agreed.

They sat in a nice coffee shop. He was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, thinking, “Please let me go home.”

Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”

 Everybody stared at him---so strange! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.

She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?”

He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing in the sea, and I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood. I miss my hometown so much. I miss my parents who are still living there.”

While saying that, tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That’s his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell about his homesickness must be a man who loves home, cares about home, and has a good sense of responsibility.

Then she also started to speak, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.

They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands: he was kind-hearted, warm and careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him!

Thanks to his salty coffee! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married the prince, then they were living a happy life…And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee.

After 40 years, he passed away, leaving her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole-life lie. This was the only lie I said to you ---the salty coffee.”

“Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time. Actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead.”

“I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything.”

“Now I’m dying, I’m afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth: I don’t like the salty coffee. What a strange and bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life!”

“Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for a second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again.”

Her tears made the letter totally wet.

Someday, someone asked her, “What’s the taste of salty coffee?” “It’s sweet,” she replied.

After ordering some salt to put into the coffee, the young man must have felt _________.

A. excited         B. satisfied          C. embarrassed        D. displeased

Why did the man have salty coffee all his life?

A. To change lifestyle.                   B. To please his wife.

C. To keep his word.                     D. To remember the past

What does the write mean by saying “she almost missed him”?

A. She meant to leave him on their first date.

B. She thought of him every now and then.

C. She nearly misunderstood his explanation.

D. She could hardly believe this simple fact.

From the passage, we can see that the man is ___________.

A. dishonest but responsible              B. shy but kind-hearted

C. caring and loyal                       D. warm and understanding

It is implied in the passage that the woman ___________ when reading the letter left by her husband.

A. was confused about his behavior          B. was touched by his white lie

C. felt sorry to know the truth too late    D. felt angry about his dishonesty

书面表达（满分25分）

假设你是李华，你的加拿大朋友Bob给你发邮件想了解中国高中生对于大学的选择情况，于是你在班里做了一次调查。请根据下面的表格给Bob回一封邮件告诉他调查结果并谈谈你的看法。

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 邮件的开头已给出，不计入总次数；

3. 参考词汇：录取be admitted

Dear Bob,

Last week I made a survey in my class about what university they want to choose. I’m writing to tell you the result.

——What’s that noise?

——Oh, I forgot to tell you. The new machine ______.

A. was tested     B. will be tested      C. is being tested       D. has been tested

–What’s that noise?

  –Oh, I forgot to tell you. The new machine ______.

A. was tested  B. will be tested   C. is being tested   D. has been tested