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 Biblical passage about husbands and 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 promise 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, “ 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 be understood. 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.In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably means ______.
A. Unintentionally B. Independently
C. Impressively D. Unconditionally
2.From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ______.
A. with his family B. with Evelyn
C. alone D. with his children
3.During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.
A. he was determined to be a good husband
B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm
C. she looked lovely in her new clothes
D. the doctor said his wife was seriously ill
4.The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What does “one thing” refer to?
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 must be dying.
5.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 feel regret for what he did to his wife before
阅读下面短文, 掌握其大意, 然后从36—55 各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes 36 the skies like beautiful birds dancing. As the strong winds blew against the kites, a string kept them under 37 .
Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great 38 . They __39 and pulled, but the restraining string and the clumsy tail kept them in tow (拖着), facing upward and against the 40 . As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, “Let me go! Let me go! I want to be 41 !” They flew beautifully even 42 they fought the restraint of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in getting 43 . “Free at last,” it seemed to say. “Free to fly 44 the wind.”
Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the 45 of an unsympathetic wind. It flew up and down to the ground and 46 in a mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last”, free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown 47 along the ground.
How much like 48 we sometimes are. The heaven gives us adversity (逆境) and restrictions, 49 to follow from which we can grow and 50 strength. Some of us resist the rules so hard that we never fly to reach the heights we might have 51 . We keep part of the rules and never 52 high enough to get our tails off the ground.
Let us each rise to the great heights, 53 that some of the restraints that we may be annoyed at are 54 the powerful force that helps us climb and 55 our goal.
36. A. surrounded B. covered C. emptied D. filled
37. A. construction B. discussion C. control D. pressure
38. A. heights B. lengths C. widths D. weights
39. A. crashed B. shook C. floated D. landed
40. A. rain B. sun C. wind D. storm
41. A. energetic B. lonely C. safe D. free
42. A. before B. as C. since D. after
43. A. crazy B. upset C. loose D. happy
44. A. with B. against C. beneath D. over
45. A. edge B. expense C. mercy D. bottom
46. A. fled B. hid C. existed D. landed
47. A. deliberately B. helplessly C. actively D. hopefully
48. A. strings B. kites C. bushes D. weeds
49.A. rules B. customs C. wishes D. instructions
50. A. convey B. consume C. lose D. gain
51. A. contained B. lowered C. indicated D. obtained
52. A. rise B. rank C. kick D. jump
53. A. hoping B. supposing C. recognizing D. dreaming
54. A. strictly B. actually C. hardly D. consequently
55. A. achieve B. score C. miss D. set
_____ man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by ______ company he keeps.
A. The; a B. A; a C. The; the D. A; the
Once made out, the plan must be carried out ______ any difficulty.
A. regardless of B. instead of C. because of D. in need of
—Can I pay the bill by check?
—Sorry, sir. But in our hotel payment ______ be made in cash.
A. need B. shall C. will D. can
We are very proud of ______ you have accomplished so far. You should be proud too.
A. what B. that C. which D. where
