He met her at a party. She was so
outstanding that many guys were chasing after her, while he was so ordinary. At
the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised
but due to being being polite, she promised.
They sat in a nice coffee shop, he
was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, too. 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. It was 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, 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, my hometown, and my parents who are still living there.”
While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. Then she also
started to speak, speaking about her faraway hometown, her childhood, and her
family.
That was a really nice talk, also a
beautiful beginning of their love. They continued to date. She found that
actually he was a man who met all her demands. He had tolerance, kind-hearted,
warm and careful. Thanks to his salty coffee! They married. And, every time she
made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that was the
way he liked it. After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which
said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole life’s lie. Remember the first time
we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but said
salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I didn’t like the
salty coffee then, what a strange bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee
for my whole life, for it was prepared by you.”
1. The man was nervous at the coffee shop, because _______.
A. everybody stared at him at that
time
B. many guys chased after the woman
C. he didn’t feel himself a match for
the woman
D. he had the strange habit of
drinking salty coffee
2. From this passage, we can infer that ________.
A. the man’s lie won the woman’s love
B. the man’s parents onced lived near
the sea
C. the woman talked with the man, for
they had the same experience
D. the woman realised what salty
coffee had to do with a good man
3. What can be concluded about the man?
A. He had intended to give his wife a
surprise at his death
B. He unwillingly developed a taste
for salty coffee after marriage
C. He was so stubborn as to drink for
a life what he didn’t like
D. He enjoyed his lifelong bitter salty
coffee out of love
4. Which of the following could be the best title for this passage?
A. A Foolish Lie
B. Salty Coffee
C. A Sad Love Story D.
Love in a Coffee Shop