After 21 years of marriage, I started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife’s idea. “I know that you love her,” she said one day, taking me by surprise. “But I love YOU,” I protected. “I know, but you also love her.”

       The other woman that 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 night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked.

       My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. “I thought that it would be pleasant to pass some time with you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment, then said, “I would like that very much.”

       That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She 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. “I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,” she said, as she got into the car. “They can’t wait to hear about our meeting.”

       We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and comfortable. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print.

       “It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,” she said.

       “Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favor,” I responded.

       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.

1．From the text, we can learn that the writer is_____.

       A．a regular moviegoer                                    B．a wealthy businessman   

       C．a frequent visitor to his mother                     D．a busy and middle-aged father of three

2．Why was the mother surprised when getting invited?

       A．She was already in bed                                B．She rarely got invited

       C．She never expected such a call                            D．She seldom watched late night movies

3．Why did the writer feel nervous when he drove to meet his mother?

       A．He was eager to find out how his mother liked the date.

       B．He was excited to express his love for his mother.

       C．He hadn’t seen his mother after he was married.

       D．He didn’t tell his wife that he was to visit his mother.

4．How would the man feel after the dinner?

       A．He should take his mother to a movie some other time.

       B．He should meet his mother’s friends.

       C．His mother wants more invitations.

       D．His mother enjoys spending time with him.

For several days I saw little of Mr. Rochester. In the morning he seemed very busy with business，and in the afternoon gentlemen from the neighborhood called and sometimes stayed to dine with him. When his foot was well enough，he rode out a great deal.
During this time，all my knowledge of him was limited to occasional meetings about the house，when he would sometimes pass me coldly， and sometimes bow and smile. His changes of manner did not offend me，because I saw that I had nothing to do with the cause of them.
One evening，several days later，I was invited to talk to Mr. Rochester after dinner. He was sitting in his armchair，and looked not quite so severe，and much less gloomy. There was a smile on his lips， and his eyes were bright，probably with wine. As I was looking at him，he suddenly turned， and asked me，“Do you think I am handsome，Miss Eyre? ”
The answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I realized it: “No，sir.” “Ah，you really are unusual! You are a quiet， serious little person， but you can be almost rude.” “Sir，I'm sorry. I should have said that beauty doesn't matter，or something like that，” “No，you shouldn't! I see，you criticize my appearance，and then you stab (刺) me in the back! You have honesty and feeling. There are not many girls like you. But perhaps I go too fast. Perhaps you have awful faults to counterbalance (抵消) your few good points.”
I thought to myself that he might have too. He seemed to read my mind，and said quickly，“Yes，you're right. I have plenty of faults. I went the wrong way when I was twenty-one，and have never found the right path again. I might have been very different. I might have been as good as you， and perhaps wiser. I am not a bad man，take my word for it，but I have done wrong. It wasn't my character，but circumstances which were to blame. Why do I tell you all this? Because you're the sort of person people tell their problems and secrets to， because you're sympathetic and give them hope.”
It seemed he had quite a lot to talk to me. He didn't seem to like to finish the talk quickly，as was the case for the first time.
“Don't be afraid of me， Miss. Eyre，”he continued. “You don't relax or laugh very much，perhaps because of the effect Lowood school has had on you. But in time you will be more natural with me，and laugh， and speak freely. You're like a bird in a cage. When you get out of the cage， you'll fly very high. Good night.”
【小题1】At the beginning Miss Eyre's impressions of Mr. Rochester were all except_________.   

For several days I saw little of Mr. Rochester. In the morning he seemed very busy with business，and in the afternoon gentlemen from the neighborhood called and sometimes stayed to dine with him. When his foot was well enough，he rode out a great deal.

During this time，all my knowledge of him was limited to occasional meetings about the house，when he would sometimes pass me coldly， and sometimes bow and smile. His changes of manner did not offend me，because I saw that I had nothing to do with the cause of them.

One evening，several days later，I was invited to talk to Mr. Rochester after dinner. He was sitting in his armchair，and looked not quite so severe，and much less gloomy. There was a smile on his lips， and his eyes were bright，probably with wine. As I was looking at him，he suddenly turned， and asked me，“Do you think I am handsome，Miss Eyre? ”

The answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I realized it: “No，sir.” “Ah，you really are unusual! You are a quiet， serious little person， but you can be almost rude.” “Sir，I'm sorry. I should have said that beauty doesn't matter，or something like that，” “No，you shouldn't! I see，you criticize my appearance，and then you stab (刺) me in the back! You have honesty and feeling. There are not many girls like you. But perhaps I go too fast. Perhaps you have awful faults to counterbalance (抵消) your few good points.”

I thought to myself that he might have too. He seemed to read my mind，and said quickly，“Yes，you're right. I have plenty of faults. I went the wrong way when I was twenty-one，and have never found the right path again. I might have been very different. I might have been as good as you， and perhaps wiser. I am not a bad man，take my word for it，but I have done wrong. It wasn't my character，but circumstances which were to blame. Why do I tell you all this? Because you're the sort of person people tell their problems and secrets to， because you're sympathetic and give them hope.”

It seemed he had quite a lot to talk to me. He didn't seem to like to finish the talk quickly，as was the case for the first time.

“Don't be afraid of me， Miss. Eyre，”he continued. “You don't relax or laugh very much，perhaps because of the effect Lowood school has had on you. But in time you will be more natural with me，and laugh， and speak freely. You're like a bird in a cage. When you get out of the cage， you'll fly very high. Good night.”

1.At the beginning Miss Eyre's impressions of Mr. Rochester were all except_________.   

A．busy             B．sociable           C．dull              D．changeable

2.The underlined sentence means___________.

A．Only by meeting him around the house sometimes did I know a little about him.

B．Only by coming to the house could I know about him.

C．I occasionally met him but my knowledge about him was poor.

D．What I knew about him was limited in the house.

3.From what Mr. Rochester told Miss Eyre，we can conclude that he wanted to ___________.   

A．tell her all his troubles

B．tell her his life experience

C．blame her for misunderstanding him

D．change his circumstances

4.At the end of the passage，Mr. Rochester sounded __________.

A．rude             B．cold              C．polite            D．encouraging

5.According to the passage，which of the following statements is WRONG? 

A．Miss Eyre was atLowoodSchoolbefore she came to Mr. Rochester’s house.

B．Miss Eyre didn’t see Mr. Rochester often.

C．Miss Eyre was honest，brave and confident.

D．Miss Eyre was brave，polite and warm-hearted.