On Sundays my father always wore that black apron—the one with the race cars all over it. After breakfast Dad always announced: “Go ahead everyone.I'll take care of the dishes！” With that my mother disappeared into the folds of the Sunday paper. Off_came_the_suit_coat_he_had_worn_to_church_that_morning._Up_went_the_shirtsleeves._On_went_that_apron. For the next hour Dad did the dishes, singing songs like“Who Put the Chow in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder”？

I suppose it was strange for a father to wear an apron—even one with race cars—but I never thought much of it until that Sunday when we walked home from church together.“Tommy”， he said，“There comes a time in every boy's life when he must take on responsibilities．” “Responsibilities？” I asked. “Yes. It's time you took a greater role in the household. Starting today, I want you to do the dishes on Sunday morning so your mother and I can relax.” “The dishes？” “Anything wrong with taking over the dishes？”I started to say something about a man's job, but I knew immediately that my protests would fall on deaf ears.

I didn't taste a bit of breakfast that morning. My father announced to my mother, “Let's go to read the paper, honey.Our oldest son has generously offered to fill the position.”So this was what my life had come to.

People often say there is a special chemistry between a father and a son. He came back into the kitchen just as I was about to storm out. In his right hand was the old apron.“I want you to have this, Tommy. It'll keep your clothes from getting wet.” And before I could do anything, he had put that apron on me. “Thanks, Son. Your mother and I appreciate this.”

With that he disappeared into the Sunday paper. I looked down at the apron.It had seen better days.I could see my dad reaching for the dishes. Soon I was singing about Mrs. Murphy's Chowder.

16．What is the main purpose of the underlined sentences in the first paragraph?

A．To show the unwillingness of his father when doing dishes.

B．To instruct the main steps of how his father does dishes.

C．To emphasize his father's clumsy way of doing dishes.

D．To stress the enjoyment and happiness of his father's doing dishes.

17．What does the underlined word “responsibilities” in the second paragraph refer to?

A．Taking care of the brothers.

B．Making progress academically.

C．Doing all the dishes.

D．Washing the apron with race cars.

18．What did the author mean by saying “People often say there is a special chemistry between a father and a son” in the fourth paragraph?

A．Mind acts upon mind.

B．Like father like son.

C．A child is better unborn than untaught.

D．Obedience is the first duty of a boy.

19．How did the author feel at the end of the passage?

A．Proud. B．Enjoyable.

C．Surprised. D．Regretful.

My husband, my four-month-old daughter and I set out on a five-day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because our little child needed to stretch from the car seat.
One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing at one side. He was clearly untidy, without shoes and wearing worn clothing. We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door. Then something told me to go back.
Holding my daughter, I turned around and said to the gentleman, “Sir. Are you hungry?” He said, “Yes.” I then asked, “May we buy you something to eat?” He responded with, “Sure, I can order something myself.”
My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager of the restaurant came over quite quickly and looked frightened. I spoke before he had an opportunity to. “This gentleman will have lunch with us today,” I said. “Please add his order to our bill.” The manager said with a frown(皱眉), “Okay.” We turned to our table and the gentleman said, loudly and quickly, “Thank You!” We were seated and upon completing our meal we were handed our bill. I asked my husband what the gentleman had ordered. One fresh orange juice, one coffee, one breakfast combination with a side of hash browns.
When we left the restaurant I looked for the gentleman but didn’t see him, but that very small act just made my day. I hope in some small way we were able to add some joy to his life, even if only for a few minutes.
【小题1】From the appearance of the gentleman, we can guess he was probably a(n) _____.

My husband, my four-month-old daughter and I set out on a five-day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because our little child needed to stretch from the car seat.

One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing at one side. He was clearly untidy, without shoes and wearing worn clothing. We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door. Then something told me to go back.

Holding my daughter, I turned around and said to the gentleman, “Sir. Are you hungry?” He said, “Yes.” I then asked, “May we buy you something to eat?” He responded with, “Sure, I can order something myself.”

My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager of the restaurant came over quite quickly and looked frightened. I spoke before he had an opportunity to. “This gentleman will have lunch with us today,” I said. “Please add his order to our bill.” The manager said with a frown(皱眉), “Okay.” We turned to our table and the gentleman said, loudly and quickly, “Thank You!” We were seated and upon completing our meal we were handed our bill. I asked my husband what the gentleman had ordered. One fresh orange juice, one coffee, one breakfast combination with a side of hash browns.

When we left the restaurant I looked for the gentleman but didn’t see him, but that very small act just made my day. I hope in some small way we were able to add some joy to his life, even if only for a few minutes.

1.From the appearance of the gentleman, we can guess he was probably a(n) _____.

A．waiter            B．actor             C．beggar            D．worker

2.The manager of the restaurant looked frightened because _____.

A．the man was not friendly

B．he had fired the man before

C．the man had stolen something from the restaurant

D．he was afraid the man wouldn’t afford to pay the food

3.From the passage, we can infer the man _____.

A．was thankful for their kind act

B．felt ashamed and slipped away

C．was hungry and ate a lot of food

D．was too proud to accept their offer

4.The phrase “made my day” in the last paragraph probably means ______.

A．wasted my money                       B．moved me deeply

C．made me feel sorry                      D．made me very happy

My husband, my four-month-old daughter and I set out on a five-day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because our little child needed to stretch from the car seat.
One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing at one side. He was clearly untidy, without shoes and wearing worn clothing. We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door. Then something told me to go back.
Holding my daughter, I turned around and said to the gentleman, “Sir. Are you hungry?” He said, “Yes.” I then asked, “May we buy you something to eat?” He responded with, “Sure, I can order something myself.”
My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager of the restaurant came over quite quickly and looked frightened. I spoke before he had an opportunity to. “This gentleman will have lunch with us today,” I said. “Please add his order to our bill.” The manager said with a frown(皱眉), “Okay.” We turned to our table and the gentleman said, loudly and quickly, “Thank You!” We were seated and upon completing our meal we were handed our bill. I asked my husband what the gentleman had ordered. One fresh orange juice, one coffee, one breakfast combination with a side of hash browns.
When we left the restaurant I looked for the gentleman but didn’t see him, but that very small act just made my day. I hope in some small way we were able to add some joy to his life, even if only for a few minutes

1. 1.

   From the appearance of the gentleman, we can guess he was probably a(n) _____

   1. A.
      waiter
   2. B.
      actor
   3. C.
      beggar
   4. D.
      worker
2. 2.

   The manager of the restaurant looked frightened because _____

   1. A.
      the man was not friendly
   2. B.
      he had fired the man before
   3. C.
      the man had stolen something from the restaurant
   4. D.
      he was afraid the man wouldn’t afford to pay the food
3. 3.

   From the passage, we can infer the man _____

   1. A.
      was thankful for their kind act
   2. B.
      felt ashamed and slipped away
   3. C.
      was hungry and ate a lot of food
   4. D.
      was too proud to accept their offer
4. 4.

   The phrase “made my day” in the last paragraph probably means ______

   1. A.
      wasted my money
   2. B.
      moved me deeply
   3. C.
      made me feel sorry
   4. D.
      made me very happy