When I asked him to have a drink with me, he said he was in a hurry and had not a minute to ________.

1. A.
   spend
2. B.
   save
3. C.
   spare
4. D.
   share

A handsome middle-aged man walked quietly into the café and sat down. Before he ordered, he couldn’t help but notice a group of younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about him and it wasn’t until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon (丝带) on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about.

   The man pretended not to notice it, but the whisper and laughter began to get to him. He looked one of the rude young men straight into the eye, placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked, “This?”

   With that the young men all began to laugh out loud. The man he spoke to said, “Hey, sorry, man, but we were just commenting on how pretty your little pink ribbon looks against your blue jacket!”

   The middle-aged man calmly invited the joker to come over to his table, and politely seated him. As uncomfortable as he was, the young guy had to, not really sure why. In a soft voice, the middle-aged man said, “I wear this ribbon to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother’s honor.”

   “Oh, sorry. She died of breast cancer?”

“No, she didn’t. She’s alive and well. But her breasts nourished me as a baby, and were a soft resting place for my head when I was scared or lonely as a little boy. I’m very grateful for my mother’s breasts, and her health.”

“Umm,” the young replied, “yeah.”

“And I wear this ribbon to honor my wife,” the man continued.

“And she’s okay, too?” the young guy asked.

“Oh, yes. She’s fine. Her breasts have been a great source of loving pleasure for both of us, and with them she nurtured and nourished our daughter 23 years ago. I’m grateful for my wife’s breasts, and her health.”

“Uh, huh. And I guess you wear it to honor your daughter, also?”

“No. It’s too late to honor my daughter by wearing it now …”

Shaken and ashamed, the young guy said, “Oh, I’m so sorry, mister.”

“So, in my daughter’s memory, too, I proudly wear this little ribbon, which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. And here…” With this, he reached in his pocket and handed the young man a little pink ribbon. The young guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and asked, “…?”      

61. The young men joked about the middle-aged man’s __________________.

A. looks               B. ribbon                    C. attitude                D. clothes

62. What may have happened to the man’s daughter?

A. She died of breast canner.                B. She was very ill with cancer.

   C. She had gone abroad.                        D. She got married and left home.

63. What will the young man probably ask?

   A. May I give it to my mother?              B. Can you help me put it on?

   C. Will you please forgive me?              D. Shall we have some drink together?

64. What is the best title for the passage?

   A. An Unusual Meeting.                        B. An Impressive Lesson.

   C. Be Grateful to Your Beloved.             D. Little Pink Ribbon

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