The train shakes back and forth, its wheels making a loud noise against the tracks. Outside the window the freezing cold of winter rules. The carriage is filled with cold, 41 passengers.
Suddenly a little boy 42 his way through the grown-up legs and sits down by the window. He is all alone among the 43 grown-ups. What a brave child, I think. His father 44 to stay by the door behind us. The train begins to crawl into a tunnel. Then something very 45 happens suddenly. The little boy slides down from his seat and leans his hand on my knee. 46 , I think that he wants to 47 me and return to his father, so I help him to stand up. But instead he leans forward and holds his 48 up towards mine. He wants to say something to me, I think. I lower my head to receive the 49 . Wrong again! What I receive is a 50 kiss on the cheek.
The boy calmly returns to his seat, leans back and continues looking out of the window. I am 51 . What just happened? A child kissing a(n) 52 grown-up on the train. How can anybody want to kiss such a man that has so much beard? Soon enough, all of my neighbors are 53 kissed. Nervous and a little surprised, we 54 at the father. When he sees our questioning 55 as he gets ready for his stop, he offers a clue.
“He’s so happy to be alive.” the father says. “He has been very sick.”
Father and son 56 into the crowd moving toward the exit. Then doors close and the train goes on. On my cheek I can still 57 the child’s kiss ― a kiss that has triggered (触发) some soul-search inside me. How many grown-ups 58 kissing each other from the joy of being alive? How many even give much thought to the privilege (特权) of 59 ?
The little kisser had taught us a sweet but serious lesson: Be careful. You don’t let yourself 60 before your heart stops!
41. A. excited | B. tired | C. pleased | D. surprised |
42. A. feels | B. winds | C. pushes | D. picks |
43. A. unfriendly | B. friendly | C. angry | D. kind |
44. A. likes | B. prefers | C. chooses | D. agrees |
45. A. great | B. strange | C. extraordinary | D. thrilling |
46. A. In no moment | B. For a moment | C. For the moment | D. In a moment |
47. A. beat | B. tell | C. inform | D. pass |
48. A. eyes | B. ear | C. head | D. lip |
49. A. news | B. message | C. kiss | D. opinion |
50. A. loud | B. foolish | C. strange | D. fortunate |
51. A. pleased | B. shocked | C. satisfied | D. interested |
52. A. well-known | B. smart | C. unknown | D. familiar |
53. A. expectedly | B. duly | C. regularly | D. eventually |
54. A. stare | B. smile | C. warn | D. whisper |
55. A. glances | B. anger | C. mouths | D. feeling |
56. A. appear | B. back | C. disappear | D. follow |
57. A. touch | B. trust | C. smell | D. feel |
58. A. go around | B. come around | C. keep on | D. insist on |
59. A. a child | B. a kiss | C. living | D. touching |
60. A. die | B. stop | C. sleep | D. live |
Occasionally she tried to argue with her husband, __________________ (结果) crying her eyes out. (end)