Several years ago, my parents, my wife, my son and I ate at a restaurant. After a wonderful dinner, the waiter set the check in the middle of the table. That’s when it happened: my father did not reach for the check. Conversation continued. Finally I realized that I should pick up the check! After hundreds of restaurant meals with my parents, after a lifetime of thinking of my father as the one with dollars, it had all changed. I paid the meal, and my view of myself suddenly changed. I was an adult. I was no longer a kid.
　　Some people mark off（区分）their lives in years, I measure mine in small events. I didn’t become a young man at a particular age, like 16, but rather when a kid who wandered in the streets called me “mister.” These events in my life are called “milestones”（里程碑）.
    There have been other milestones .The policemen of my youth always seemed huge, and of course they were older than I was. Then one day they were suddenly neither. The day came when I suddenly realized that all the football players in the game I was watching were younger than I was. They were just big kids. With that milestone gone was the dream that someday, maybe I, too, could be a football player. Without ever having reached the hill ,I was over it.
　    I never thought that I would fall asleep in front of the TV set as my father did. Now it’s what I do best. I never thought that I would appreciate opera, but now the combination of voice and orchestra（乐队）attracts me. I used to think that people who watched birds were strange, but this summer I found myself watching them, and maybe I’ll get a book on the subject. I feel a strong desire for a religious belief that I never thought I’d want, and echo (模仿) my father in arguments with my son. I still lose …
　　One day I bought a house. One day ―what a day！― I became a father, and not too long after that I picked up the check for my own father. I thought then it was a milestone for me. One day, when I was a little older, I realized it was one for him too, another milestone.
60. The tone established in the passage is one of .         
    A. sad regret                B. amusement              C. deep feeling             D. happiness
61. “Then they were suddenly neither .” suggests that           .
　    A. suddenly I found myself no longer a kid.
　    B. suddenly I knew that they were neither bigger nor older than I was.
　    C. suddenly I realized that I made a mistake.
　    D. suddenly they became older than I was.

62. Which of the following best expresses the author’s thinking ？
　    A. One day is worth two tomorrows.
　    B. To save time is to lengthen life.
　    C. When an opportunity is lost ,it never comes back to you .
　    D. Time and tide wait for no man .

Recently I bought a house, __________was very reasonable.

A. which price　　　　　　B. the price of which

C. its price　　　　　   　D. the price of that

When I was young, I really doubted whether there was love between my parents．Every day they were busy earning money so that they could   36 the high tuition my brother and I needed．They didn’t   37 in the romantic ways that I read in books or saw on TV．
One day, Mom was sewing a quilt（被子）．I  38 sat down beside her．“Mom, I have a　39 here,” I said after a while．“Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very 　40 voice．
Mom stopped her work and raised her head with   41 in her eyes．She didn’t answer immediately．She bent her head and continued to sew the quilt．I was   42 if I had hurt her．I was in great embarrassment and I was at a loss what to do．But at last she said, very   43  , “Susan, look at this   44 ．Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt．The thread really makes the quilt strong and lasting．If   45 is a quilt, then love should be a thread．It can hardly be seen, but it’s really there． 46 is inside．”
I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until years later．
One day, Dad accidentally got  47 while on duty．Ever since then he could no longer  48
properly．Every morning and dusk Mom would help Dad walk slowly on the country road．Along the country road, there were beautiful flowers, green grass and trees．The leaves were gently glistening   49 the sun shining upon them．All of these made up the most beautiful   50 in the world．
“Dad, how are you feeling now?”” I asked him one day． “Susan, don’t worry shout me,” he said gently． “I just like walking with your mom．I like this kind of life．” Looking into his eyes, I  51 　　what they meant．
The doctor had said Dad would   52  in two months．But that day never came．He   53 away in peace．
54   I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses．But from this   55 , I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life, which makes life strong and warm…

Suddenly I heard a　　  voice of my friend Tom.

A.similar　　　B.same　　　　C.familiar　　　　D.strange

When I was young, I really doubted whether there was love between my parents．Every day they were busy earning money so that they could   36  the high tuition my brother and I needed．They didn’t   37  in the romantic ways that I read in books or saw on TV．

One day, Mom was sewing a quilt（被子）．I  38  sat down beside her．“Mom, I have a　39  here,” I said after a while．“Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very 　40 voice．

Mom stopped her work and raised her head with   41  in her eyes．She didn’t answer immediately．She bent her head and continued to sew the quilt．I was   42  if I had hurt her．I was in great embarrassment and I was at a loss what to do．But at last she said, very   43  , “Susan, look at this   44 ．Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt．The thread really makes the quilt strong and lasting．If   45  is a quilt, then love should be a thread．It can hardly be seen, but it’s really there． 46  is inside．”

    I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until years later．

    One day, Dad accidentally got  47  while on duty．Ever since then he could no longer  48

properly．Every morning and dusk Mom would help Dad walk slowly on the country road．Along the country road, there were beautiful flowers, green grass and trees．The leaves were gently glistening   49  the sun shining upon them．All of these made up the most beautiful   50  in the world．

“Dad, how are you feeling now?”” I asked him one day． “Susan, don’t worry shout me,” he said gently． “I just like walking with your mom．I like this kind of life．” Looking into his eyes, I  51 　　what they meant．

The doctor had said Dad would   52   in two months．But that day never came．He   53 away in peace．

54   I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses．But from this   55 , I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life, which makes life strong and warm…

1.A．afford           B．cost               C．spend            D．offer

2.A．go               B．live               C．act              D．walk

3.A．happily          B．silently           C．secretly        D．nervously

4.A．request          B．problem            C．message          D．question

5.A．loud             B．light                            C．low              D．clear

6.A．surprise         B．anger              C．stress           D．horror

7.A．amazed           B．confused           C．shocked          D．ashamed

8.A．quickly          B．excitedly          C．bitterly         D．gently

9.A．quilt            B．needle             C．thread          D．sewing

10.A．belief          B．work               C．experience                     D．life

11.A．Warmth          B．Thread                           C．Cotton             D．Love

12.A．tired           B．drunk              C．ill                            D．injured

13.A．talk            B．walk               C．work             D．think

14.A．with            B．as                 C．for              D．by

15.A．signs           B．symbols            C．pictures                       D．reflections

16.A．read            B．doubted            C．translated                     D．recognized

17.A．retire          B．recover           C．regain           D．remove

18.A．passed          B．escaped            C．faded            D．turned

19.A．Again           B．Once               C．Then             D．Later

20.A．lesson        B．account              C．experience      D．accident