阅读理解。
I made a pledge (发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would
try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical (圣经
的) passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, "Love is an act of will.
A person can choose to love." To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks
that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, "That new yellow sweater looks
great on you.
"Oh, Tom, you noticed," she said, surprised and pleased, maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but
then I thought, "Evelyn's been alone here with the kids all the week and now she wants to stay with me." We
walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum
though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today.
Last night at our cottage,p reparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
" What's the matter?" I asked her.
"Tom," she said in a voice filled with distress, "do you know something I don't?"
"What do you mean?"
" Well...that checkup (体检) I had several weeks ago...our doctor...did he tell you something about me?
Tom, you've been so good to me...am I dying?"
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
"No, honey," I said, wrapping her in my arms. "You're not dying; I'm just starting to live."
1. In the first paragraph, "No ifs, ands or buts" probably means ____. [ ]
A. unnecessarily
B. unexpectedly
C. impossibly
D. unconditionally
2. From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage _____.[ ]
A. with his family
B. with Evelyn
C. alone
D. with his children
3. During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because _____. [ ]
A. she looked lovely in her new clothes
B. he had made a lot of money in Wall Street
C. he was determined to be a good husband
D. she was seriously ill
4. The underlined words "one thing" in the text refer to the fact that _____. [ ]
A. he praised her sweater, which puzzled her
B. she insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated
C. he knew something about her illness but didn't tell her
D. he was so good to her that she thought she must be dying
5. By saying "I'm just starting to live", Tom means that _____. [ ]
A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life
B. he is just beginning to enjoy his life as a loving husband
C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change
D. he is beginning to feel regretful for what he did to his wife
