阅读理解。
Several years ago, my family gathered on Cape Cod for a weekend. My parents were there, my sister and
her daughter too, two cousins and, of course, my wife, my son and me. We ate at one of those restaurants
where the menu is written on a blackboard held by a friendly waiter and had a wonderful time. With dinner
concluded, the waiter set the check down in the middle of the table. That's when it happened. My father did
not reach for the check.
In fact, my father did nothing. Conversation continued. Finally it dawned on me. Me! I was supposed to
pick up the check. After all these years, after hundreds of restaurant meals with my parents, after a lifetime
of thinking of my father as the one with the dollars, it had all changed. I reached for the check and pulled out
my American Express card. My view of myself was suddenly changed. With a stroke of the pen, I was
suddenly an adult.
Some people mark off their life in years, others in events. I am one of the latter, and I think of some events
as rites of passage. I did not become a young man at a particular year like 13, but when a kid strolled into the
store where I worked and called me "mister", I turned around to see whom he was calling. He repeated it
several times-"mister, mister"-looking straight at me. The realization hit like a punch: Me! He was talking to me.
I was suddenly a mister.
1. My father did not reach for the check because ____.
A. it was in the middle of the table
B. I was no longer a child
C. he had no money with him
D. he did not notice the check
2. The underlined part "it dawned on me" in the second paragraph means ____.
A. I understood
B. it was my turn
C. it surprised me
D. I felt sorry
3. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. None of my family was willing to pay the check.
B. I was not willing to pay the check.
C. We were happy on Cape Cod.
D. We didn't enjoy our meal.
4. From the passage, we can infer that ____ paid for restaurant meals before.
A. I
B. my mother
C. my parents
D. my father
