I made a promise 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
passage about husbands and 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 week and now she wants to be alone 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 promise 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. On the last night at our cottage, preparing 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 sadness, "Do you know something I don't?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me?
Tom, you've been so good to me…
1. 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
2. During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.
A. he decided to be a good husband
B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm
C. she looked lovely in her new clothes
D. the doctor said his wife was seriously ill
3. The author says, "There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment." What does "one thing" refer to?
A. He pra
ised 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.
4. 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 life as a loving husband
C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change
D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before
