I promised 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 occurred to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was reading a 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 doctor and said, “That new yellow sweater looks good 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 changed my mind. We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. On the last night at our cottage, 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 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.”
4. What do”No ifs, ands or buts”in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A.Unnecessarily. | B.Unexpectedly. |
C.Impossibly. | D.Unconditionally. |
5. Why did Tom try to be a loving husband and father?
A.Evelyn looked lovely in her sweater. |
B.Evelyn suffered a deadly disease. |
C.He regretted about his past behaviors. |
D.He had made lots of money in Wall Street. |
6. What does the underlined sentence probably mean?
A.Tom thought Evelyn’s words were funny. |
B.It took Tom a while to understand Evelyn’s words. |
C.Tom’s heart sank suddenly on hearing Evelyn’s words. |
D.Tom tried to prevent Evelyn knowing the truth about her illness. |
7. What can we infer about Evelyn’s feeling towards her husband’s change?
A.Relaxed and happy. | B.Pleased and grateful. |
C.Pleased but sorrowful. | D.Surprised but pleased. |