My father was the gentlest, most loving and caring dad in the world — until we had an argument. During those moments, he transformed into a stubborn man who never considered that there could be a side other than his own. My words surely never reached his “open mind” because his ears were closed. There was no point trying to argue with my dad. He always had the last word. I could never win.
When my father refused to understand that I needed the privacy of a phone in my room, my frustration turned to tears. When he sensed that I was gaining the upper hand in defending my case for wearing lip gloss to school in junior high, he ended our “discussion”, leaving me silently defeated and miserable. So when he refused to change his idea about letting me go on my senior class trip to Montreal, I could do nothing but race from his room in despair. If I couldn’t get him to listen to my side of our arguments, maybe I could get him to read it.
With the hope that his eyes would be more open than his ears, I began to plead (抗辩) my case in a note that began “Dear Daddy” and ended with how much I respected his opinion, how much I hated to fight with him and how much I valued our relationship and, above all, how much I loved him. I folded my note into an envelope, slid it under the door of his bedroom and raced back to my own room.
It was only minutes before I heard a knock at my door. When I saw the look on my father’s face, I knew that my note had melted his temper, softened his stubbornness and touched his heart.
The victory of winning my dad’s permission to go to Montreal was sweet. But even sweeter was the discovery of a strategy that enabled me to have an argument with my dad that didn’t end in tears, but instead with a hug. My “Dear Daddy” notes became a follow-up to many of our confrontations (对抗). During our most emotional arguments, when his unyielding final word drove me to tears, when his “ I’m your father, that’s why!” left me speechless, I knew just how to get through to him.
Years later, when my father died, his memory lived on through the many stories about him that friends and family continued to share. One of my favorites was the “Dear Daddy” notes. It always made me smile to remember some of our most passionate arguments and how my dad would become so pig-headed, until he read my notes. He surely must have seen through my calculating strategy, but he never let on; he enjoyed every note that turned him to see my way.
4. What did the author think about her father during an argument?
A.Gentle. | B.Stubborn. |
C.Aggressive. | D.Open-minded. |
5. The “Dear Daddy” notes could help the author ___________.
A.avoid meeting her father | B.make her father understand her |
C.deliver her message more quickly | D.stop the argument with ease |
6. After he died, the author’s father impressed her most with his
.
A.patient company | B.pig-headed decision |
C.generous love | D.heated discussion |
7. What can be the best title for the text?
A.My father | B.Arguments with my Dad |
C.A love memory | D.“Dear Daddy” Notes |