My wife and I had just finished the 150-mile trip home from our daughter’s college. It was the   1   time in our lives that she would be gone for any length of   2  . We wondered how other people had   3 it.

Later in bed, I   4   the time I started college. My father had driven me, too. My mother had to stay behind to   5   the cows from getting into the crops. I, the fourth in a line of brothers, was the first to   6   college.

The truck was slow and I was glad. I didn’t want to get to   7   too soon. I shook hands with my father in the truck and he didn’t say a word. But I knew he was going to make a little  8  . He finally said, “I never went to college and  9   of your brothers went to college. I can’t say you don’t do this or that, because everything is different and I don’t know what is going to   10  , but I think things will work out. When you get a job, be sure to be honest and   11 .”

I knew that soon I would be   12   in the big town and I would be missing the life of the family.

Then my father brought out the Bible that he had   13   so often. I knew that he would miss it but I must take it. He just said, “This can help you   14   you will let it.”

When I   15   school I took the Bible back to my father. But he said he wanted me to keep it.

Now, too late, I remember. It would have been so   16   to give it to my daughter when she got out of the car. But I didn’t. I could give her   17  . My father could give me  18  a Bible. But I don’t really believe now that I gave her half as   19   as my father gave me. So the next morning I did up the book and sent it to her. I wrote a   20  . “This can help you,” I said, “when you will let it”.

1．A．first                      B．last                     C．very                    D．happiest

1,3,5

2．A．trip                       B．time                    C．place                   D．journey

3．A．understood            B．stood                  C．knew                  D．tried

4．A．remembered          B．called                  C．thought               D．went through

5．A．let                        B．raise                    C．keep                   D．feed

6．A．take part in            B．go away to          C．begin with           D．continue with

7．A．my daughter’s college                            B．my home

      C．the city                                                D．the farm

8．A．speech                  B．sound                  C．promise               D．progress

9．A．some                    B．one                     C．none                   D．a(chǎn)ll

10．A．happen                B．end                     C．take                    D．start

11．A．think out              B．keep watch          C．take care             D．work hard

12．A．happy                 B．a(chǎn)lone                   C．rich                    D．lost

13．A．bought                B．read                    C．loved                  D．given

14．A．if                        B．unless                 C．since                   D．though

15．A．finished               B．returned              C．covered               D．began

16．A．popular               B．strange                C．ready                  D．nice

17．A．something           B．everything           C．a(chǎn)nything              D．nothing

18．A．only                    B．really                   C．surely                 D．nearly

19．A．much                  B．many                  C．far                      D．little

20．A．composition         B．information          C．word                  D．note

The end of my sophomore year was approaching．Mom called me at the dorm one evening during the last week of May．My summer break would be spent with grandma and grandpa, helping out around their farm．The arrangement made good sense to all the family．I wasn’t fully convinced of that myself but guessed it was just one summer．Next year would be my little brother’s turn．

I arrived late that afternoon．Grandma had fixed more food than the three of us could possibly eat．She loved me entirely too much．The next morning, Grandpa fixed breakfast for the two of us． He told me Grandma had tired herself out yesterday and was going to rest in bed a little longer．I made a mental note to myself to not ask her to do things for me while I was there．I was there to help, not be a burden．

       Weeks passed．I gradually settled into a routine of daily work with Grandpa．In the evenings I usually read or talked with Grandma．She never grew tired of hearing about college or anything I was involved in．She told me stories about her childhood, family and the early years after she and Grandpa had married．

       The last Saturday in June, Grandpa suggested going fishing．We hadn’t expected what we saw when we got to the pond that morning: One of the swans was dead．Grandpa had given the pair of swans to Grandma on their 50th anniversary．“Why don’t we see about buying another one,” I suggested, hoping the situation could somehow be righted．Grandpa thought for a few moments before answering．

       He finally said, “no．．．it’s not that easy, Bruce．You see, swans mate for life．” He raised his finger to point, holding the fishing pole in his other hand．“There’s nothing we can do for the one that’s left．He has to work it out for himself．”

A few days later, we drove by the pond while doing our morning check on the cows．We found the other swan lying near the same spot we had found the first one．It, too, was dead．

       The month of July started with me and Grandpa putting up a new stretch of fence．Then July 12 came．That was the day Grandma passed away．Grandma had died suddenly that morning of a stroke．By the afternoon, my parents were there．The old house was soon crowded with relatives and Grandpa’s friends．

       The funeral was held the next day．Grandpa had insisted on having it as soon as possible．On the second day after the funeral, Grandpa announced at the breakfast table, “This is a working farm． We have a lot of things to do．The rest of you should get back to your own lives．” Most of the family had already left, but this was Grandpa’s way of telling the rest it was time for them to go home．My parents were the last to leave after lunch．

       Grandpa was not a man who could outwardly express his grief around others, and we all worried about him．The rest of the summer flowed by．We stayed busy working．I thought there was something different about Grandpa but couldn’t quite put my finger on it．

       September was nearing, and part of me did not want to leave．I thought of skipping the fall semester and staying around a few more months．When I mentioned it, grandpa quickly told me that my place was back at college．

The day finally came for me to pack my car and leave. I shock his hand and chanced a hug. As Idrove down the driveway, I saw him in the rearview mirror．He waved to me and then walked to the pasture gate to start the morning livestock check．

       Mom called me at school on a stormy October day to tell me Grandpa had died．A neighbor had stopped by that morning for coffee and found him in the kitchen．He died of a stroke, the same as Grandma．At that moment, I understood what he’d clumsily tried to explain to me about the swan on that morning we fished together by the pond．

55．We can learn from Paragraph 1 that            ．

       A．Bruce regarded working on the farm as a rare chance

       B．Bruce longed to enjoy himself freely on the farm

       C．the brothers took turns to attend their grandparents

       D．Bruce was not happy with his parents’ arrangement

56．What did the writer think at the sight of the first dead swan?

       A．Another swan should be bought in place of the dead one．

       B．The other was bound to die since swans mate for life．

       C．Grandma would be in deep sorrow over its death．

       D．The living can do nothing for the dead．

57．Grandpa quickly dismissed the family after the funeral because            ．

       A．he wanted to carry on with his farm work

       B．he tended to deal with grief in life by himself

       C．he didn’t want his normal life disturbed

       D．he took for granted the matter of life and death

58．By “I couldn’t put my fingers on it”, the writer means that            ．

       A．I could do nothing to help him out of grief

       B．I was so busy that I couldn’t give a hand to Grandpa

       C．I couldn’t tell exactly what was different about my Grandpa

       D．I stayed busy working and couldn’t keep Grandpa’s company

59．Which of the following best describes Grandpa’s character?

       A．Outgoing, clumsy and considerate．             B．Loyal, considerate and independent．

       C．Talkative, clumsy and independent．            D．Romantic, outgoing and loyal．

60．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

       A．Mate For Life         B．Unforgettable Summer Break

       C．Death of Swans      D．Everlasting Love Story