13．Dearest Clare，
As I write this，I am sitting at my desk in the back bedroom looking out at your studio across the backyard full of blue evening snow，everything is smooth and crusty with ice，and it is very still．It's one of those winter evenings when the coldness of every single thing seems to slow down time，like the narrow center of an hourglass which time itself flows through，but slowly，slowly．I had a sudden urge，tonight，here in the house by myself to write you a letter．I suddenly wanted to leave something，for after．I think that time is short，now．I feel as though all my reserves，of energy，of pleasure，of duration，are thin，small．I don't feel capable of continuing very much longer．I know you know．
If you are reading this，I am probably dead．But you know：you know that if I could have stayed，if I could have gone on，that I would have seized every second：whatever it was，this death，you know that it came and took me，like a child carried away by goblins （妖精）．
Clare，I want to tell you，again，I love you．But I hate to think of you waiting．I know that you have been waiting for me all your life，always uncertain of how long this patch of waiting would be．Ten minutes，ten days．A month．What an uncertain husband I have been，Clare，like a sailor．Please，Clare．When I am dead，stop waiting and be free．Of me-put me deep inside you and then go out in the world and live．Love the world and yourself in it，move through it as though the world is your natural element．
After my mom died she ate my father up completely．She would have hated it．Every minute of his life since then has been marked by her absence，every action has lacked dimension because she is not there to measure against．And when I was young I didn't understand，but now，I know，how absence can be present．
If I had to live on without you I know I could not do it．But I hope，I have this vision of you walking，with your shining hair in the sun．I have not seen this with my eyes，but only with my imagination，that makes pictures，that always wanted to paint you，shining； but I hope that this vision will be true，anyway．
Clare，there is one last thing，and I have hesitated to tell you，because I'm afraid that telling might cause it to not happen and also because I have just been going on about not waiting and this might cause you to wait longer than you have ever waited before．But I will tell you in case you need something，after．
Last summer，I was sitting in Kendrick's waiting room when I suddenly found myself in a dark hallway in a house I don't know．At the end of the hall I could see a rim of light around a door，and so I went very slowly and very quietly to the door and looked in．The room was white，and lit with morning sun．At the window，with her back to me，sat a woman，wearing a coral-colored cardigan sweater，with long white hair all down her back．She had a cup of tea beside her，on a table．I must have made some little noise，or she sensed me behind her…she turned and saw me，and I saw her，and it was you，Clare，this was you as an old woman，in the future．It was sweet，Clare，it was sweet beyond telling．I won't tell you any more，so you can imagine it．We will see each other again，Clare．Until then，live，fully，present in the world，which is so beautiful．
It's dark，now，and I am very tired．I love you，always．Time is nothing．
Henry
32．Why did Henry mention the snow and ice in the first Paragraph？C
A．To indicate the death is approaching．
B．To illustrate that he has an easy mind．
C．To express how urgent he was to write the letter．
D．To show the weather conditions when he wrote the letter．
33．From Paragraph 4we can know thatD．
A．his mother died soon after Henry was born
B．the living shouldn't miss the dead too much
C．his mother had a narrow affection for his father
D．his father lived in the shadow of his mother's absence
34．By describing what he found in Kendrick's waiting room，Henry intended to tell Clare thatC．
A．he hoped she would wait for him forever
B．his health was worsening step by step
C．she should stop waiting and be free to live
D．she would be more beautiful when she was old
35．Which of the following can best describe Henry？A
A．Considerate．
B．Generous．
D．Explicit．
D．Rigid．
分析 本文是一封濒临死亡的丈夫写给妻子的信，信中丈夫表现了对妻子的不舍，希望自己死后妻子能自由乐观的生活下去．
解答 32-35CDCA32 C 主旨大意题．作者提到冰和雪表面上是为了渲染冬夜的寒冷，寂静，时间仿佛被减慢，如同沙漏，但实际上作者是为了表达写信的时间很紧迫（I think that time is short），故选C．
33．D 由第四段中的"Every minute of his life since then has been marked by her absence，every action has lacked dimension because she is not there to measure against"可知，作者的父亲生活在失去妻子的阴影里，故选D．
34．C 细节理解题．作者描述在Kendrick's waiting room所发现的情景是为了让他的妻子在他死后继续好好的生活，结合上文"When I am dead，stop waiting and be free．Of me-put me deep inside you and then go out in the world and live"可知选 C．
35．A 词义猜测题．considerate体贴的，考虑周到的；generous慷慨的；explicit明确的；rigid严格的，固执的．结合本文可知，作者临终前写信给妻子，鼓励她坚强，乐观地生活，由此可知他是一个体贴的，考虑周到的人．选A．
点评 做阅读时经常犯错的主要原因是，仅凭读过文章后残留在脑海中的一丝印象来勾选答案，这样便很容易掉入出题人故意设布下的题目陷阱．所谓阅读理解，对于题目的理解一定要忠实于原文，因此，每一道题都应该与原文作全面的对比与核查，再得出答案．也就是说，阅读理解的每一道题目，在原文都应该有明确的出处，我们把这一出处叫做原文相关句，（1）排除与原文相关句主题不一致的选项（2）排除与原文相关句态度相反的选项 （3）排除用于过于极端或负面的选项（4）注意结合文章主旨和主题去排除．
