I remember the first time I met Alfred after years. He was sitting on a bench in the park. He looked very sad and cold. He hadn’t got a coat on and it started to rain. Usually, I don’t like to stop to speak to a stranger who looked like that. His shoes were well-cleaned and his clothes were quite smart, but he did not have an umbrella with him and he was getting wet in the rain. I stopped walking and said to him in a nice voice. “ Are you OK?” he looked up, and was surprised to see me. He cried out. “ Are you …” he couldn’t remember my name. I was also surprised. He was Alfred! “ I’m Tom, Alfred, what are you doing here?” I asked. He did not explain to me, but caught my hand, and asked how my life was like. I told him that I was out of job. I suggested that we go somewhere warm and dry.

So we found a café nearby and continued our conversation. I learned that he married with two children, and his wife was Sherry. I could not believe my ears. Twenty years ago his best friend was Linda, and Sherry was his worst enemy! They often had quarrels ( 争吵) and fights in the play.

Alfred told me that he became a businessman when he graduated from the school and owned two companies in the city. I asked him why he was sitting in the rain in the park. He said that he had just had a quarrel with Sherry, and acting in the same way as when she was young, threw him out of the door and locked him　out. He was young, threw him out of the door and locked him out. He was waiting for her to be calm and let him in again.

1.What did Alfred look like?

A. Pleasant B. Smart C. Hungry D. Well-dressed

2.Alfred was ___ them.

A married B. nice C. weak D. strong

3. How was Alfred when he was Tom?

A. Happy B. Surprised C. Glad D. Angry

4.The writer ________

A. liked to speak to a stranger B. met Alfred in a café

C. thought Alfred’s wife was Sherry D. hadn’t met Alfred twenty years.

5.What happened to Alfred?

A. He lost his wife B. He lost his job

C. His wife didn’t let him go home D. His friend didn’t want to see him.

Moms take care of their children life and dads bring home food and make the family rules. These are the roles moms and dads fall into when they become parents and it’s common among all cultures. But times change and parents’ roles seem to be changing, too. More women are bringing home food by having full-time jobs and men are taking care of their children at home.
Chinese TV show Where Are We Going, Dad ? provides a closer look at the changing roles of dads in modern family life. The show follows the adventures（冒险经历）of five celebrity（明星）dads who take trips with their young children (aged 4 to 6) and try to complete a set of tasks. It shows how young dads are trying hard to find the best way to raise their children and keep a closer relationship with them. Young dads no longer want to be cold.
Psychologists（心理学家）say that a strong fatherly influence is important in a child’s development. Fathers teach their children skills and encourage them to try new things. They also give them a sense of safety. A child learns that if something goes wrong, he or she can depend on dad to help fix it. The psychologists also say that without a dad, a child is more possible to drop out of school and get into trouble.
A mother’s love is important, and so is a father’s love. Chen Mo, a psychology professor says,“It takes both parents to raise a child. Children have different needs at different ages and this needs to be considered by both parents.”

【小题1】 What are the common roles of moms and dads in all cultures? ______