After 21 years of marriage I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago I had started to go out with another  1  . It was really my wife’s idea. “ I know you love her,” she said one day  2   me by surprise.

3   woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my   4   and my three children had made it   5   to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a   6  , “I thought that it would be   7   to pass some time with you. Just the two of us.” She  8   it for a moment and then said, “I would like that very much.”

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit   9  . When I arrived at her house, I   10   that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited at   31  with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She  12   from a face that was as radiant（容光焕发的）as an angel’s.

We went to a restaurant that,   13   not elegant (雅致的), was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm   14   she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read   15   print. Half way through the menu, I   16   my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A lovely smile was on her lips. “It was I who used to have to read the   17  when you were small,” she said.

During the dinner we had an agreeable   18  , catching up on recent events in each other’s life. We talked  19   much that we missed the movie. The   20  was very nice. Much more than I could have imagined.

1. A. man              B. woman              C. friend                D. girl

2. A. giving            B. having               C. taking               D. making

3. A. The other      B. Another             C. Other                D. Others

4. A. wife              B. boss                  C. work                D. life

5. A. possible  B. impossible         C. possibly            D. impossibly

6. A. talk        B. concert             C. movie               D. drink

7. A. interesting      B. exciting             C. pleasant             D. happy

8. A. hesitated B. was surprised    C. doubted about    D. thought about

9. A. anxious         B. nervous             C. eager                D. worried

10. A. thought        B. discovered         C. noticed              D. believed

11. A. the door       B. the office           C. the room           D. the station

12. A. spoke          B. came out           C. expressed          D. smiled

13. A. because              B. as                     C. if                      D. although

14. A. even if         B. only if               C. as if                  D. if only

15. A. large            B. blue                  C. small                 D. clear

16. A. opened        B. closed               C. fixed                 D. lifted

17. A. newspaper   B. book                 C. menu                D. story

18. A. conversation B. walk                 C. meal                 D. situation

19. A. too              B. very                  C. that                  D. so

20. A. meal            B. talk                   C. date                  D. restaurant

       After 21 years of marriage, I started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife’s idea. “I know that you love her,” she said one day, taking me by surprise. “But I love YOU,” I protected. “I know, but you also love her.”

       The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked.

       My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. “I thought that it would be pleasant to pass some time with you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment, then said, “I would like that very much.”

       That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on.

       She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. “I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,” she said, as she got into the car. “They can’t wait to hear about our meeting.”

       We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and comfortable. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print.

       “It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,” she said.

       “Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favor,” I responded.

       During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation—nothing extraordinary—but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

1．From the text, we can learn that the writer is_____.

       A．a regular moviegoer                                    B．a wealthy businessman   

       C．a frequent visitor to his mother                     D．a busy and middle-aged father of three

2．Why was the mother surprised when getting invited?

       A．She was already in bed                                B．She rarely got invited

       C．She never expected such a call                            D．She seldom watched late night movies

3．Why did the writer feel nervous when he drove to meet his mother?

       A．He was eager to find out how his mother liked the date.

       B．He was excited to express his love for his mother.

       C．He hadn’t seen his mother after he was married.

       D．He didn’t tell his wife that he was to visit his mother.

4．How would the man feel after the dinner?

       A．He should take his mother to a movie some other time.

       B．He should meet his mother’s friends.

       C．His mother wants more invitations.

       D．His mother enjoys spending time with him.