本篇阅读材料的难度属中等，全文约427词，因此建议阅读时间（含做题）为13分钟。阅读要求：认真阅读短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
I grew up without hugs. Greetings involving kissing caused me to wince（畏缩）， and hugging generally just made me feel awkward.
Then one hug 1 all that. One month before my 40th birthday my dad had heart surgery. As he came round days later， he grabbed me and hugged me so hard that I had to push with all my strength to keep my head from 2 down on his newly stitched torso（缝合的创口）.
It was a 3 to make up for all those we had never had. Days later as he slowly started to gain strength he told me 4 ever that he loved me， and through my tears I told him I loved him too.
I began planning how to 5 him better—with carrot cakes， Victoria sponges， jelly and ice cream. My maternal streak（母性的气质） kicked in and I fantasized about 6 him through the park and feeding him home-made goodies. Then he died.
My parents 7 when I was two years old and， 8 I had monthly contact with my dad， my bitter stepmother and my father’s old-fashioned stiff upper lip meant we never became close. 9 ， I used to fear to stay with him and 10 the hours until I could go home again.
When I was very little the weekends at my father’s house felt cold and unfriendly. During my 11 the trips to his house would always be worrying for weeks 12 . Each stay ended with an uncomfortable kiss on the cheek 13 Dad as he said goodbye.
And yet standing beside the hospital bed watching the 14 fading from my sleeping father was painful. I felt like a little girl at his bedside， 15 to talk to him yet again. I was gazing at his fingers—fat and soft， lying gently curled beside him. Slowly they transformed from plump sausages to 16 —white and immovable. It was his fingers that told me he had 17 from this life.
Losing a father whom you have no recollection of ever living with is difficult. 18 is tricky； I didn’t have any obvious close father-daughter 19 to keep and recall and cry over. Most of my memories were of uneasy meetings and uncomfortable times together. 20 I desperately missed him being alive.
As time moved on my grief and anger at his untimely death began to weaken. I realized that his affirmation of me from his deathbed had filled a gaping hole of insecurity I had constantly carried around.
1. A. changed B. improved C. practiced D. destroyed
2. A. touching B. impressing C. shocking D. pressing
3. A. misunderstanding B. hug C. talk D. visit
4. A. at the first time B. for the last time
C. for the first time D. in the last time
5. A. treat B. trick C. benefit D. persuade
6. A. wheeling B. drilling C. dressing D. riding
7. A. gathered B. left C. reunited D. separated
8. A. while B. since C. because D. now that
9. A. In a result B. In the meantime C. In addition D. In fact
10. A. account B. count C. calculate D. spend
11. A. ages B. fifties C. teens D. stays
12. A. later B. beforehand C. meanwhile D. ago
13. A. from B. of C. off D. for
14. A. life B. disease C. disaster D. body
15. A. unable B. unwilling C. uncertain D. unsure
16. A. grass B. mud C. stone D. soup
17. A. disappearing B. missed C. lost D. gone
18. A. Living B. Grieving C. Greeting D. Kissing
19. A. honors B. memorials C. memories D. quarrels
20. A. But B. So C. Only if D. If only
【答案与解析】
1. A。第一段提到作者在成长过程中一直缺少拥抱，对拥抱、亲吻之类举动也很是畏缩，直至有一次的拥抱“改变”了这一切。
2. D。作者的父亲心脏手术后苏醒过来时，心情比较激动，紧紧地抱住了作者，但作者为了避免 “压到”他新缝合的创口，所以使劲推开。
3. B。这个“拥抱”弥补了我们不曾拥有过的一切（忽略掉的那些拥抱之类）。根据上下段的逻辑联系，可推出此答案。
4. C。根据前面可知作者和父亲之间以前很少拥抱或亲吻，很少直白地表露对彼此的爱，可以推断这里作者的父亲“第一次”（for the first time）对作者说爱她。
5. A。根据上文以及下面破折号后的“萝卜糕、果酱夹层蛋糕、果酱和奶油”等的提示，作者想要对她的父亲好一点。
6. A。根据语境意义可知，父亲正在患病，作者想“推着坐着轮椅的”父亲在公园漫步。其他选项不符合。
7. D。从后面提到bitter stepmother可知，这里是说作者的父母在她两岁的时候离婚了，分开了。
8. A。本题考查连词。根据上下句的逻辑联系，此从句应为让步状语从句，意为“尽管”，while可表达转折之意。
9. D。事实上，作者一直很怕跟她父亲见面。in fact事实上；in the meantime同时；in addition另外，此外；没有in a result短语。
10. B。根据语境意义：作者一直害怕跟父亲见面，所以每次都“数着”时间盼着能早点回家。
11. C。根据第二段可知，在作者40岁生日前的那个月其父亲接受了心脏手术。所以不可能是50几岁，更不可能是老年。所以只有“teens”符合语境。
12. B。作者去拜访那个不友好的家就意味着“提前”好几周要担心和恐惧。所以选beforehand。
13. A。根据句意可知：作者是接受“来自于”父亲的那很不舒服的在脸颊上的亲吻。
14. A。作者是站在病床边看着沉睡的父亲“生命”垂危。故选life。
15. A。作者像个小女孩一样站在父亲病床前，不能再和他说话。unable不能；unwilling不愿意；uncertain不确定；unsure不确定。
16. C。根据上文，作者父亲在死之前，手是“肥厚而柔软”的，但死了之后，就变成“石头”般的僵硬。
17. D。gone表示“丢了，没了”，引申为人“死了，不存在了”；lost 表示“丢失”；missing表示“失踪了，英语毕业论文，不见了”。而disappearing意为“消失看不见了”。根据语境意义，应选D项。
18. B。悲痛让人难以捉摸。从全文及该段第一句difficult可知作者此处要表达的是“悲痛”。
19. C。根据下文Most of my memories were of uneasy meetings的提示及逻辑联系，此处应选“memories”。
20. A。我的大部分记忆是一些让人别扭的碰面和不自在的共处时光，然而现在我是多么怀念他在世的日子啊。两个分句间存在转折联系，所以选项A符合语境。
【难句略论】
1. As he came round days later， he grabbed me and hugged me so hard that I had to push with all my strength to keep my head from pressing down on his newly stitched torso. 几天后他苏醒过来时，他一下抱住我，抱得那么紧，以致我不得不用力推开，以免我的头压到他新缝合的伤口。
本句结构比较复杂。as引导的是时间状语从句。so hard表示程度。that I had to push with all my strength作结果状语。to keep my head from pressing down on his newly stitched torso是动词不定式短语作目的状语。
2. ...while I had monthly contact with my dad， my bitter stepmother and my father’s old-fashioned stiff upper lip meant we never became close. ……虽然每月和父亲见面，但继母尖刻，父亲又一向感情不外露，所以我们从未亲近彼此。
这是一个复合句，英语论文题目，while引导让步状语从句。old-fashioned意为“老式的，保守的，古板的”；stiff upper lip字面意思为“僵硬呆板的上唇”，引申义为“感情不外露，坚定沉着”。
例如：Shelley always keeps a stiff upper lip， even in the face of danger. 雪莱一向坚定沉着，即便面临危险。 | 
