16．Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents．Every day they are very（26）Atrying to make money in order to（27）Cthe expensive education for my brother and me．They don't act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV．
One day，my mother was sewing a quilt*．I silently sat down beside her and looked at her．
"Mom，I have a question to ask you，"I said with a smile．
"What？"she replied，still doing her work．
"Is there love between you and Dad？"I asked her in a（28）Dvoice．With surprise in her eyes，she stopped her work for a while．"Susan，"she said（29）C，"Look at this thread*．Sometimes it（30）B，but most of it disappears in the quilt．The thread really makes the quilt strong and warm．If life is a（31）C，then love should be a thread．It can（32）D be seen anywhere or anytime，but it's really there．Love is（33）B．"
I listened carefully but I couldn't understand her until the next（34）B．At that time，my father suddenly got sick seriously．My mother had to（35）Awith him in the hospital for a month．After they were back，every day my mother helped my father walk slowly on the（36）C road．My father had always been so gentle．In the countryside，the trees turned green and the flowers started to come out．The sun shone brightly through the leaves．All of these made up the most beautiful picture in the world．
"Dad，how are you feeling now？"I asked him one day．
"Susan，don't（37）Dme，"he said gently．"To tell you the truth，I just like（38）Bwith your mom．I like this kind of life．"Reading his eyes，I know he loves my mother deeply．（39）AI thought love meant flowers，gifts and sweet kisses．But from this（40）A，I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life．Love is inside，making life strong and warm．
| 26．A．busy | B．strict | C．interested | D．worth |
| 27．A．cost | B．spend | C．pay | D．take |
| 28．A．high | B．strange | C．happy | D．low |
| 29．A．happily | B．sadly | C．thoughtfully | D．angrily |
| 30．A．comes | B．appears | C．goes | D．connects |
| 31．A．needle | B．clothing | C．quilt | D．sweater |
| 32．A．often | B．sometimes | C．always | D．hardly |
| 33．A．outside | B．inside | C．beside | D．behind |
| 34．A．autumn | B．spring | C．winter | D．summer |
| 35．A．stay | B．work | C．talk | D．stand |
| 36．A．city | B．town | C．country | D．park |
| 37．A．depend on | B．believe in | C．look after | D．worry about |
| 38．A．running | B．walking | C．living | D．moving |
| 39．A．Once | B．Though | C．When | D．Unless |
| 40．A．experience | B．situation | C．way | D．subject． |
