1,、Valentine’s Day was the time my father chose to show his love for the special people in his life. Over the years I fondly (天真地) thought 21 him as my “Valentine man”.
My first memory of the 22 he could bring to Valentine’s Day came when I was six. That morning at the breakfast table I found a card and a gift-wrapped package at my chair. The card was 23 “Love, Dad” and the gift was a ring with a small piece of red glass to 24 my birthstone, a ruby (紅寶石). There is 25 difference between red glass and rubies to a child of six, and I remember 26 that ring with pride that all the cards in the world 27 not surpass (超越).
28 I grew older, the gifts gave 29 to heart-shaped boxes filled with my 30 chocolate and always included a 31 card signed “Love, Dad”. In those years my “thank-you” became 32 of a perfunctory (敷衍) response. The cards seemed less 33 , and I took for granted that the Valentine would 34 be there. I had 35 my hopes and dreams in receiving cards and gifts from “significant others” and “Love Dad” just didn’t seem quite 36 .
His final card remains on my desk today. It’s a 37 of how special fathers can be and how important it has been to me to know that I had a father who continued a tradition of 38 with simple acts of understanding of the people in his life.
Those things never 39 , nor does the memory of a man who never 40 being my Valentine man.
21. A. of
B. about
C. up
D. over
22. A. hope
B. magic
C. puzzle
D. present
23. A. read
B. written
C. shown
D. signed
24. A. recover
B. return
C. represent
D. remain
25. A. much
B. little
C. great
D. less
26. A. filling
B. keeping
C. wearing
D. staring
27. A. could
B. needed
C. must
D. should
28. A. Because
B. Since
C. Though
D. As
29. A. room
B. way
C. honour
D. seat
30. A. favorite
B. lovely
C. dear
D. precious
31. A. usual
B. common
C. strange
D. special
32. A. less
B. little
C. none
D. much
33. A. important
B. beautiful
C. familiar
D. standard
34. A. hardly
B. always
C. regularly
D. often
35. A. lost
B. kept
C. placed
D. shared
36. A. suitable
B. enough
C. effective
D. timely
37. A. method
B. certificate
C. consequence
D. reminder
38. A. love
B. pride
C. home
D. silence
39. A. lose
B. die
C. cost
D. appear
40. A. risked
B. imagined
C. tried
D. stopped
