Evenings with Dad 愛到黃昏后

溫從秀

Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my dad in his study every evening when he came home from the office. Id watch as he put his personal items away—his watch， wallet， comb and car keys. Every night， he would smile， hand me the comb and say， “Help Daddy clean it， OK？” Id excitedly turn the tap on， and then brush the comb with a used toothbrush as hard as I could. Then Id proudly return the comb to Dad. He would smile at me， and place it on top of his wallet.

About two years later， Dad left his sales job and started his own business. I started primary school. That was when things started to change. Dads business wasnt doing so well， and our stable life started getting shaky. He didnt come home as much as he used to. And when he came home， it was always late and Id already be in bed. I started to get mad. Why didnt he listen to Mum and just stick to his old job？ Over the years， I stopped waiting for him to come home.

Now at 28， Ive graduated from college and got a job. Dads business has also started to get back on track. Yet the uncomfortable silence between Dad and me persisted.

Yesterday， Dad came home early. As usual， I helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave， he said， “Hey， would you like to help me clean my comb？” I looked at him for a while， and then took the comb. After cleaning， I passed it back to Dad. He looked at it and smiled. But this time， I noticed something different. My dad has aged. He has wrinkles next to his eyes， yet his smile is still as heartwarming as before—the smile of a father who just wants a good life for his family. Dad carefully placed his comb on top of his wallet. After so many years， I guess some things never change. And for that， Im glad.

[Reading][Check]

1. What was the author asked to do by his father when young？

A. Brushing his fathers comb. B. Cleaning his fathers toothbrush.

C. Chatting with his father in his study. D. Greeting his father at the door.

2. Why did the father set up his own business？

A. He was laid off by his former company. B. He desired to struggle for a big fortune.

C. He wanted to fulfill a good life for his family.

D. He followed his wifes advice.

3. What accounted for the uncomfortable silence between the author and the father？

A. The fathers new business wasnt going so smoothly.

B. The father came home rarely or very late.

C. The tough primary school time and little time with the dad.

D. The misunderstanding of the author and less communication between them.

4. Which words can best describe the authors father？

A. Generous and humorous. B. Modest and conventional.

C. Struggling and devoted. D. Ambitious and strict.

[Language][Study]

Expressions for creating a continuation task

excitedly adv. 興奮地 proudly adv. 自豪地

mad adj. 憤怒的;著迷的? glad adj. 高興的

heartwarming adj. 暖心的 smile v. 微笑

notice v. 注意到 put away 把……收起來放好

hand sb sth（=hand sth to sb） 把某物遞給某人 return sth to sb 把某物還給某人

get shaky 變得動蕩? ? get back on track 回到正軌

pass...back to... 把……遞回給……

the uncomfortable silence 令人不舒服的沉默

look at sb for a while 看了某人片刻

Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my dad in his study every evening when he came home from the office. 我還記得當初每天黃昏時爸爸從辦公室回家后，我和他一起坐在書房里的時光。

Id excitedly turn the tap on， and then brush the comb with a used toothbrush as hard as I could. 我會興奮地打開水龍頭，然后用用過的牙刷使勁地刷梳子。

Dad carefully placed his comb on top of his wallet. 爸爸小心地把梳子放在錢包上。

My dad has aged. He has wrinkles next to his eyes， yet his smile is still as heartwarming as before—the smile of a father who just wants a good life for his family. 爸爸已經(jīng)老了，他的眼角長出了皺紋，但他的微笑一如從前一樣溫暖。這是一個父親的微笑，他只是想讓他的家人過上美好的生活。