第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分。满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、c和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡将该项涂黑。
A
My father and I were very close. I loved pleasing him, and he was always proud of my success. If I won a spelling contest at school, he was on top of the world. Later in life whenever I got a promotion(升职), I’d call my father right away and he’d rush out to tell all his friends. In 1970, when I was named president of the Ford Motor Company, I don’t know which of us was more excited.
Like many native Italians, my parents were very open with their feelings and their loves not lonely at home, but also in public. Most of my friends would never hug their fathers. But I hugged and kissed my dad at every opportunity. Nothing could have felt more natural.
He was a curious man who was always trying new things. He was the first person in Allentown to buy a motorcycle. Unfortunately, my father and his motorcycle didn’t get along too well. He fell off it so often that he got rid of it just a month after buying it. As a result, he never again trusted any vehicle with less than four wheels.
Because of that motorcycle, I wasn’t allowed to have a bicycle when I was growing up. Whenever I wanted to ride a bike, I had to borrow one from a friend. On the other hand, my father let me drive a car as soon as I turned sixteen.
56. What nationality was my father?
A. American     B. Italian          C. Indian          D. Britain
57. My father didn’t allow me to ride a bicycle because ___ .
A. it was made out of his motorcycle.
B. It would cost him quite a lot of money.
C. It had less than four wheels.
D. He was afraid that people would laugh at him.
58. I hugged and kissed my father at every opportunity, ___ .
A. even though I hated to do so
B. because I was told to do so by my mother
C. as I was named president of the Ford Motor company
D. for I felt it quite natural to do so
59. What does the underlined word “ vehicle” probably mean?
A. bicycle             B. motorcycle      
C. car                 D. tool used to carry goods or passengers