"I love you, Bob. " " I love you, too, Nancy. " My parents' loving reassurances were sweet, touching and surprising.
They married on September 14th，1940，after several     she was     30 and knew it was time to start a（n）     . The hand-some, well-educated man who came by her office was     by her figure, her blue eyes.
The     didn't last long.
Seeds of     started to grow almost immediately. She liked to travel; he     the thought. He loved golf; she did not. He was a Republican; she was a Democrat. They    at the bridge table, at the dinner table, over money, and so on.     ，they owned a business together and the     frustrations （挫折）of life at the office came to cause trouble at home.
There was a hope that they would     once they retired, and the angry winds did calm somewhat，     what remained made it-self bright, hard bitterness. "I always thought we'd..." my mother     begin, before launching     a long list of my father's faults, which I can still recite today.     he listened, my father would murmur angry threats and curses （辱骂）.
It wasn't the happiest marriage, but as their 60th anniversary     ，my sister and I decided to throw a party. Sixty years was a long time，     ；why not try to make the best of things? We'd provide the cake, the balloons, the toasts, and they'd abide by one rule ： no    .
The agreement was honored. We had a wonderful    . It was an important celebration, because     ，things began to change for my parents. As debilitating dementia（老年痴呆症）settled in, their marriage was about the only thing they wouldn't lose.
A. talks    B. dates    C. interviews    D. visits
A. drawing    B. getting    C. nearing   D. becoming
A. family    B. firm    C. business    D. occupation
A. astonished    B. moved    C. affected    D. struck
A. story    B. relationship    C. romance    D. marriage
A. anger    B. difference    C. confusion   D. betrayal
A. hated    B. welcomed C. encouraged    D. avoided
A. beat    B. hit    C. struggled    D. fought
A. As a result    B. To make matters worse
C. To everyone's surprise    D. At the same time
A. everyday    B. major    C. regular    D. normal
A. distinguish    B. change C. continue    D. turn
A. though    B. and    C. so    D. but
A. might    B. would    C. could    D. should
A. for    B. by    C. with    D. into
A. As    B. After    C. Before    D. Once
A. passed    B. approved    C. approached    D. arrived
A. all    in all    B. at all
C. after all    D. as a whole
A. fighting    B. attacking   C. blaming    D. scolding
A. beginning B. life    C. try    D. day
A. day after day    B. soon after
C. now and then D. never before