·Wesley·
Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to earn money in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don’t act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion，“I love you”is too luxurious for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even more out of the question. Finally my father has a bad temper. When he’s very tired from the hard work，it is easy for him to lose his temper.
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 after a while.
“What？”she replied，still doing her work.
“Is there love between you and Dad？”I asked her in a very low voice.
My mother stopped her work and raised her head with surprise in her eyes. She didn’t answer immediately. Then she bowed her head and continued to sew the quilt.
I was very worried because I thought I had hurt her. I was in great embarrassment and I didn’t know what I should do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words：
“Susan，”she said thoughtfully，“look at this thread. Sometimes it appears，but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable. If life is a quilt，then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere or anytime，but it’s really there. Love is inside.”
I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until the next spring. At that time，my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital，they both looked very pale. It seemed both of them had had a serious illness.
After they were back，every day in the morning and dusk，my mother helped my father walk slowly on the country road. My father had never been so gentle. It seemed they were the most harmonious couple. Along the country road，there were many beautiful flowers，green grass and trees. The sun gently glistened through the leaves. All of these made up the most beautiful picture in the world.
The doctor had said my father would recover in two months. But after two months he still couldn’t walk by himself. All of us were worried about him.
“Dad，how are you feeling now？”I asked him one day.
“Susan，don’t worry about me.”he said gently.“To tell you the truth，I just like walking with your mom. I like this kind of life.”Reading his eyes，I know he loves my mother deeply.
Once I thought love meant flowers，gifts and sweet kisses. But from this experience，I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside，making life strong and warm.
爱如丝线
卫斯理
有时我怀疑，父母之间是否存在着真爱。他们每天都疲于奔命，为我和弟弟赚学费。我从没见他们像我在书中或电视中看到的那样浪漫。在他们看来，将“我爱你”这句话说出口都太奢侈，更别说在情人节互赠鲜花了。父亲脾气很暴，特别是在下班回家后，他很容易发脾气。
有一天，妈妈正在缝被子，我安静地坐在旁边看着她。
“妈妈，我有个问题想问你。”过了一会儿我说。
“什么问题啊？”她答道，而手里的活儿却没停下。
“你和爸爸之间有爱情吗？”我压低声音问道。
母亲停下了手里的活儿，抬起头诧异地看着我，她并未马上回答，然后又低下头，继续缝被子。
我担心这个问题伤她的心了。我很尴尬，不知所措。但接下来却听见母亲这样说：
“苏珊，”她若有所思地说，“你看这线。有时我们看得见它，但更多时候它却藏在被子中，我们看不见。但这些线却使被子结实耐用。如果将生活比做被子，那么爱就是丝线。你不可能时刻都看得到它，但是它却真实地存在着。爱是内在的东西。”
我仔细听着，但是直到第二年春天才真正明白她所说的话。当时，父亲突然病重，母亲在医院里照顾他，当父亲在一个月后出院回到家时，他们两个人的脸色都很苍白，就像得过同样的重病似的。
他们回家后，每到黎明和黄昏，母亲总会搀扶着父亲在乡间小路上散步。父亲从没有那样温和过。他们看起来是那样和谐。路旁有许多漂亮的鲜花、绿草和树木，阳光透过叶子的缝隙温柔地照射在上面，所有这一切勾勒出了世间最美的画面。
医生说，两个月后父亲就能病愈。可两个月后他还是不能独立行走，我们都很担心。
“你感觉如何，爸爸？”有一天我问他。
“苏珊，不要担心我。”父亲慢慢地说，“不瞒你说，我就是喜欢和你妈妈一起散步的感觉。我喜欢这样的生活。”从他的眼神中，我读出了他对母亲那深深的爱恋。
曾经以为爱情是与鲜花、礼物和香甜的热吻这些美好的事物分不开的。但经历了这些后，我明白了：爱情就如同我们生活中被子里的丝线一样，是内在的、坚固和温暖生活的东西。
实战提升篇
核心单词
quilt [kwilt] n. 被(子)；被褥
surprise [sE5praiz] n. 惊奇，诧异
embarrassment [im5bArEsmEnt] n. 窘；难堪
thread [Wred] n. 线；线状物
durable [5djuErEbl] adj. 经久的，耐用的
seriously [5siEriEsli] adv. 严肃地；认真地；当真地
recover [ri5kQvE] v. 重新获得；重新找到；恢复
inside [5in5said] n. 内部，里面
实用句型
Sometimes it appears，but most of it disappears in the quilt.
有时我们看得见它，但更多时候它却藏在被子中，我们看不见。
①在这句中用了appears-disappears这对反义词，以表强调。
②disappear消失，不见，类似的词还有disable 使丧失能力；disabled 残疾的等。
翻译行不行
1.他们终于到达了上海。（at last）
2.我岳母这星期同我们住在一起。（stay with）
3.这个故事完全是虚构出来的。（make up）
第一章 True Love Always Prevails over All
·Benjamin Reinemund·