I was born to dance. I've been dancing all my life, ever since my mother, who gave up a dancing career on the stage when she married my father, picked me up and twirled me around as an infant. As much as I loved dancing with her, her greatest gift to me was her "unconditional love" during her lifetime.
My parents divorced after only 5 years of marriage, but my father remarried a lovely lady who also loved to dance. They used to take me to a dancing club where I would listen to the music and watch them dance-occasionally my stepmother, Mary, invited me to dance.
I also met my wife, Charlotte, in a dancing party. I danced with her for about 15 minutes, and during that brief span, I realized that I fell in love with her. We kept dancing throughout our marriage. My earliest memories of dancing with my daughters started when I came home from work to our small home in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and my daughter Laura was about 3 years old. It was very relaxing for me to turn on the record player, pick up Laura in my arms, and dance her around the room!
Our family danced a lot. My daughters, Laura and Anne, and I continued to dance on every occasion. One favorite memory I have of dancing with Laura and Anne was when I took each of them when they were seniors in high school to the Daddy-Daughter dance. We won both dance competitions!
As their father, I have tried to provide my daughters with unconditional love, as my Mother provided to me, endless emotional and loving support, and good educations and life experiences which have helped prepare them for happy and successful adult lives. Being a father who is worthy of their love and respect, I consider fatherhood a privilege, not an entitlement.
In 1994, my oldest daughter Laura gave me a lovely book, which I still have, entitled "Fathers and Daughters." My Father's Day suggestion to every father is to dance with your daughters at every opportunity. It will not only bring you closer, it will give them memories of you “to hang onto" long after we are gone.
1. Of the characters mentioned in the passage, who did not like dancing?
A. Mary B. Laura C. Anne D. No one
2. The writer ______.
A. could not dance well B. had a devoted mother
C. had not met his father since his parents divorced. D. did not like to dance with his step mother
3. Which sentence is NOT true?
A. He used to go to a dancing club with his father and step mother.
B. The writer had two daughters.
C. The writer enjoyed dancing with his daughters.
D. The writer never danced with his step mother
4. Which is NOT referred to what the writer provides his daughters with?
A. the arts of dancing C. endless emotional and loving support
B. unconditional love D. good educations and life experiences
5. The writer ______ fatherhood.
A. underestimates B. appreciates C. dislikes D. disapproves of
