Thereisafinelinebetweenaparentwhoisactiveandopen-mindedandonethatdoesn’tknowwhentoletgo（放手）.AsmydaughterNicolepreparestoleavehomeforcollegeI’mdiscoveringhowharditistostayonthesideofthisline.WhenIholdtheapronstrings（围裙带）connectingusNicoleeagertoindependencetriestoloosenmygrasp.Whatresultsisa(an)mother-daughterpush-mepull-youkindoftango.

Forthepasttwoyearsit’sgonelikethis:

Mother’squestion：“Haveyouthoughtoftakinganadvancedclass（大学预备课程）sothatyoucanearncollegecredit?”

Daughter’s：“NoI’mnotinterestedinthat.”

……

Twomonthsagoshewastoagreatuniversity.HoweverIwasstillthemotherhavingatimelettinggo.ThenightbeforetheintroductorymeetingoftheuniversityIhadreadthecoursecatalogcarefullyandcourseswhichIthoughtlookedgood.WemetonthecampusthenextafternoonandNicole’sfacewithexcitement.“Ihavehadmyentireschedulefiguredout”shesaid.“Already?”Iwasastonishedsheshouldhavediscusseditwithme.Iexaminedtheschedule.Nicolehadn’ttakena(an)oneofthecoursesIhadsuggested.Everycourseshehadchosensuitedherinterests.JustthenIsawamaturecapableyoungwomanwithamindandtheabilitytoshapeherfuture.Shenolongerneededhermothereverydecisionshemade.Ifeltproudthoughstillabit.

Ithelessonscarefully.Nicolehasstruggledtolearnoverthepast18years：sympathyandhardwork.Therehavebeenafewholesalongtheway.sheiswell-equippedandeagertothefuture.ThenextstepIrecognizedwasminetotake：givingmydaughterandmyselfthewebothneeded.

1.A.leftB.rightC.eitherD.each

2.A.ontoB.upC.backD.out

3.A.keepB.refuseC.tasteD.bear

4.A.awkwardB.relaxingC.livelyD.beautiful

5.A.commentB.wordC.conceptD.response

6.A.receivedB.invitedC.treatedD.accepted

7.A.goodB.greatC.hardD.easy

8.A.takenB.underlinedC.offeredD.emphasized

9.A.litupB.builtupC.turnedupD.madeup

10.A.imaginingB.thinkingC.hopingD.adding

11.A.onlyB.justC.evenD.single

12.A.mostlyB.hardlyC.exactlyD.slightly

13.A.sharpB.normalC.differentD.t