Recently，my husband and three kids were playing in Mediterranean(地中海)，swimming and floating in the pictureperfect sea.It was ridiculously beautiful in Majorca，Spain.The way the sun danced across the water and how the blue horizon was dotted with storybook sailboats were such beautiful scenes.
My husband and I always dreamed about taking our kids on a trip around the world.It was one of the things we talked at length about.When we imagined our life with the children，we hoped we would have.
Fourteen years later，we had three boys who were growing up faster by the day.It was time to make good on those plans.We renewed our passports，and then packed our bags.We showed our kids the world.It was about experiencing the dozens of flights and trains and taxis together.We showed them how wonderful，how diverse，and how fascinating the world is.We wanted them to learn all that we had learned ourselves，through our own travels.
But there was something more than that：What we really wanted is to slow down time.We wanted the days to last a bit longer，and the weeks to take their time.The years with our children are going too fast.We wanted to put the brakes on our busy lives for a year，and just be with our kids.We wanted a break from the daily morning routine of making lunches，eating breakfast and going out the door in time for school.We needed family time out.
It was the wonderful two months in Europe，full of incredible moments.When we look back at our lives，I know we'll be glad we did it.I know we'll be happy that this is a chapter of the story of our family.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇记叙文。丈夫和“我”很早就梦想着带孩子们一起去旅游，享受美景和家人陪伴的时光。十四年后，我们实现了梦想。
1．What did the couple often dream of fourteen years ago?
A．Going to Mediterranean.
B．Travelling with their children.
C．Some storybook sailboats.
D．Their children's growing fast.
B [考查推理判断。根据第二段第一句My husband and I always dreamed about taking our kids on a trip around the world可推知，14年前，“我”和丈夫梦想着带孩子们环游世界，故B项正确。]
2．What does the underlined part“make good on” probably mean?
A．Do good to. B．Carry out.
C．Make up. D．Put off.
B [考查词义猜测。根据上文可知，“我”和丈夫梦想着带孩子们环游世界，结合第三段第二句It was time to make good on those plans可推知，是实行这些计划的时候了。由此可推知，画线部分意为“实行”，故B项正确。]
3．What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A．The travel. B．The children.
C．The transportation. D．The diverse world.
A [考查段落大意。根据第三段的内容可知，该段主要介绍了实行旅游计划，和三个孩子一起去旅游的情况，故A项正确。]
4．What was the most important in the writer's eyes?
A．Doing everything slowly.
B．Living a busy life.
C．Sticking to the routine.
D．Slowing down the time.
D [考查细节理解。根据第四段中的But there was something more than that: What we really wanted is to slow down time可知，作者最希望的是时间能慢下来，故D项正确。]
