Eventually all suns will   36   their fuel, explode and then become cold and dark. Matter itself will disappear and the universe will become   37   for the rest of time.

This was the general drift of my thoughts as my wife and I   38   my eldest son as a freshman at college. That moment at the dorm is   39   at the kindergarten door, at the gates of summer camp, at every occasion of parting and   40  . But it comes surprising, taking what you   41   most.

Our ancestors thought this parting should take place   42  . In many societies adolescents were sent away to live with friends or relatives right after adolescence. This was supposed to   43   the conflicts that come from   44   teenagers and their parents very near. 

Eighteen years is not enough. The days pass uncounted, until they   45  . The adjustment is upsetting. My son is on the   46   side --- observant, thoughtful, a practitioner of companionable silence. I know this is hard on him as well. He will be homesick. Among the greatest   47   of college students is 常州市武进区2015-2016学年上学期期中考高三英语试题及答案they won’t have a room at home to return to.

But with due respect to my son’s feelings, I have the   48   of parting. I know something he doesn’t --- incomprehensible to the young. He is experiencing the   49   that come with beginnings. His life is starting for real. I have begun the long letting go. Put another way: He has a wonderful future in which my part   50   decreases.

I’m sure my father realized it at a（n)   51   moment. And I certainly didn’t notice or understand. At first, he was a giant who held my hand and   52    my sky. Then a middle-aged man who paid my bills. Now, decades after his passing, a much-loved   53  . But I can remember the last time I hugged him in his home, where I always had a room. I can only hope to leave my son the same.

My son, those days have been the greatest wonder and   54   of my life. And there will always be a   55   for you.

 A. add  B. use  C. consume  D. supply A. empty  B. boundless  C. expanding  D. hopeless A. dropped out  B. dropped off  C. dropped in D. dropped back A. delayed  B. implied  C. missed  D. captured A. reliance  B. importance  C. responsibility  D. independence A. wonder  B. need  C. value  D. miss A. before  B. later  C. afterwards  D. earlier A. minimize  B. cause  C. manage  D. settle A. drawing  B. relating  C. housing  D. seating A. come  B. end  C. break  D. start A. excited  B. sad  C. anxious  D. quiet A. fears  B. pities  C. reliefs  D. pains A. better  B. pleasure  C. worse  D. benefit A. comprehension  B. recognition  C. adjustment  D. consideration A. naturally  B. sharply  C. immediately  D. suddenly A. difficult  B. critical  C. important D. similar A. filled  B. cleared  C. clouded  D. broke A. breadwinner  B. shape  C. guard  D. shadow A. pressure  B. privilege  C. substitute  D. inspiration A. house  B. chance  C. room  D. dream