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My surprise over the past few winters has been the personality
transformation my parents go through around mid-December as they change from Dad
and Mom into Grandpa and Grandma. Yes, they become grandparents and are
completely different from the people I know the other eleven and a half months
of the year.
The first sign of my parents’ change is the delight they take in visiting
toy and children’s clothing stores. These two people, who usually dislike
anything having to do with shopping malls, become crazy consumers. While they
tell me to budget my money and shop wisely, they are buying up every doll and
dump truck in sight. And this is only the beginning of the holidays!
When my brother’s children arrive, Grandpa and Grandma come into full form.
First they throw out all ideas about a balanced diet for the grandkids. While we
were raised in a house where everyone had to take two bites of corn, beets(甜菜),
or liver (foods that appeared quite often on our table despite constant
complaining), the grandchildren never have to eat anything that does not appeal
to them. Grandma carries chocolate in her pockets to bribe(贿赂)the littlest ones
into following her around the house, while Grandpa offers “surprises” of candy
and cake to them all day long. Boxes of chocolate-pie disappear while the
whole-wheat bread get hard and stale. The kids love all the sweets, and when the
sugar raises their energy levels, Grandma and Grandpa can always decide to leave
and do a bit more shopping or go to bed while my brother and sister-in-law try
to deal with their highly active kids.
Once the grandchildren have arrived, Grandma and Grandpa also seem to
forget all of the responsibility lectures I so often hear in my daily life. If
Mickey screams at his sister during dinner, he is “developing his own
personality”; if Nancy breaks Grandma’s mirror, she is “just a curious child”.
But, if I track mud into the house while helping to unload groceries, I become
“careless”; if I scold one of the grandkids for tearing pages out of my
textbook, I am “ impatient”. If Paula talks back to her mother, Grandma and
Grandpa smile at her spirit. If I say one word about all of this excessive love,
Mom and Dad reappear to have a talk with me about petty jealousies.
1. As regards his parents’ shopping for the grandchildren, the author .
A.feels jealous
B.feels amazed
C.thinks it unnecessary
D.thinks it annoying
2. What happens after the kids have had all the sweets?
A.They get highly energetic.
B.They quiet down.
C.They want more sweets.
D.They go to bed.
3. Which of the following is NOT true of the visiting children?
A.They behave very well.
B.They like chocolate very much.
C.They receive toys from their grandparents.
D.They are having a lot of fun.
4. It can be inferred from the passage that when the author was a child, he
.
A.liked the foods he had
B.got a lot of pocket money
C.was spoiled by his parents
D.was scolded if he misbehaved
5. “Personality transformation” in the author’s parents means that they
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A.have turned into loving parents
B.have become strict parents
C.no longer care for the author
D.used to believe in discipline for children
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发表于 2017-8-6 14:03:49