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 corm ， 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 ( 賄賂 )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 ． (398 words)

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 ．

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

1 ． B 2 ． A 3 ． A 4 ． D 5 ． D