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 on/y 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 C ant~, 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 gets 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 simile at her spirit. If I say on e word about all of this excessive love, Mom and Dad reappear to have a talk with me about petty jealousies.

    passage1译文与重点词汇   

    过去几年，我一直感到惊奇( surprise: amazement，astonishment. shock)的是我父母所经历的个性( personality: character，identity)转变(transformation: change，shift)， 当时大约是12月中旬，他们由父母变成(change: become)了祖父母。是的，他们成了祖父母后，就与之前11个半月我所熟悉的父母完全不同( different: distinct)了。

[FS:PAGE]    我父母发生变化的第一个迹象( sign：mark, token)就是他们存游览(visit: sightsee)玩具与儿童服饰( clothing: garment)店(store: shop)时所表现出来的喜悦(delight: joy. pleasure)。这两个通常讨厌(dislike: hate)任何与购物(shop: buy, purchase)商场(mall: department store)有关东两的人，现在却变成了疯狂的(crazy: frantic, mad)消费者( consumer: buyer，shopper)。虽然他们叮嘱我要明智地(wisely. brightly，smartly)安排(budget: arrange. organize. schedule)自己的开支与购物，但是他们自己却买下了见到的(in sight: in view. in vision)所有玩偶(doll)和自卸玩具卡车。并日.这还只足假期( holiday: vacation)的开始(beginning: start)!

    我兄弟的孩子来( arrive: reach)玩时，爷爷和奶奶就会精神百倍(come into full form: energetic)。首先，他们会抛弃(throw out: get rid of，give up)所有对孙子有益的均衡( balance)饮食(diet: food)观念(idea: concept. opinion. thought)。然而，在我们被抚养( raise: feed，foster. rear)成人时，我们每个人只能吃-两口玉米、甜菜或是猪肝(尽管我们时常( constant: continuous，regular)抱怨(complain: moan)，但是这些食物经常出现( appear: emerge，occur，present)在饭桌上，但是，这些孙子们却从来不必吃( eat: have. take)那些对他们没有吸引力(appeal: attraction. charm)的东西。奶奶的口袋里装着巧克力，为的是吸引( bribe: attract)最小的孙子跟着(follow: pursue)她满屋子跑，而爷爷则整天用糖果和蛋糕给孙子们带来(offer: bring, provide, supply)“惊喜”。一盒盒的巧克力饼干被吃光了(disappear：eat up，vanish),而纯麦面包却变硬( hard: crisp，firm. rigid)、变质(stale)了。孩子们喜欢所有糖果(sweet: sugar)，并且，在糖果(sugar: sweet)增强(raise：enhance，reinforce, strengthen)了孩子们的活力( energy: force. power)时，爷爷和奶奶通常可以决定(decide：choose, determine)离开，去买更多的东西回来，或是上床休息，而我的兄弟和嫂子就要尽力照料( deal with: look after)他们亢奋的(active：energetic，vigorous)孩子。

    一旦孙子们来了，爷爷和奶奶也似平(seem: appear. Look)忘记(forget：disremember)了所有我每天(daily: everyday)经常听剑的职责( responsibility：duty, obligation)训诫(lecture: discipline)。如果米奇在吃饭(dinner: meal)时对他的妹妹喊叫( scream：cry，shout, yell)，他就被认为是在“培养(develop：grow)他自己的个性”; 如果南希打破了奶奶的镜子( mirror)，她就被认为“只是一个好奇的(curious)孩子”。但是，在我卸( unload: unburden)杂货(grocery)时，如果我把泥土(mud: clay. dirt)带进(track: leave)屋子，就会被认为是“租心大意(careless: reckless)”;

    如果我因为其中的一个孙子撕(tear: rip)了我课奉的几页纸而训斥(scold：blame. criticize，reproach)他，就会被认为“没有耐性(impatient: anxious. intolerant)”。如果保拉与她妈妈顶嘴( talk hack)，爷爷和奶奶就会笑着(Smile)称赞她的勇气(spirit：courage)。如果我对这种溺(excessive: extreme, unreasonable)爱友半句微词，我的父母就会再次和我谈论我的小小嫉妒(jealousy: envy)之心。