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Grandma was going to turn eighty-two on Friday. I heard Mom ordering a cake from the bakery over the phone. “Don’t put any icing on it,” she said, “Just a plain angel cake.” Angel cake with fresh strawberries was her favorite. So Mum was ready.
That afternoon when Dad came home, he showed me the phone he had bought for Grandma. “It has speed-dialing,” he said. “She won’t have to push so many buttons when she calls the doctor’s office or her sister.” Dad looked pleased. “Her fingers are so stiff with arthritis ( 关节炎)that the phone seems a good idea.”
But what about me? Here I was with only one dollar in my pocket and one night to think of a gift. Even though Mom always insisted that “it’s the thought that counts,” I had a big problem. My mind was even more empty of ideas than my wallet was empty of money.
When I have a problem, it sometimes helps to shoot a few baskets in the driveway. Dribble( 运球), shoot, rebound.
For a while I just played without even trying to think. I began to remember back before Granddad died. When we used to visit them in Kentucky, Granddad showed me how to do a jump shot. Thinking about Granddad made me sigh. Grandma’s life was a lot happier when he was alive.
Swish! I’d made two in a row.
Suddenly, I remembered a green glass dish in the shape of a leaf that Grandma used to keep on a table back in Kentucky. It was always full of those red-and-white-striped peppermint candies（薄荷糖）. I hadn’t thought of that dish for a long time. Maybe it was lost or broken when Dad rented the truck and brought Grandma and the belongings to Ohio.
Just thinking about that candy dish made me taste the peppermint slowly dissolving on my tongue. I could almost hear Grandma saying，“Help yourself to a piece of peppermint, Burt.” That voice had a smile behind it. It was a voice I hadn’t heard for a long time.
Aha! I took one last shot, then dribbled to the back door, ran up the steps two at a time, and grabbed my wallet.
1.What do you know about the author’s grandma?
A.She has difficulty moving fingers. B.She loves high-tech products.
C.She doesn’t like a plain cake. D.She has a sweet tooth.
2.What does the underlined word “dissolving” mean in the last paragraph but one?
A.Melting. B.Spreading. C.Sinking. D.Covering.
3.What would the writer probably buy in the end?
A.Something to contain candies. B.Something bringing good memories.
C.Something convenient to use. D.Something to Grandma’s taste.
4.What is the best title of the text?
A.The Good Old Days B.The Gift of Gratitude
C.The Thought That Counts D.The Inspiration from Basketball
