When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s,we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap, and drove a white truck. As a five-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer(硬币兑换器) fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery, and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese and eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note, “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery,” and put it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There was a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr Basille even had a key to my house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we could box indoors, So that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr Basille from time to time, taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allow the production of cheaper milk, so making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere. And it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and fixed it on the back porch(门廊). Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is, so I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milk man who brought us friendship along with his milk.
Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer______.
A.to please his mother |
B.to pay for the delivery |
C.to show his magical power |
D.to satisfy the boy’s curiosity(好奇心) |
If they needed to change their order, they should____
A.call the milkman |
B.wait for the milk |
C.leave a note in the box |
D.leave a note on the door |
Why is there no longer milk delivery today?
A.It is not allowed by the law. |
B.Its service is getting poor. |
C.It has been driven out of the market. |
D.Nobody wants to be a milkman now. |
Why did writer bring back home an old milk box?
A.He planted flowers in it. |
B.He missed the good old days. |
C.He needed it for his milk bottles. |
D.He wanted to tell interesting stories. |
What can be inferred(推断) from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy’s house?
A.He was a funny person. |
B.He wanted to have tea there. |
C.He was fully trusted by the family. |
D.He was treated as a family member. |