I was a small boy of 8, and was having lunch in a restaurant with my mother and my grandma. I ordered a Salisbury steak, confident in the knowledge that under that wonderful name was a good hamburger. When brought to the table, it was with a plate of peas. I have always hated peas. I don’t know why anyone would like to eat peas. I never ate them before. And I certainly was not about to eat them now.
“Eat your peas, ”my grandmother said.
“Mother, ”said my mom. “He doesn’t like peas. Leave him alone. ”
My grandmother did not answer, but I saw something strong in her eyes. “I’ll pay you $5 if you eat them, ”she said.
I sat there still. In my mind, $5 was a huge, nearly unimaginable amount(数量) of money, and as terrible as peas were, only one plate of them stood between me and that $5. I began to eat them.
My mother was angry while grandma was pleased. My mother stared at(盯着) her mother and me. If there were a staring Olympics, she would win the gold medal. The stares made me nervous, and every single pea made me nearly throw up, but the image of $5 were in my mind, and I finally finished them.
My grandmother left for Aunt Lillian’s a few weeks later. That night, at dinner, my mother served a big bowl of peas. I, of course, said no at once. My mother looked at me coldly and then came the words that followed me for years.
“You ate them for money.” she said. “You can eat them for love. ”
Oh, despair(绝望)! Oh, my god! Now, too late, came the understanding that I’d drawn myself into something from which there was no way to run away.
What possible answer could I say against that?
I ate them. I ate them that day and every other time they were served. The five dollars were quickly spent. My grandmother passed away a few years later. But the story of the peas lived on, and the words became my forever nightmare(噩梦), “You ate them for money, you can eat them for love. ”
What kind of person is the grandma according to the writer?
A.Strict. | B.Terrible. | C.Friendly. | D.Funny. |
After the lunch, the mother continued to serve peas to her son because ____________.
A.she disliked her son very much |
B.she wanted to see if he loved her |
C.she decided to teach him a lesson |
D.she wanted him to remember his grandma |
The writer wanted to tell us that ____________.
A.his grandmother became his nightmare |
B.he realized money was so easy to spend |
C.he never refused to eat peas from then on |
D.he learnt he shouldn’t do everything for money |