In the seat next to the mess sat an elderly woman digging through a handbag. She smiled apologetically when she saw me and quickly reached over to move her items. I took my seat and then found something right under my left leg.
“I think you forgot this.” I said, handing her the end of a broken hairbrush.
“Sorry!” she shook her head, “I wanted to clean out this old handbag on the ride to work and I have thrown things everywhere.”
The train continued its journey and she continued her cleaning. As we got close to the station at Braddock Road, she stopped digging and suddenly sat upright.
She held a small red marble (玻璃弹子) and said, “My son has grown up but he had a set of red marbles he played with all the time. I’m sure it was one of his.”
“It’s crazy to hold on to it just because it reminds me that my son was once a tiny boy.” She turned and stared through the window as trees passed by, “Isn’ it?”
“Not really,” I said, “I have boxes of things like this marble.”
“You wouldn’t keep something as silly as a marble, would you?” she asked.
“Oh, yes,” I said, remembering some of my sentimental (情感的) things. “For many years I’ve kept a dog tooth our dog lost, a cracker box my grandmother used in her kitchen, and a tiny basket my son made. Everything has a story.”
I told her about various items I’ve saved, any one of which could look like meaningless rubbish to others. To me, each one has something to say.
Who could know how many times my grandmother’s caring hands had opened the cracker box? The little dog tooth is a reminder of my furry best friend. The tiny basket was made by my son with the help of my father who passed away a few years ago.
“I just might keep that, too.” she smiled.
4. What was the elderly woman doing when the author met her?
A.She was hurrying to work. |
B.She was tidying up her handbag. |
C.She was looking for her lost handbag. |
D.She was making a terrible mess of her work. |
5. What did the elderly woman think of the small red marble?
A.It is necessary to keep the marble. |
B.It was a reminder of her happy childhood. |
C.It brought back memories of her son. |
D.It took her mind off the long train journey. |
6. What can we infer about the author?
A.She is against wasting things. |
B.She enjoys living a simple life. |
C.She has become very forgetful in recent years. |
D.She likes collecting good reminders of great times. |
7. Why did the elderly woman say the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
A.She decided to let go of the past. |
B.She made up her mind to keep the handbag. |
C.She was moved and agreed with the author. |
D.She realized the importance of understanding. |