A. PUSH B. PRESS C. PRESSURE D. PULL X. READ THE PASSAGE CAREFULLY...
10. a. push
b. press
c. pressure
d. pull
X. Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.
Every family has its quirks. Mine is no different. I was born in an Italian- American family in 1973.
We follow the classic stereotype. My father works and my mother stays home with the kids. There
are certain things that we remember from our childhood: phrases, jokes, movies. But one piece of
advice that sticks with me from an early age comes from my mother.
"Don't finish your food or you will never get married." It was an illogical jump from the idea that a
"lady" is not a glutton and therefore will not finish the food on her plate or take the last cookie off of
the platter. A "lady" especially a young lady must never appear hungry. If she did, she would not be
an ideal candidate for a wife.
To this day, I do not finish what is on my plate and I will never eat the last of anything.
It is not a conscience thing. When 1 think about it, 1 make a point to finish the food on my plate,
there is still some teenage rebellion against mom in this thirty-four year-old body, but the thought
of not finishing is so ingrained that I rarely think about it.
When my husband and I are at dinner, he will gesture to something on the table and say, "Finish
your food" and 1 will respond, "I can't, I'll never get married." That always makes him laugh and
say, "So what have these last six years been?" But for me it is something special that I will carry
around with me - something that is my family. My brother remembers the phrase and he admits
that in his dating days he did watch to see if any of the girls would take the last piece of pie or pizza.
I think he fell in love with his fiancé because she would eat whatever she wanted to and do not
worry about anyone judging her for it. As I embark on starting my own family, I wonder what I will
tell my daughter. Will I encourage her to finish every last piece? Or will I continue to the legacy of
my mother and tell her not eat the last piece lest she not get married? Will she one day laugh to her
girlfriends about her mother leaving one granola bar, one piece of cheese, or one rice cake alone in
their bags?