New Kid on the Block
Mary McCormick
1When I heard that a boy was moving into the neighborhood, I started asking questions immediately. The new family, I was told, had immigrated to the United States from China. I could not wait to instruct the new kid all about America, but I didn’t expect him to teach me all about his native country China.
2As I watched the new kid and his family transport their luggage into the old Finnegan residence, I was mesmerized by the many remarkable boxes. Every family that moved in had the customary zillion cartons with them, but these boxes were covered in weird writing, like stick pictures.
3Mom made me give the family time to settle before I went over to introduce myself. The boy’s mother answered the door. She was just finishing a call on a cell phone, and I was surprised to hear that she spoke English quite fluently.
4“Hello, I’m your neighbor Jadyn,” I said.
5The sociable woman introduced me to her son He-Ping and her husband Mr. Wei. She asked me questions about my mother, and I knew that they would get along. Like my mother, Mrs. Wei was an athlete who loved hiking, and all the opened boxes of books suggested that she liked reading too.
6After our hellos, I asked He-Ping if he was interested in taking a walk around the new neighborhood. He smiled and said he wouldn’t miss it for the world. I was happy to see that he wasn’t a hermit - he liked getting out of his house. I took He-Ping to the river and showed him the salamanders relaxing on the banks. He-Ping smiled at the sight of the little creatures. Then he told me that in China, some of the salamanders were huge.
7 “The giant salamander is over 3-feet long,” he explained. I stared at the salamander sitting in the palm of my hand, and I could not imagine what it might be like to run into a giant version.
8 When I showed He-Ping the shortcut to his house, he said that living in the States would be an adjustment for him because he had resided in a Chinese city his whole life. I asked how he had learned to communicate so well in English, and he explained that his parents made sure he had a vigorous education, especially in different languages. They wanted He-Ping to travel internationally and appreciate the world. He-Ping seemed very mature compared to the kids who lived in our neighborhood. I was in awe of his courteous demeanor, and I let him know how courageous I thought he was.
9 He-Ping said that friendly people like me made being independent easy. I dropped He-Ping off at his house and walked back to my own home. As, I made the small trip, I predicted that He-Ping and I were going to be good friends.
Question
This story MOST LIKELY takes place
Responses
A in a major city in the present.in a major city in the present.
B in a suburban area in the present.in a suburban area in the present.
C in a major city at the turn of the century.in a major city at the turn of the century.
D in a suburban area at the turn of the century.