with not one, not two, but three. You may perhaps partner up with friends who are also looking to invest.

Of course, keep your tree for years and years and it will start to pay you back in terms of carbon footprint; however, a " real" one will always have to be transported, used and dealt with every year.

Are there any downsides? Yes. You might think you're saving the planet, but a fake tree is actually not an environmentally friendly option. Most are made in factories in Asia, resulting in some serious air miles to reach the UK. They're made from metal and plastic, and many end their lives in landfill (垃圾填埋).

Another problem with a fake tree is that they don't look very natural-and of course you won't get that lovely pine smell either. You'll also need to find space for storage.

24. What does the underlined word "reluctant" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Inactive. B. Related. C. Unwilling. D. Supportive.

25. Which is the benefit of buying an artificial Christmas tree?

A. Enough choices. B. The lovely pine smell.

C. Cheaper than a real one. D. Free for transportation.

26. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Fake Christmas trees are environmentally friendly.

B. British people like to drag a real Christmas tree home.

C. People need to find space to store a fake Christmas tree.

D. People may get 3 more if they buy two fake Christmas trees.

27. What is the passage mainly about?

A. Different reasons for choosing fake Christmas trees.

B. Valuable suggestions on choosing fake Christmas trees.

C. Efficient ways of saving money on choosing Christmas trees.

D. Advantages and disadvantages of choosing fake Christmas trees.

　　Times are a little tough at our house right now. Neither of us makes a lot of money, but years of experience have taught us how to walk between the raindrops and make it from one month to the next with a fair amount of grace. I cook a lot at home, more when we're facing difficult times. When I know that I have to keep us fed on not much money, I fall back on my grandmother's recipes. She taught me to cook.

　　When I was a kid, my twin brother and I spent long summer weeks and Christmas vacations with my mother's parents in the mountains of North Carolina. Rather than go hunting with my grandfather on mornings, I found myself more and more in the kitchen with my grandmother, watching her making a lemon cheese pie with her soft hands.

　　My great-grandmother died when my grandmother was 11 years old. As the eldest daughter,