When I visit Merle, I always head straight to the kitchen. I play with her dog, and get settled at the table while Merle makes cups of tea for us.

We talk about anything we can think of: politics, dogs, the weather, and work. It’s a ritual that I look forward to days in advance.

To an outsider, my visit appears to be simply the typical act of a granddaughter visiting her grandmother. But Merle and I are not related. She is my surrogate grandmother(代理外祖母).

I didn’t even realize I was in the market for a new grandparent until I gradually found that the relationship between Merle and I was exactly what I had with my maternal(母性的) grandparents—safe and comfortable.

While our relationship developed organically, there are plenty of people who have gone out searching for a grandparent-grandchild relationship.

Sydney-based Cate Kloos started “Find a Grandparent” in May 2012, after moving to Australia from Germany. While she enjoyed a close relationship with her grandparents in her native country, she realized her own children would be without their extended family(大家庭). She wanted them to benefit in the same way that she had. Grandparents, she says, offer a different but essential kind of support.

“Find a Grandparent” works much like a match-mating service, where young families or individuals can ask for someone to act as a grandparent figure in their life. So far, several hundred families have made connections and spend time doing typical activities—lunch, going to movies and sharing stories.

“It is very important to have another person to turn to when they have problems; often grandparents have a different approach to life,” said Kloos.

1.How does the author feel about her visit to Merle?

A. It is very formal.

B. It makes her nervous.

C. It gives her great pleasure.

D. It is a source of inspiration for her.

2.Why did Kloos decide to start “Find a Parent”?

A. To honor her grandparents.

B. To make people closer to each other.

C. To bring warmth to elderly people.

D. To enable her kids to get more emotional support.

3.What does Kloos stress in the last paragraph?

A. The qualities of grandparents.

B. The important role of grandparents.

C. We should have a positive attitude to life.

D. We should spend more time with our family.

4.What’s the best title for the text?

A. Merle and I

B. My role-model

C. Biological or surrogate?

D. Finding surrogate grandparents

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