Excerpt from New Kid on the Block
Mary McCormick

When 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.

As 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.

Mom 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.

“Hello, I’m your neighbor Jadyn,” I said.

Which word BEST describes the speaker in this passage?

A)
neglectful

B)
ridiculous

C)
suspicious

D)
welcoming