I was born, and a shell (46) _____ on my favourite childhood beach.

Câu hỏi :

Read the following passage and mark A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the blanks from 46 to 50.

What make a good souvenir?

On my desk at home, I have a collection of souvenirs; objects that remind me of places I‟ve visited and important events in my life. These objects include a model boat that I saw being carved from a piece of wood on a Caribbean island, a piece of lava that emerged hot from a volcano in the year I was born, and a shell (46) _____ on my favourite childhood beach.

Unlike everything else, from which memory and detail fades, it is as if the longer you hold on to certain objects, the (47) ________ their associations with the past become, and the sharper the recollections that gather around them. They are, (48) ________, real souvenirs, encapsulations not only of the place, but of your time in the place. But these days, the term “real souvenirs” sounds like a contradiction in terms, and this is because the objects sold to tourists as souvenirs are often cheap mass-produced imports that have nothing to do with the place at all.

It‟s often the (49) _____ that the best souvenirs, like my shell, are found rather than purchased, but browsing for souvenirs can also be a fun holiday activity. But if you are buying souvenirs on holiday this summer, make sure they (50) ________ the reality test. A good souvenir is not just made in the area where it is bought, it also says something about the culture of that area. It is something made by local people using sustainable local materials, and because you are effectively supporting the local economy, it shouldn‟t come too cheap, either.