While my cousin and I were riding horses over the dry, grassy hills and swimming in the Navarro River, Mother, Grandma, Auntie Gert, and my elder cousins had begun the annual work of preparations for Thanksgiving on our farm, five months ahead of Thanksgiving.
By mid-July, the summer kitchen was running full steam. Peas were always the first to be processed. Everyone Grandma could get help from sat shelling （剥落）the peas into large pans, but as we wished we were out swimming. Then came the cherries. Mother packed them into jars, while Auntie Gert separated the riper cherries into a large pot to make delicious jam, which is my favorite. Peaches followed shortly. They were carefully washed, then skinned, halved and packed.
By fall, ropes of onions and garlic hung at the end of the shelves; apples, potatoes and pumpkins lined the floor.
With the coming of November rains, Grandma filled the remaining shelf space with coffee cans （罐）packed with her famous fruitcakes. The smell of spices, apples and bay leaves came into the house, announcing the Thanksgiving season.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, aunts, uncles, and cousins began to arrive. My uncles helped Grandpa catch up on repairs around the farm; my aunts baked pie and bread; and my cousins and I played card games in the front room, staying as close to the warm woodstove as possible. When the Thanksgiving dinner was ready, we'd all sit around the dining table, which extended into the front room. Grandpa would pray. And then it was time to enjoy the delicious food prepared months ago.
How I miss those simple happy old days!

21. What does the author mainly intend to show in Paragraph 1?
A. Thanksgiving food was hard to prepare.
B. He loved riding horses with his cousins.
C. All his relatives lived together on the farm.
D. Preparations for Thanksgiving began early in his family.
22. What did the writer do to help with the preparations in summer?
A. Wash peaches. B. Nothing. C. Pack cherries. D. Shell peas.
23. The preparations for Thanksgiving include .
① making jam ② baking bread
③ doing repairs ④ making coffee
A.①②③ B.①③④ C.①②④ D.②③④
24. Why does the writer start almost each paragraph with a phrase expressing time?
A. To attract attention. B. To show the diversity of preparations.
C. To record activities. D. To stress the long period of preparations.
25. How might the author feel about the family's preparations for Thanksgiving?
A.They are challenging. B. They are worth the efforts.
C. They are troublesome. D. They are a waste of time.

21~25 DBADB