Question

【題目】Until late in the 20th century, most Americans spent time with people of generations. Now mid-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves. That’s because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care center, our 13-year-olds in school and sports activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior-citizen homes. Why?

We live away from the old for many reasons: young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears for aging and dying. It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes. Sometimes it’s so hard that we stay away from the people who need us most.

Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the young.

A reporter moved her family onto a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed. But the reporter baked banana bread for the neighbors and had her children deliver it and visit them. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. “My children have never been less lonely,” the reporter said.

The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home when a visitor showed up with a baby. She was immediately surrounded. People who hadn’t gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep wake up to watch the child. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.

Grandparents are a special case. They give grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my husband put it, “my grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end.”

Grandchildren speak of attention they don’t get from worried parents. “My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down,” one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer, more trusting.

【1】Now in an American family, people can find that ________.

A. children never live with their parents

B. not all working people live with their parents

C. aged people are supported by their grandchildren

D. grandchildren are supported by their grandparents

【2】The reason why old people are left alone may be that ________.

A. the old don’t like to live in a big family

B. the young can’t get enough money to support the old

C. different generations have different lifestyles

D. the old are too weak to live with the young

【3】The fact that the reporter told us shows that ________.

A. old people in America lead a hard life

B. old people in America enjoy banana bread

C. she had no time to take care of her children

D. old people are easy to get along with

【4】Seeing a baby, the old people get excited because ________.

A. they had never seen a baby before

B. the baby was clever and beautiful

C. the baby brought them the image of life

D. the baby’s mother would take care of them

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】D

【4】C

【解析】

試題分析：本文講述了由于各種原因，年輕人不愿意和老人住在一起的社會現(xiàn)象。但老年人其實很好相處。

【1】B 推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段中Now mid-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves. That’s because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care center, our 13-year-olds in school and sports activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior-citizen homes.可知，現(xiàn)在的美國社會以年齡區(qū)分人們，小孩子在日間護理中心，青少年在學校和運動中，老人在年長者之家，所以不是所有工作的人都和他們的父母生活在一起，故答案為B。

【2】C 推理判斷題。從文章第二段We live away from the old for many reasons:...可推斷出，年輕人不和老人住在一起的原因可能是生活方式不同，故選C。

【3】D 推理判斷題。第五段中先說到“At first her children were disappointed．”后又說“Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects．”這里many new friends即是這些old people。可推斷這位記者告訴我們這個事實是為了顯示老人很容易相處。故選D。

【4】C 推理判斷題。從第六段中“Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure”一句推測得知，看到孩子，老人們很激動是因為寶寶給他們帶來了生命的形象。故選C。