Question

Last month my mother moved into a nursing home. This came after years of witnessing the worsening of her cognitive abilities and changes in her personality, all thanks to life-sucking frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

My mom is going to lose her ability to speak, have trouble forming complete thoughts and sentences, and eventually forget how to do things she loved, like cook and read.

But despite all of her inabilities, when I walked in on her having dinner with the rest of the women that make up the dementia floor of the nursing home, I didn’t think she belonged.

It wasn’t until I spent three days there bonding with those women that I realized what scared me the most-she did fit in.

If you were an outsider looking at these women, you’d pity them. You’d think it was cruel that our bodies could turn on us in this way. You’d think it was sad that their families have put the burden of taking care of them on someone else. You’d want to intervene.

You’d want to give the lady eating mashed potatoes with her hands a spoon, you’d want to peel the orange for the lady who’s eating it like an apple, you’d want to scold the lady who forgets to flush the toilet and wash her hands after using the bathroom.

I did all those things to my mother. But when I see her in an environment that lets her be herself, it somehow seems okay.

Learn to love them unconditionally. It’s easier said than done, but if she loved me after giving her hell for making me come home by 10 p. m. on Fridays, I can love her even if she forgets my name.

1.What frightened the author most?

A. Her mother adapted to the nursing home.

B. She had to look after her mother.

C. Her mother suffered from FTD.

D. She lived with those women at the nursing home.

2.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “intervene”？

A. Amaze.    B. Interrupt.

C. Permit.    D. Explore.

3.What was the final decision of the author?

A. She let her mother alone.

B. She took care of her mother at home.

C. She sent her mother to hospital.

D. She let her mother stay at the nursing home.

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards her mother?

A. Mean.    B. Selfish.

C. Grateful.    D. Honest.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】本文主要讲了作者的母亲得了老年痴呆症，被送到疗养院，一开始作者觉得自己的母亲并不属于这个疗养院，但当他发现他的母亲非常适应疗养院的生活时，他的内心也就释然了。

1.细节理解题。由It wasn’t until I spent three days there bonding with those women that I realized what scared me the most-she did fit in.可知让作者最害怕的事情是他的母亲适应疗养院的生活，选A。

2.词义猜测题。由If you were an outsider looking at these women, you’d pity them. You’d think it was cruel that our bodies could turn on us in this way. You’d think it was sad that their families have put the burden of taking care of them on someone else.可知你想要干涉。Amaze. 吃惊，Interrupt. 打断，Permit. 允许， Explore. 探索，所以选B。

3.推理判断题。由I did all those things to my mother. But when I see her in an environment that lets her be herself, it somehow seems okay.可知作者最后的决定是让他的母亲留在疗养院，选D。

4.推理判断题。由Learn to love them unconditionally. It’s easier said than done, but if she loved me after giving her hell for making me come home by 10 p. m. on Fridays, I can love her even if she forgets my name. 可知作者对他母亲的态度是充满感激，选C。