阅读理解
Lisa, a 25year old from Beijing, recently places a number of very unpleasant statements on the
Internet regarding the elderly.They include things like "don't rely on others", "don't expect others to
help", "don't be talkative", and "dont't be so stubborn". The underlying message was that elderly
people should not take advantage of their old age to demand special favours from others, particularly
from the young.This of course flies_in_the_face_of the Chinese tradition of respecting the elderly.But,
in my opinion, Lisa's "requests" might not be totally unreasonable.Old people do sometimes behave
like they're "stubborn"and "talkative". Still, the young woman is rudely insensitive to why the elderly
behave that way.As people get old, they become increasingly weakened physically.So it's natural for
them to ask for more help from others.As their memories decline, they tend to be talkative because
they easily forget what has just been said.The American psychologists D. R.Atkinson and G. Hackett
said that the brain is characterized by flexibility.It has the ability (most pronounced up to the age of 12)
to change itself as a result of experience.But, as the brain ages, this flexibility decreases.As a result, the
elderly are often inflexible in their ways.
Therefore, old people need real care and deserve to be taken care of.Many have devoted most of
their lives to the wellbeing of the family or social.Their aging is no reason for showing prejudice (偏见)
to them. According to Chinese tradition, older people are to be respected.As are Westerners.
I live in the US for eight years, and in Hong Kong for 13.Never have I seen or heard anyone who
would openly tell old people "to behave themselves".
We may encourage old people to be more selfreliant.But rudely demanding that they do so is ageism.
That's where the difference lies.
1. What does Lisa think of the elderly?
A. The elderly hate to rely on the others.
B. The elderly should take advantage of their old age.
C. They are not talkative but stubborn.
D. The elderly always demand special favors from the young.
2. The underlined part in the first paragraph can be replaced by"________".
A. expresses the apparent meaning of
B. shows disagreement with
C. deals with the surface meaning of
D. draws a conclusion from
3. What's the writer's attitude towards this problem?
A. The young woman is too sensitive to why the elderly behave that way.
B. The elderly naturally ask for more help from others, because their brain is characterized by flexibility.
C. The elderly are often inflexible in their ways, which makes the young suffer.
D. The elderly deserve to be taken care of and we shouldn't show our prejudice because of their aging.
4. The last three paragraphs really want to show that________.
A. we should respect the elderly
B. the people in the US or Hong Kong respect the older people
C. old people should be encouraged to be more selfreliant
D. different ideas about the elderly are allowed to exist
