阅读理解
My brother, Michael, was born one month before his due date and he also had cerebral palsy(脑瘫). He was retarded. He never lost his baby teeth, never grew taller than about 30 inches and never weighed more than 28 pounds. They did estimate, however, that he would not live to see his 12th birthday.
As a boy I learned to feed and clothe Mike. As a teenager, I babysat for my "big brother" and learned use the proper medicine to prevent the seizures(癫痫) that caused him to tremble.
Many people said he would never walk or talk . He never did learn to walk, but he did learn to
talk -not even in complete sentences, but he had the basics down. If he was hungry, thirsty, happy or sad, we knew. He knew names too. I was Kagun, not Kevin. But that changed with a beard I grew during the
summer before college. Family members said it was ugly. Mike heard it.
"Look who's at home. Who's that?" they'd say to Mike. "Ugly," he would respond with delight.
All of which-to me-was normal, for he was the only brother I knew. The only time I thought of the
differences between us was when others pointed them out.
My circle of friends widened when I entered high school. One day Mom asked if my new friends would have a problem seeing Mike for the first time. "If they don't accept Mike, they don't accept me and they
aren't welcome," I said.
And if I didn't think of him as different, I never thought about him dying either. On a warm fall night in
1998, Mike had a seizure. With this first seizure, Mike's life was beginning to fade.
On March 15, 1999, Mike died. Michael Patrick Harter-just 26 years old- died in Mom's arms.
We never had those great talks other brothers have about women, work and parents. We never played catch or talked about our dreams. But Mike taught me compassion and strength. He taught me respect for those less fortunate than myself. And he taught me an appreciation of the beauty in the simplest things.
Physically and mentally, I was my brother's keeper. Spiritually, Mike was and is my keeper-a nearly
silent guardian angel.
1. The underlined word "retard" in Paragraph 1 may mean_______.
A. to make development faster
B. to make development slower
C. to make development earlier
D. to make development better
2. How much longer did the writer's brother live than expected?
A. About 26
B. About 12
C. About38
D. About 14
3. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?
A.It was a great shock to the writer that his disabled brother died in his mother's arms.
B.He thought his brother would inspire him forever.
C.His brother brought him great shame in his childhood.
D.He thought that friendship wasn't that important.
4.The best title of this passage might be____________.
A. My Disabled Brother
B. A Peaceful Death of My Brother
C. My Silent Keeper
D. Love to My Brother