Question

    Laura Sides was a psychology major at the University of Nottingham in 2004. She first noticed signs of her dad’s developing dementia(痴呆) when she moved to Nottingham. She said, "Dad was a doctor, so he knew exactly what had happened to him, but people try to hide it when they are ill. Then, I came home for my 21st birthday and arranged to meet him, but he never showed up as he’d forgotten. That’s when I knew something serious had happened."

So, aged 21, she decided to leave university and look after him herself. She lived close by, popping in every day to make sure he was eating, and that the house was tidy, before heading off to her work.

Besides challenging moments, there was a time when looking after her dad was a pure joy. "We’d wake up, I’d ask what he wanted to do that day, and however ridiculous the adventure is, off we’d go."

Sadly, in 2009, 5 years later, Laura lost her father. Before he died, Laura went to a hospital appointment with him, where doctors mentioned that his form of Alzheimer’s disease was genetic meaning there was a fifty-fifty chance that she had inherited it. For several years Laura agonised over whether to be tested, finally finding out in August 2017 that she has the APP gene, meaning that, like him, she will develop the condition within a decade.

At first, she struggled, feeling as if her life lacked purpose. Then, during a sleepless night in the summer of 2018, she decided at around 2 a.m. to enter the 2019 London Marathon sponsored by the charities Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK.

She hoped to start the conversation around early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and to encourage people to talk about it more openly. "I remember when Dad was ill, people wouldn’t know how to react, but I want to be honest and open," she added. "The more information we can get, the less of a taboo(忌讳) we will feel. That said, the support I’ve received so far after going public has been amazing — that’s what is carrying me through."

1.Laura noticed her father’s dementia when   .

A.her father told her his condition in person

B.people nearby informed her of his father’s condition

C.her father forgot his own birthday party

D.her father forgot to attend her 21-year-old birthday party

2.The underlined word "agonised" in Paragraph 4 probably means   .

A.excited B.struggled

C.shocked D.delighted

3.Laura started the open talk in the hope of   .

A.getting people to talk about Alzheimer’s disease openly

B.earning some money to help treat her Alzheimer’s disease

C.making herself stronger to fight against Alzheimer’s disease

D.raising funds for charities Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s disease Research UK

4.Which words can best describe Laura?

A.Caring and positive. B.Careful and honest.

C.Patient and cautious. D.Devoted and modest.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。Laura Sides在读大学期间，父亲患上了阿尔茨海默病，她离开学校照料父亲直到他去世；后来她得知自己在十年内也会患上同样的病。她挣扎之后便振作了起来，决定参加马拉松比赛，并且进行阿尔茨海默病方面的对话，鼓励人们更加公开地谈论这种病。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一段最后两句“Then, I came home for my 21st birthday…That’s when I knew something serious had happened”可知，Laura的父亲忘记参加女儿的21岁生日会，在那时Laura意识到父亲已患病。故选D。

2.词义猜测题。根据上文中的“there was a fifty-fifty chance that she had inherited it”可知，医生告知Laura，她有百分之五十患病的概率，并结合画线词所在句中的“whether to be tested”可推知，此处表示Laura几年来苦苦思索是否去检查一下，与B项词义接近。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据题干中的关键词open talk定位到文章的最后一段。根据该段首句“She hoped to start the conversation around early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and to encourage people to talk about it more openly”可知，作者公开谈论阿尔茨海默病是为了鼓励人们公开谈论此病，故答案是A。

4.推理判断题。通读全文内容可知， Laura在得知父亲患阿尔茨海默病后离开学校照料他直至他去世，后来得知自己也会得阿尔茨海默病，挣扎后便振作起来，先是决定参加马拉松比赛，接着围绕这种病进行对话，鼓励人们更加公开地谈论它。由此可推知，作者是一个关心他人又积极向上的人。故选A。