Mrs. Douglas found a new purpose for herself. Through the year, from time to time she had written stories about people for national magazines. Now there was a new subject: old people like herself. She began to write a newspaper column called:“Sixty Plus,” which focuses on getting old. She writes about the problems of old people, especially their problems with being misunderstood.
Anna Douglas used her thinking ability to see the truth behind a problem. She understands the reasons why problems begin. She understands old people and young people, too. For example, one of her readers said that his grandchildren left the house as soon as he come to visit. Mrs. Douglas suggested some ways for him to increase understanding with his grandchildren. She told him to listen to young people’s music and to watch the most popular television shows.
It’s important to know something about your grandchildren’s world,” says Mrs. Douglas. “That means questioning and listening –and listening is not what old people do best.” She continues, “Say good things to them and about them. Never criticize(批评)your grandchildren or any other youngsters, teenagers, or young adults. Never tell them that they are wrong. Don’t give them your opinion. They have been taught that they should have respect for old people. The old should have respect for the young as well.”
26.Anna Douglas understands the problems of old people because( )
A. she herself is old
B. she likes their music
C. she has grandchildren
D. she watches their television programs
27.Anna Douglas’ newspaper column( )
A. contains mostly funny stories
B. has some ideas for youngsters
C. is about how to find jobs for old people
D. discusses the problems of the aged
28.What advice did Mrs. Douglas NOT give to the reader whose grandchildren didn’t want to see him?( )
A. Listen to pop music
B. Watch more popular TV shows
C. Tell more interesting stories
D. Try to understand his grandchildren
29.According to Mrs. Douglas, old people need to learn how to ( )
A. work B. criticize C. listen D. complain
30.According to the last paragraph, the main point of Mrs. Douglas’ advice is that old people( )
A. have a lot to learn from the young
B. should understand and respect the young
C. had better improve their hearing not to misunderstand the young
D. should show respect for the young even when criticizing them
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
“Culture consists of all shared products of human society”(Robertson ,1981).This means not only such material things as cities, organizations and schools, but also non-material things such as ideas, customs, family patterns ,and languages. Putting it simply, culture refers to the entire way of life of a society , “the ways of a people”.
Language is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. Some social scientists consider it the keystone of culture. Without language, the maintaining of culture would not be possible .On the other hand ,language is influenced and shaped by culture, and it reflects culture. In the broadest sense, language is the symbolic representation of a people, and it comprises(包含)their historical and cultural backgrounds, as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking.