单选题 Questions 21-25 are based on the following passage:
It is curious how often sympathy for the old and infirm takes a form which actually humiliates them. Their friends, with good will, sometimes lean forward to rearrange their neckwear, touching their hair or patting their faces-things they would never presume to do, unasked, to one of their contemporaries. An equally humiliating habit is to talk about old people in front of them as if they were not there, discussing their health.
It is now universally accepted that children should be encouraged to do as much as they can for themselves in order to develop their brains and muscles, but so few people today seem to have time to allow the elderly the same means of keeping their minds and muscles active. They perform innumerable services for the old that they would be much better left to do, even with a struggle, for themselves.
Convenient flats, "motherly" visitors, or organized entertainments cannot make up for the fundamental need which must be satisfied--the need to retain to the end of life human dignity and the respect of one's fellows.

单选题 Many people are not aware that it is rather rude to______.

单选题 According to the passage the old would very much like to______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[注释] 本题依据在第二段末句：“They perform innumerable services for the old that they would be much better left to do, even with a struggle, for themselves”。意思是“他们替老年人做了许多事，而这些事本该由老年人自己去做，即便做起来很吃力他们也会感觉好些。”可见，老年人并不希望把自己当作婴儿似的来照料。

单选题 The author suggests that______.

A、 much sympathy will inevitably humiliate the old
B、 kindness and unselfish help are not necessarily what the old need
C、 the old should be left to do whatever they want by themselves
D、 to the old, the friends' and relatives' respect is, at least, as important as their concern

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[注释] 本题依据是最后一句，关键词是“cannot make up for…human dignity and the respect of one's fellows”，即“朋友亲戚的多方关怀并不能替代他们对尊严和他人尊敬的需求”。

单选题 If the old are left to do as much as they can for themselves, ______.

A、 they may keep human dignity and enjoy the respect of the fellows
B、 they won't feel hurt or humiliated
C、 they will be able to develop their brains and muscles
D、 they will be able to keep their minds and muscles active

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[注释] 本题依据在第二段首句，关键词语是“…the same means of keeping their minds and muscles active”，意思是“老年人跟孩子一样需要自己多做些事情来保持头脑和肌肉的活力”。

单选题 The passage is mainly about that______.

A、 improper care and concern may do more harm than good to the old
B、 how to take good care of the old in different ways
C、 nowadays many people are not respectful enough to the old
D、 old people are just like children, who are difficult to satisfy

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[注释] 文章首先指出对老年人的同情会由于方式不当而变成一种对他们的羞辱。次段谈到对老年人的过分关照会剥夺其头脑、身体锻炼的机会。最后指出，物质上的照顾不能替代对他们的尊重。由此来看，A项“improper care and concern may do more harm than good to the old”为正确选项。