单选题
When my mother's health was failing, I was the "bad" sister who lived far away and wasn't involved. My sister helped my parents. She never asked me to do anything, and I didn't【C1】______. I was widowed, raising kids and working, but that wasn't really【C2】______I kept to weekly calls and short, infrequent visits. I was【C3】______in my adolescent role as the indifferent achiever, defending myself【C4】______my judgmental mother and other family craziness. As always, I turned a deaf ear to my sister's【C5】______about my not being around more—and I didn't hear her rising desperation. It wasn't until my mom's【C6】______, watching my dad and sister【C7】______each other and weep, that I got a【C8】______of their long painful experience—and how badly I'd behaved. My sister was so furious, she【C9】______spoke to me during my father's last years. To be honest, I'm not a terrible person. So how did I get it so【C10】______? We hear a lot about the【C11】______of taking care of our graying population. But the big story beneath the surface is the psychological crisis among middle-aged brothers and sisters who are fighting【C12】______issues involving their aging parents. According to a new survey, an【C13】______43.5 million adults in the U.S. are【C14】______an older relative or friend. Of these, 43% said they did not feel they had a【C15】______in this role. And although 7 in 10 said another unpaid caregiver had provided help in the past year, only 1 in 10 said the burden was【C16】______equally. As brothers and sisters who are often separated【C17】______and emotionally, we are having to come together to decide such【C18】______issues as where Mom and Dad should live and where they should be【C19】______. "It's like being put down with your brothers and sisters in the center of a nuclear reactor and being told, 'Figure it【C20】______,'" says University of Colorado psychologist Sara Honn Quails.
【答案解析】解析：上下文语义题及名词辨义。上文作者一直围绕“在母亲健康每况愈下的情况下却置身事外”进行叙述，结合空格后的my not being around more( 常在身边陪伴)，可推断my sister对我的行为是持抱怨或批评的态度，A项criticisms“批评”符合语义。
单选题
【C6】
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：上下文语义题及名词辨义。空格所在句为强调句，且包含not until结构，文中表示“直到……我才意识到自己表现多么糟糕”。根据空格之后提到的dad and sister以及动词weep“哭泣”，再结合文章首句提到的“母亲健康每况愈下”，推断这时作者妈妈已过世，B项funeral“葬礼”符合句意。
【答案解析】解析：上下文语义题。破折号后面的how badly I'd behaved和前面的their long painful experience为并列关系，与of构成介宾结构，对所填入的名词加以修饰。根据文中提到的“父亲和妹妹相依而泣”，推断此处应该表示作者意识到了自己的错误。C项hint意为“暗示”，get a hint是常用的搭配，意思是“领会，明白”，符合句意。
【答案解析】解析：上下文语义题。该段首句就提到了“照顾老龄人口”(taking care of our graying population)，此处引用调查数据加以说明，空格处充当句子谓语，根据主语adults和宾语an older relative or friend，推断此处应填入表示“照顾”的词，故选D项looking after，正好与taking care of呼应。