【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[听力原文] Moderator: Hello Ladies and Gentleman, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker for today's session, Dr. Howard Miller. Dr. Miller, Professor of Sociology at Washington University, has written numerous articles and books on the issues facing older Americans in our graying society for the past 15 years. Dr. Miller: Dr. Miller: Thank you for that introduction. Today, I'd like to preface my remarks with a story from my own life which I feel highlights the common concerns that bring us here together. Several years ago when my grandparents were well into their eighties, they were faced with the reality of no longer being able to adequately care for themselves. My grandfather spoke of his greatest fear, that of leaving the only home they had known for the past 60 years. Fighting back the tears, he spoke proudly of the fact that he had built their home from the ground up, and that he had pounded every nail and laid every brick in the process. The prospect of having to sell their home and give up their independence, and move into a retirement home was an extremely painful experience for them. It was, in my grandfather's own words, like having a limb cut off. He exclaimed in a forceful manner that he felt he wasn't important anymore. For them and some older Americans, their so-called 'golden years' are at times not so pleasant, for this period can mean the decline of not only one's health but the loss of identity and self-worth. In many societies, this self-identity is closely related with our social status, occupation, material possessions, or independence. Furthermore, we often live in societies that value what is 'new' or in fashion, and our own usage of words in the English language is often a sign of bad news for older Americans. I mean how would your family react if you came home tonight exclaiming, 'Hey, come to the living room and see the OLD black and white TV I brought!' Unfortunately, the word 'old' calls to mind images of the need to replace or discard. Now, many of the lectures given at this conference have focused on the issues of pension reform, medical care, and the development of public facilities for senior citizens. And while these are vital issues that must be addressed, I'd like to focus my comments on an important issue that will affect the overall success of the other programs mentioned. This has to do with changing our perspectives on what it means to be a part of this group, and finding meaningful roles the elderly can play and should play in our societies. First of all, I'd like to talk about ... What does the introduction say about Dr. Howard Miller's articles and books? 主持人介绍了主讲人Dr. Howard Miller写了很多文章和书籍，主要是关注生活在老龄化社会的美国老年人，这也是Dr. Howard Miller此次讲话的主题。B项senior citizens in America对应短文中的older Americans，该选项是这句话的概述。A项“调查美国养老院的情况”利用后文提及的retirement home设置干扰项，不符合短文内容。文中提及流金岁月时，是说有时候不怎么愉快，故C项“描述流金岁月的极大乐趣”错误。Miller在提到祖父母时，说的也都是些悲伤的事情，故D项“充满着他祖父母的美好回忆”错误。
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[听力原文] What is the greatest fear of Dr. Miller's grandfather? 当Dr. Miller的祖父母将要步入八十岁时，他们面临的现实是不能够充分地照顾好自己。而他的祖父最害怕的是，要离开自己住了60年的唯一的房子。由此可知D项正确。A项“失去自理的能力”指的是Miller的祖父母八十岁时面临的问题，并不是他的祖父最害怕的事情。B项“感觉到不再重要”是Miller的祖父想到要卖掉自己的房子，放弃独立自主的生活，和搬进养老院的痛苦经历而感叹的话，B项不正确。Miller的祖父并不想住进养老院，因此谈不上“无法找到好的养老院”，C项也排除掉。