Elderly people respond best to a calm and unhurried environment. This is not always easy to provide as their behavior can sometimes be irritating. If they get excited or upset then they may become more confused and more difficult to look after.
Although sometimes it can be extremely difficult, it is best to be patient and not to get upset yourself. You should always encourage old people to do as much as possible for themselves but be ready to lend a helping hand when necessary.
Failing memory makes it difficult for the person to recall all the basic kinds of information we take for granted. The obvious way to help in this situation is to supply the information that is missing and help them make sense of what is going on. You must use every opportunity to provide information but remember to keep it simple and straight forward.
"Good morning, Mum. This is Fiona, your daughter. It is eight o'clock, so if you get up now, we can have breakfast downstairs."
When the elderly person makes confused statements, e.g. about going out to his or her old employment or visiting a dead relative, correct in a calm matter-of-fact fashion: "You don't work in the office any more. You are retired now. Will you help me with the dishes?"
We rely heavily on the information provided by signposts, clocks, calendars and newspapers. These assist us to organize and direct our behavior. Confused old people need these aids all the time to compensate for their poor memory. Encourage them to use reminder boards or diaries for important coming events and label the contents of different cupboards and drawers. Many other aids such as information cards, old photos, scrap books, addresses or shopping lists could help in individual case.
The main subject of the passage about elderly people is （ ）.
主旨题。通读全文可知，本文主要讲了如何帮助老人尽可能地照顾他们自己。作者在首段最后一句“You should always encourage old people to do as much as possible for themselves but be ready to lend a helping hand when necessary.” 点明了本文的主旨。然后在接下来的段落中，分别讲了如何帮助老年人记忆以及如何纠正老年人的错误等对策。故 C 项最能体现文章的主旨。
The passage gives help for one responsible for an elderly forgetful person by（ ）.
细节题。根据第二段 “Failing memory makes it difficult for the person to recall all the basic kinds of information we take for granted ． The obvious way to help in this situation is to supply the information that is missing and help them make sense of what is going on ． You must use every opportunity to provide information…” 可知，对待健忘的老人，我们应该为他们提供信息，帮助他们搞清楚情况，故 C 项与原文相符。
A difficulty experienced by other people is that they may （ ）.
推断题。根据第一段前四句 “Elderly people respond best to a calm and unhurried environment ． This is not always easy to provide as their behavior Call sometimes be irritating ． If they get excited or upset then may become more confused and more difficult to look after ． Although sometimes it can be extremely difficult ， it is best to be patient and not to get upset yourself ． ” 可知，老年人的行为有时候很气人，导致很难给他们提供平静的环境，也就是说有时很难平心静气地处理老人的问题。故 B 项符合题意。
How should confused statements and ideas be dealt with?（ ）
推断题。根据第四段 “When the elderly person makes confused statements… ． Correct in a calm matter-of-fact fashion…” 可知，当老年人做出了糊涂的举动时，应该平静地、实事求是地纠正老年人的错误。 A 项 “ 坦率地、明显地 ” 符合文意。
Visual aids can give practical help to elderly people by （ ）.
推断题。由题干关键词 Visual aids 可定位至最后一段。 “signposts ， clocks ， calendars and newspapers”“reminder boards or diaries”“information cards ， old photos ， scrap books ， addresses or shopping lists” 这些都属于 Visual aids( 视觉辅助设备 ) 。第二、三句 “These assist US to organize and direct our behavior ． Confused old people need these aids all the time to compensate for their poor memory.” 表明，糊涂的老年人可以利用这些设备弥补他们的记忆。 B 项 “ 接下来要做的事 ” 、 C 项 “ 旧的回忆 ” 都只是这些记忆中一个方面的内容，显然没有概括全面， D 项在文中没有提及，均排除。 A 项最符合文意，为正确答案。