By the time we reach old age, we have built up a history of stressful adaptations, all of which take their toll.It is also true that by the time we reach old age, we have devised a set of coping mechanisms and strategies that have worked more or less in the past.We get fairly adept at working with the stresses we are accustomed to.The problem of old age is that we lose some of our flexibility and cannot keep our management techniques going.When this happens, what might have been a minor stress in earlier years becomes a major catastrophic stress in old age .
There are emotional stresses peculiar to old age.One is the life review process .Has it really been worthwhile ?If it has not been , the frustration is that we do not have time to do it over.Our life has been determined .
Ⅰ.Words and Expressions
filial a.孝顺的。
entail v.to require as a necessary accompaniment 使必需。
potent a.powerful.
chronology n.年表。
constrict v.to become smaller.
catastrophic a.disastrous.
Ⅱ.Notes to the Text
1.Parallelism and contrast are employed here for impressive effect .
2.A double negative is used here for emphasis .
Ⅲ.Text-Related Practice
Reading comprehension:
Directions: The following are some questions and unfinished statements .
For each of them there are four choices marked a, b, c and d.You should ecide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter .
1.The following stages have been distinguished from others for being extremely stressful except.
a.infancy b.adolescence.
c.middle age d.old age.
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage ?
a.Middle age is the most stressful stage .
b.Adolescence and old age are the most stressful stages .
c.Biological stress is not characteristic of middle-aged people .
d.Few old people have frustration because their lives have already been determined .
3.What kind of con flict will pose as the main conflict that adolescents encounter according to the passage ?
a.The conflict between their real academic performance and expectation of their parents .
b.The conflict between their academic study and their social activities .
c.The conflict between respecting their parents and obeying their parents .
d.The conflict between loyalty to their parents and self-consciousness .
4.Adolescents self-respect mainly relies on .
a.having an occupation.
b.independence.
c.filial loyalty.
d.ideal personality.
5.The author believes that.
a.biological stress affects old people more than others.
b.psychological stress is characteristic of adolescents.
c.old people are not affected by biological and psychological stress at all.
d.it is hard to tell for sure what kind of stress affects a person more in different stages.
6.Which of the following supports the author s statement“Middle age is also a time of intense economic pressure”?
a.Middle-aged persons have relatively inferior academic background .
b.Middle-aged persons have relatively inferior social skills .
c.Middle-aged persons have more and more family members to support .
d.Middle-aged persons have less ambition .
7.What does the phrase“take toll”in the sentence“we have built up a history of stressful adaptations, all of which take their toll”most likely mean ?
a.Cause damage on one s spirit .
b.Cause many people s death .
c.Cause people s economic loss .
d.Cause people s physical loss .
8.Which of the following statements best summarizes this passage ?
a.Adolescence is the time of creating one s self .
b.Middle age is no less a time of stress and strain .
c.There are conflicts and stress everywhere in our life .
d.Each stage of a person s life has its peculiar demands .