My Grandpa Forgets Who I Am

A few days ago I visited my grandfather in hospital. He has Alzheimer’s—a degenerative (退化的) disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time. I thought I was prepared to see him. I knew chances were slim that he’d actually recognize me.

He didn’t. As a matter of fact, he had no idea that he even had grandchildren. But he was excited that somebody came to visit him. I tried to explain to him who I was. But after he told me multiple times that he didn’t have grandchildren, I gave up. And my heart broke into a million little pieces.

I was tired of explaining things to him. So I just smiled. He smiled back. It’s a genuine smile. Like a long time ago, when he’d take me by the hand and made this big world feel a little bit less scary for me. Now I have to take his hand.

We sat in silence for a little while, before he told me to call my grandma. This was the first time I had tried so hard to hold back tears. My grandma died four years ago and he didn’t remember. He thought she was stuck on her way to pick him up.

My grandpa used to be a strong, hard-working man. He was the person you turned to when you needed your car fixed, your tires changed or something heavy to be carried. Sadly, that man left this world a long time ago, and left behind a man that is lost and scared.

I want to help him. I want to make him feel better. I want to tell him about his old life, and how great it was. So I sat with him and I held his hand, and every once in a while I told him how good he looked and how much I liked the color of his shirt and how it brought out the blue in his eyes. I told him that my grandma was on her way whenever he asked about her, and I made sure the glass in his hand was always filled with water.

I can’t take away his pain. I can’t help him remember. I can’t make the disease go away. All I can do is hold on to the memories—hold on for both of us.

1.When the author first saw her grandpa in hospital, ________.

A.she gave up on him B.they were both excited

C.he didn’t recognize her D.they talked about the past

2.The author was close to tears because ________.

A.grandma died about four years ago

B.grandpa needed to be taken care of

C.grandma didn’t make it to the hospital

D.grandpa believed grandma was still alive

3.Which of the following best describes the author?

A.Open-minded and cheerful. B.Considerate and patient.

C.Warm-hearted and grateful. D.Strong-minded and generous.

Jeanne Johnson lives near the ocean (海洋) in the USA. She is worried about the danger of tsunamis (海啸), so she bought a tsunami escape pod (逃生舱).

The pod is a bright orange ball. It is not very big, just 1.37 metres across. Two people can fit inside. It has a watertight (不漏水的) door and some windows. The pod can even provide air for the people inside and show where they are.

Julian Sharpe made the pod. He got the idea after a tsunami in 2004 in the Indian Ocean. It killed more than 226,000 people. He was on vacation near the ocean with his family. His kids were very young. Sharpe wondered how he could keep them safe if a tsunami happened. Then in 2011, a tsunami killed about 16,000 people in Japan. This was when Sharpe really started designing and making an escape pod strong enough to protect people from a tsunami.

Jeanne spent $13,500 on the pod. She has put some water, food, warm clothes and a radio in it. And she is practising getting into it quickly.

“The pod is really not comfortable,” said Jeanne. “But it’s better than nothing. I don’t think too much about tsunamis now. I can sleep well at night.”

1.The tsunami escape pod ________.

A.is a bright orange B.is less than 1.3 metres across

C.has no doors or windows D.cost Jeanne more than $13,000

2.After buying the pod, Jeanne ________.

A.thought much about tsunamis B.put food, clothes and a radio in it

C.didn’t practise getting into it D.worried a lot and couldn’t sleep well

3.In 2004, Julian Sharpe ________.

A.made a tsunami escape pod B.was on vacation near the ocean

C.sold the pod to Jeanne D.had no children

4.A tsunami in ________ killed over 226,000 people.

A.2004 B.2005 C.2011 D.2017

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Jeanne lives in the UK.

B.Only one person can fit inside the pod.

C.Jeanne Johnson likes the pod because it is comfortable.

D.Sharpe hopes his pod can protect people from a tsunami.

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