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Caring for Elderly Parents Catches Many Unprepared A.Last July, Julie Baldocchi’s mother had a massive stroke and was paralyzed. Baldocchi suddenly had to become a family caregiver, something that she wasn’t prepared for. "I was flying by the seat of my pants," says Baldocchi, an employment specialist in San Francisco. Both of her parents are 83, and she knew her father couldn’t handle her mother’s care. The hospital recommended putting her mother in a nursing home. Baldocchi wasn’t willing to do that. But moving her back into her parents’ home created other problems. Baldocchi, 48, is married and lives about a mile away from her parents. She has a full-time job and has back problems that make it difficult for her to lift her mother. "I couldn’t do it all," she says. "But I didn’t even know how to find help." B.With help from the Family Caregiver Alliance, she eventually hired a live-in caregiver. "But even if you plan intellectually and legally, you’re never ready for the emotional impact," Baldocchi says. In the first two months after her mother’s stroke, she lost about 30 pounds as stress mounted. More than 42 million Americans provide family caregiving for an adult who needs help with daily activities, according to a 2009 survey by the AARP. An additional 61.6 million provided at least some care during the year. And many are unprepared. C.While many parents lack an advance care directive, it’s the most basic and important step they can take. The directive includes several parts, including: a durable power of attorney, which gives someone legal authority to make financial decisions on another’s behalf; a health care proxy, which is similar to the power of attorney, except it allows someone to make decisions regarding medical treatment; and a living will that outlines instructions for end-of-life care. (For example, parents can say if they want to be kept alive by artificial measures.) "It’s invaluable for the kids, because it’s hard to make those decisions for a parent," says Jennifer Cona, an elder-law attorney at Genser Dubow Genser & Cona in Melville, N.Y. An advance care directive is the first line of defense if a situation arises, says Kathleen Kelly, executive director of the Family Caregiver Alliance, which supports and educates caregivers. Without an advance directive, the family will have to petition the court to be appointed the parent’s legal guardian, says AgingCare.com. D.It’s important for families to talk about long-term care so the adult children know their parents’ preferences, wishes and goals, says Lynn Feinberg, a caregiving expert at AARP. But it’s not an easy conversation. Elderly parents are sometimes suspicious of their children’s financial motives, says Susan John, a financial planner at Financial Focus in Wolfeboro, N.H. One client asked John to hold a family meeting because they needed an intermediary to talk about financial issues, she says. And when there are many siblings, the family decisions can become a three-ring circus with much acrimony, says Ann-Margaret Carrozza, an elder-law attorney in Glen Cove, N.Y. Families who need information and help sorting out disagreements can call on elder-law attorneys, financial planners, geriatric care managers and caregiver support groups. In February, AARP said it will offer its members a new caregiving support service through financial services firm Genworth. E.Many families are unprepared for quick decisions, especially when they find out that Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care, Feinberg says. The median cost of a year in a private room at a nursing home in 2011 was $77,745, according to Genworth. And only those who have spent most of their assets can qualify for Medicaid to pay for the nursing home. F.Assisted living is another option. Residents can have their own apartment to maintain some independence. But the facilities generally provide personal care services, such as meals, housekeeping and assistance with activities. Still, it’s not cheap: The national median cost in 2011 was $39,135, according to Genworth. Assisted living isn’t covered by Medicaid. G.If they have a choice, at least 90% of elderly parents prefer to stay at home as long as they can, according to AARP research. But if the parents can no longer safely live at home, it can be hard for children to move them into an adult care facility. There may be another option. Sometimes the home can be modified so a parent can stay there. For example, Baldocchi put in a chair lift for her mother. She also arranged for a home caregiver. H.Family caregivers take over many responsibilities. One might manage a parent’s finances, while another sibling will take the parent to doctors’ appointments and shopping. Those who move in with a parent take on a significant and sustained burden of care. Jan Walker moved into her mother’s home in Leesburg, Fla. After her mother, who is 83, had fallen, she wasn’t able to get around as well. Walker, 55, has three brothers. But she is the only daughter, is divorced and has no children. "I always knew that this was the role that I would have, and I guess my mind was prepared for it," says Walker, who now is a full-time caregiver and works from home as a tutorial instructor for a digital scrapbooking website. "When you get into the trenches, it’s literally baptism by fire," she says. "New things come up. It’s not just about advance planning for finances or medical care. It’s everything," she says. I.Caregivers need to also watch their own health. "There is such a thing as caregiver burnout," Cona says. Among female caregivers 50 and older, 20% reported symptoms of depression, according to a 2010 study on working caregivers by MetLife. "It’s a hard job," Walker says. "But most worthwhile things are hard. She was always there for me when I needed a helping hand. It’s only natural that I be here for her now.\ The national median cost of assisted living in 2011 was $39,135 and it is not covered by Medicaid.

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Caring for Elderly Parents Catches Many Unprepared A.Last July, Julie Baldocchi’s mother had a massive stroke and was paralyzed. Baldocchi suddenly had to become a family caregiver, something that she wasn’t prepared for. "I was flying by the seat of my pants," says Baldocchi, an employment specialist in San Francisco. Both of her parents are 83, and she knew her father couldn’t handle her mother’s care. The hospital recommended putting her mother in a nursing home. Baldocchi wasn’t willing to do that. But moving her back into her parents’ home created other problems. Baldocchi, 48, is married and lives about a mile away from her parents. She has a full-time job and has back problems that make it difficult for her to lift her mother. "I couldn’t do it all," she says. "But I didn’t even know how to find help." B.With help from the Family Caregiver Alliance, she eventually hired a live-in caregiver. "But even if you plan intellectually and legally, you’re never ready for the emotional impact," Baldocchi says. In the first two months after her mother’s stroke, she lost about 30 pounds as stress mounted. More than 42 million Americans provide family caregiving for an adult who needs help with daily activities, according to a 2009 survey by the AARP. An additional 61.6 million provided at least some care during the year. And many are unprepared. C.While many parents lack an advance care directive, it’s the most basic and important step they can take. The directive includes several parts, including: a durable power of attorney, which gives someone legal authority to make financial decisions on another’s behalf; a health care proxy, which is similar to the power of attorney, except it allows someone to make decisions regarding medical treatment; and a living will that outlines instructions for end-of-life care. (For example, parents can say if they want to be kept alive by artificial measures.) "It’s invaluable for the kids, because it’s hard to make those decisions for a parent," says Jennifer Cona, an elder-law attorney at Genser Dubow Genser & Cona in Melville, N.Y. An advance care directive is the first line of defense if a situation arises, says Kathleen Kelly, executive director of the Family Caregiver Alliance, which supports and educates caregivers. Without an advance directive, the family will have to petition the court to be appointed the parent’s legal guardian, says AgingCare.com. D.It’s important for families to talk about long-term care so the adult children know their parents’ preferences, wishes and goals, says Lynn Feinberg, a caregiving expert at AARP. But it’s not an easy conversation. Elderly parents are sometimes suspicious of their children’s financial motives, says Susan John, a financial planner at Financial Focus in Wolfeboro, N.H. One client asked John to hold a family meeting because they needed an intermediary to talk about financial issues, she says. And when there are many siblings, the family decisions can become a three-ring circus with much acrimony, says Ann-Margaret Carrozza, an elder-law attorney in Glen Cove, N.Y. Families who need information and help sorting out disagreements can call on elder-law attorneys, financial planners, geriatric care managers and caregiver support groups. In February, AARP said it will offer its members a new caregiving support service through financial services firm Genworth. E.Many families are unprepared for quick decisions, especially when they find out that Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care, Feinberg says. The median cost of a year in a private room at a nursing home in 2011 was $77,745, according to Genworth. And only those who have spent most of their assets can qualify for Medicaid to pay for the nursing home. F.Assisted living is another option. Residents can have their own apartment to maintain some independence. But the facilities generally provide personal care services, such as meals, housekeeping and assistance with activities. Still, it’s not cheap: The national median cost in 2011 was $39,135, according to Genworth. Assisted living isn’t covered by Medicaid. G.If they have a choice, at least 90% of elderly parents prefer to stay at home as long as they can, according to AARP research. But if the parents can no longer safely live at home, it can be hard for children to move them into an adult care facility. There may be another option. Sometimes the home can be modified so a parent can stay there. For example, Baldocchi put in a chair lift for her mother. She also arranged for a home caregiver. H.Family caregivers take over many responsibilities. One might manage a parent’s finances, while another sibling will take the parent to doctors’ appointments and shopping. Those who move in with a parent take on a significant and sustained burden of care. Jan Walker moved into her mother’s home in Leesburg, Fla. After her mother, who is 83, had fallen, she wasn’t able to get around as well. Walker, 55, has three brothers. But she is the only daughter, is divorced and has no children. "I always knew that this was the role that I would have, and I guess my mind was prepared for it," says Walker, who now is a full-time caregiver and works from home as a tutorial instructor for a digital scrapbooking website. "When you get into the trenches, it’s literally baptism by fire," she says. "New things come up. It’s not just about advance planning for finances or medical care. It’s everything," she says. I.Caregivers need to also watch their own health. "There is such a thing as caregiver burnout," Cona says. Among female caregivers 50 and older, 20% reported symptoms of depression, according to a 2010 study on working caregivers by MetLife. "It’s a hard job," Walker says. "But most worthwhile things are hard. She was always there for me when I needed a helping hand. It’s only natural that I be here for her now.\ The difference between a durable power of attorney and a health care proxy is that the latter allows someone to make decisions regarding medical treatment.

Aside from perpetuating (使……持续存在) itself, the sole purpose of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters is to "foster, assist and sustain an interest" in literature, music, and art. This it does by enthusiastically handing out money. Annual cash awards are given to deserving artists in various categories of creativity: architecture, musical composition, theater, novels, serious poetry, light verse, painting, sculpture. One award subsidizes a promising American writer’s visit to Rome. There is even an award for a very good work of fiction that failed commercially once won by the young John Updike for The Poorhouse Fair and, more recently, by Alice Walker for In Love and Trouble. The awards and prizes total about $750,000 a year, but most of them range in size from $5,000 to $12,500, a welcome sum to many young practitioners whose work may not bring in that much money in a year. One of the advantages of the awards is that many go to the struggling artists, rather than to those who are already successful. Members of the Academy and Institute are not eligible (有资格的) for any cash prizes. Another advantage is that, unlike the National Endowment for the Arts or similar institutions throughout the world, there is no government money involved. Each year the awards and prizes offered by the Academy-Institute total approximately ______. A.$750,000 B.$35,000 C.$50,000 D.$12,500

Awards are made by committee. Each of the three departments Literature (120 members), Art (83), Music (47)—has a committee dealing with its own field Committee membership rotates every year, so that new voices and opinions are constantly heard.
B. The most financially rewarding of all the Academy-Institute awards are the Mildred and Harold Strauss Livings. Harold Strauss, a devoted editor at Alfred A. Knopf, the New York publishing house, and Mildred Strauss, his wife, were wealthy and childless. They left the Academy-Institute a unique bequest (遗赠): for five consecutive years, two distinguished (and financially needy) writers would receive enough money so they could devote themselves entirely to "prose literature" (no plays, no poetry, and no paying job that might distract). In 1983, the first Strauss Livings of $35,000 a year went to short-story writer Raymond Carver and novelist-essayist Cynthia Ozick. By 1988, the fund had grown enough so that two winners, novelists Diane Johnson and Robert Stone, each got $50,000 a year for five years.

Max Weber was one of the most important German intellectuals of his day. He believed that sociological explanations must derive from an understanding of why people choose the actions they do. This belief differed sharply from Durkheim’s view that society and individuals should be studied at different levels. Weber acknowledged that there are social facts that must be analyzed using scientific methods, but he argued that social facts are the total result of individual actions. The stress on individual action led Weber to look beyond objective behavior and to focus on people’s subjective beliefs, attitudes, values, and motives. According to Weber, sociologists must interpret, not just observe. They must try to see actions from the point of view of the actor. This approach he called verstehen, which in German means emphatic understanding. Weber stressed that verstehen could be systematic. It did not reduce sociological knowledge simply to matter of opinion. But explanations, in his view, had to go beyond the objective counting of who in society has which social attributes (社会属性). Explanations, according to Weber, must consider the subjective thoughts and feelings that lead to particular actions. Like Marx and Durkheim, Weber wanted to understand the rapid social changes occurring in his time. To Weber the most fundamental trend in the modern era was an increasing rationalization (理性化) of social action and social institutions. More specifically, Weber saw the history of Western society in terms of a shift from traditional orientations, to more rational orientations. Weber believed that the general trend toward increased rationalization could be seen in many aspects of social life. One was the rise of science as the principal method of acquiring knowledge. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries people were increasingly coming to believe in science, to consider its rational, systematic methods superior to simple intuition and common sense. Increased rationalization could also be seen in the growth of government bureaucracies (官僚制度), where laws are the basis of authority. A third area where the rise of rationalization could be seen was in the development of capitalism. Capitalism requires people to analyze markets, maximize the efficiency of production, calculate returns on investments, and create financial institutions to support economic expansion, all things that demand a logical, reasoned approach to the world. One of the reasons for the increase of rationalization is that ______.

A. government had more authority than ever
B. intuition played a more important role in action
C. capitalism developed quickly
D. economy grew rapidly

随着信用卡的流行,一些人逐渐沦为卡奴,尤其是一些购物成瘾却收入不高的年轻人。由于深陷债务,他们不得不从一张信用卡中借钱来还另一张信用卡,或者向银行支付高额的利息。由于收入微薄,他们总是处于破产的边缘,并且在信用报告中留有很多污点(stains)。为了避免成为卡奴,年轻人必须学会控制超前消费(overspending),保持良好的信用记录。

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