首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
I have never seen Mrs. Clark before, but I know from her medical chart and the report I received from the preceding shift that t
I have never seen Mrs. Clark before, but I know from her medical chart and the report I received from the preceding shift that t
admin
2013-01-18
48
问题
I have never seen Mrs. Clark before, but I know from her medical chart and the report I received from the preceding shift that tonight she will die.
The only light in her room is coming from a piece of medical equipment, which is flashing its red light as if is warning. As I stand there, the smell hits my nose, and I close my eyes as I remember the smell of decay from past experience. In my mouth I have a sour, vinegar taste coming from the pit of my stomach. I reach for the light switch, and as it silently lights the scene, I return to the bed to observe the patient with an unemotional, medical eye.
Mrs. Clark is dying. She lies motionless: the head seems unusually large on a skeleton body; the skin is dark yellow and hangs loosely around exaggerated bones that not even a blanket can hide; the right arm lies straight out at the side, taped cruelly to a board to secure a needle so that fluid may drip in; the left arm is across the sunken chest, which rises and falls with the uneven breath.
I reached for the long, thin fingers that are lying on the chest. They are ice cold, and I quickly move to the wrist and feel for the faint pulse. Mrs. Clark’s eyes open somewhat as her head turns towards me slightly. I bend close to her and scarcely heat as she whispers, "Water. " Taking a glass of water from the table, I put my finger over the end of the straw and allow a few drops of the cool moisture to slide into her mouth and ease her thirst. She makes no attempt to swallow; there is just not enough strength. "More," the dry voice says, and we repeat the procedure. This time she does manage to swallow some liquid and weakly says, "Thank you. "
She is too weak for conversation. So without asking, I go about providing for her needs. Picking her up in my arms like a child, I turn her on her side. Naked, except for a light hospital gown, she is so very small and light that she seems like a victim of some terrible famine. I remove the lid from a jar of skin cream and put some on the palm of my hands. Carefully, to avoid injuring her, I rub cream into the yellow skin, which rolls freely over the bones, feeling perfectly the outline of each bone in the back. Placing a pillow between her legs, I notice that these too are ice cold, and not until I run my hands up over her knees do I feel any of the life-giving warmth of blood.
When I am finished, I pull a chair up beside the bed to face her and, taking her free hand between mine, again notice the long, thin fingers, graceful. I wonder briefly if she has any family, and then I see that there are neither flowers, nor pictures of rainbows and butterflies drawn by children, nor cards. There is no hint in the room anywhere that this is a person who is loved. As though she is a mind reader, Mrs. Clark answers my thoughts and quietly tells me, "I sent. . , my family. . , home. . . tonight. . , didn’t want. . , them. . , to see. . . " Having spent her last ounce of strength she cannot go on, but I have understood what she has done. Not knowing what to say, I say nothing. Again she seems to sense my thoughts, "You. . . stay. . . "
Time seems to stand still. In the total silence, I feel my own pulse quicken and hear my breathing as it begins to match hers, breath for uneven breath. Our eyes meet and somehow, together, we become aware that this is a special moment between two human beings. . . Her long fingers curl easily around my hands and I nod my head slowly, smiling. Without words, through yellowed eyes, I receive my thank you and her eyes slowly close.
Some unknown interval of time passes before her eyes open again, only this time there is no response in them, just a blank stare. Without warning, her shallow breathing stops, and within a few moments, the faint pulse is also gone. One single tear flows from her left eye, across the cheek and down onto the pillow. I begin to cry quietly. There is a swell of emotion within me for this stranger who so quickly came into rant went from my life. Her suffering is done, yet so is the life. Slowly, still holding her hand, I become aware that I do not mind this emotional battle that in fact, it was a privilege she has allowed me, and I would do it again, gladly. Mrs. Clark spared her family an episode that perhaps they were not equipped to handle and instead shared it with me. She had not wanted to have her family see her die, yet she did not want to die alone. No one should die alone, and I am glad I was there for her.
Two days later, I read about Mrs. Clark in the newspaper. She was the mother of seven, grandmother of eighteen, an active member of her church, a leader of volunteer associations in her community, a concert piano player, and a piano teacher for over thirty years.
Yes, they were long and graceful fingers.
Directions: The passage below summarizes the main points of the passage. Read the summary and then select the best word or phrase from the box blow, according to the passage. You should decide on the best choice.
A drip K liquid
B secured L famine
C decay M jar
D preceding N slide
E straw O thirst
F faint P fluid
G pit Q moisture
H chart R loosely
I palm S hit
J lid T indication
The medical【1】from the【2】shift was the first【3】I got that Mrs. Clark would die. There was also a smell of【4】in the room that【5】me in the【6】of my stomach. The patient’s skin hung【7】so a needle was【8】to let the【9】【10】in. She had a【11】pulse and was thirsty, so I gave her a【12】of a few drops of【13】to【14】into her mouth to ease her【15】Having managed to swallow some【16】, she said " Thank you. " She was so small and light that she looked like a victim of some terrible【17】. I removed the【18】of a【19】of cream and put some on the【20】of my hand. Then I rubbed the cream into her yellow skin to make her feel better.
选项
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/jF2O777K
0
考博英语
相关试题推荐
Mostgreatartistsareexceptionally______people.
Beforethemid-nineteenthcentury,peopleintheUnitedStateeatmostfoodsonlyinseason.Drying,smoking,andsaltingcould
Aparticularareainwhichassumptionsandvaluesdifferbetweenculturesisthatoffriendship.FriendshipsamongAmericansten
______bothinworkinglifeandeverydaylivingtodifferentsetsofvalues,andexpectationsplacesaseverestrainontheindi
Afteryuppiesanddinkies,anewcreaturefromadlandstalkstheblock.TheNYLON,anacronymlinkingNewYorkandLondon,isa
Afteryuppiesanddinkies,anewcreaturefromadlandstalkstheblock.TheNYLON,anacronymlinkingNewYorkandLondon,isa
Engineeringstudentsaresupposedtobeexamplesofpracticalityandrationality,butwhenitcomestomycollegeeducationIam
Engineeringstudentsaresupposedtobeexamplesofpracticalityandrationality,butwhenitcomestomycollegeeducationIam
Allthemusicinstrumentsintheorchestrawillbe______beforeitstarts.
TheNationalTrustinBritain,togetherwithsimilarvoluntaryorganization,playsanincreasinglyimportantpartinthepreserv
随机试题
A.黄疸B.皮肤紫癜C.肝大、质偏硬D.腹壁静脉曲张E.男性乳房发育肝硬化失代偿期门静脉高压的体征是
超声藕合剂的作用是
清气与水谷之气结合关系到
采用矿山法修建的结构,质量验收应包括()。
王某购买了一套价值为40万元的普通住宅,首付款为房价的30%,其余房款用银行提供的贷款期为20年、年贷款利率为6%、按月等额还本付息的个人住房抵押贷款支付。王某为首次购买商品住房。对王某的购买行为产生直接影响的风险因素为()。
甲乙两人计划从A地步行去B地,乙早上7:00出发,匀速步行前往,甲因事耽误,9:00才出发,为了追上乙,甲决定跑步前进,跑步的速度是乙步行速度的2.5倍,但每跑半小时都需要休息半小时,则甲追上乙的时间是()。
当前部分学校德育实效性不高,主要是教育认识方面存在局限,与德育方法的选择无关。()
生产力的发展、私有制的产生,是警察产生的经济条件。()
在当前窗口界面中,根据“添加打印机”向导,安装网络打印机,输入名称为“\\192.168.18.18\MicrosoftXPSDocumentWriter”。
CompareQuantityAandQuantityB,usingadditionalinformationcenteredabovethetwoquantitiesifsuchinformationisgiven,
最新回复
(
0
)