tzfujimino
Key Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- Japanese
- Home Country
- Japan
- Current Location
- Japan
Hello.
I found the following passage and question in an exercise book for Japanese high school students:
"Why can't we just bury Sophie alive?" The question came from my five-year-old son, Aidan. I had just explained that our seriously ill elderly cat, Sophie, would die on Tuesday, and that we would then put him in a cardboard box and bury him in the backyard.
[...]
Sophie was a blue cream Persian cat. As a kitten, he was so fluffy that even the vet mistook him for a girl. The friend who gave me Sophie had assured me that all blue creams were female. On the third visit to the vet, the doctor looked under his tail and said, " I've got bad news for you." "Worms, right?" "No," he said, "You're going to have to change the name." But I didn't, because by then both Sophie and I were accustomed to the name.
Over time, our kids learned from Sophie how to love a pet and the valuable lessons of how to be responsible about feeding, respecting, and care-giving. Now they were learning about death, and I was learning how to teach a child about death.
On Sophie's last day, before Aidan went to school he crouched down to pet him lovingly and said with a smile, "Bye, Sophie! I hope you have a good time dying!" I was shocked but held back my criticism. He doesn't know what words to use, I thought. I gave him more appropriate words: We'll miss you. You were a good cat. We love you. May you rest in peace. [...]
(Question)
Which one is the closest in meaning to the underlined part in the passage? (my translation from Japanese into English)
1. how they could feed themselves
2. how they should respond to the pet's demands
3. how they should provide food for the pet
4. how they could buy what the pet wants
The answer, according to the book, is #3. (I understand it's about "feeding", but I don't think it's the closest.)
I think the answer is #2. 'The pet's demands', in the context above, is equal to "the need or desire that the pet have for food/water".
What do you think?
Thank you.
I found the following passage and question in an exercise book for Japanese high school students:
"Why can't we just bury Sophie alive?" The question came from my five-year-old son, Aidan. I had just explained that our seriously ill elderly cat, Sophie, would die on Tuesday, and that we would then put him in a cardboard box and bury him in the backyard.
[...]
Sophie was a blue cream Persian cat. As a kitten, he was so fluffy that even the vet mistook him for a girl. The friend who gave me Sophie had assured me that all blue creams were female. On the third visit to the vet, the doctor looked under his tail and said, " I've got bad news for you." "Worms, right?" "No," he said, "You're going to have to change the name." But I didn't, because by then both Sophie and I were accustomed to the name.
Over time, our kids learned from Sophie how to love a pet and the valuable lessons of how to be responsible about feeding, respecting, and care-giving. Now they were learning about death, and I was learning how to teach a child about death.
On Sophie's last day, before Aidan went to school he crouched down to pet him lovingly and said with a smile, "Bye, Sophie! I hope you have a good time dying!" I was shocked but held back my criticism. He doesn't know what words to use, I thought. I gave him more appropriate words: We'll miss you. You were a good cat. We love you. May you rest in peace. [...]
(Question)
Which one is the closest in meaning to the underlined part in the passage? (my translation from Japanese into English)
1. how they could feed themselves
2. how they should respond to the pet's demands
3. how they should provide food for the pet
4. how they could buy what the pet wants
The answer, according to the book, is #3. (I understand it's about "feeding", but I don't think it's the closest.)
I think the answer is #2. 'The pet's demands', in the context above, is equal to "the need or desire that the pet have for food/water".
What do you think?
Thank you.
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