Most people wrongly believe that when people reach old age, their families place them in nursing homes. They {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (leave) in the hands of strangers for the rest of their lives. Their grown children visit them {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(occasion), but more often, they do not have any regular visitors. The truth is that the idea is an unfortunate myth — an {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (imagine) story. In fact, family members provide the most care {#blank#}4{#/blank#} elderly people need. Samuel Prestoon, a sociologist, has studied {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the American family is changing. He has reported that by the time the average American couple reach 40 years of age, they have more parents than children. Moreover, because people today live longer after an illness than before, family members must provide long-term care. More {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (psychology) have found that all caregivers believe that they are the best people for the job. Social workers interviewed caregivers to find out why they took {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the responsibility of caring for {#blank#}8{#/blank#} elderly relative. Many caregivers thought they had obligation {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (help) their relatives, stating that helping others make them feel more useful. Most hoped that by helping someone, they would deserve care when they became old and dependent. Caring for the elderly and {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (take) care of can be a mutually satisfying experience for everyone who might be involved.

    At 3:42 a.m., everything began to shake. It seemed as if the world was at an end! Eleven kilometres {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (direct) below the city, the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (great) earthquake of the 20th century had begun. It was felt in Beijing, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} is more than two hundred kilometres away. One-third of the nation {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (feel) it. A huge crack that was eight kilometres long and thirty metres wide cut across houses, roads and canals. Steam burst from holes in the ground. Hard hills of rock became rivers of dirt. In fifteen terrible seconds a large city lay {#blank#}5{#/blank#} ruins. The suffering of the people {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (be) extreme. Two-thirds of {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (they) died or were injured during the earthquake. Thousands of families were killed and many {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (child) were left without parents. The number of people who were killed or injured reached more than 400,000. Then, later that afternoon, another big quake shook Tangshan. More buildings fell down. Water, food, and electricity were hard {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (get). People began to wonder {#blank#}10{#/blank#} long the disaster would last.