Passage One Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Even though we are living in an age where growing old is thought of as an inevitable misery, this doctor has been changing the game for seniors over the last 25 years.
It all started in 1991 when the Harvard-educated physician was transferred from working in a stressful emergency room to being the medical director of a nursing home in upstate New York. The depressing and regimented(严格管制的) environment got him thinking on what exactly could improve the residents’ conditions.
Even though animals in nursing homes were illegal at the time, Dr. Bill Thomas took a chance. Based on a hunch(直觉), he brought in two dogs, four cats, hens, rabbits, 100 birds, a multitude of plants, a flower garden, and a vegetable patch.
The change was dramatic. There was a50%drop in medical prescriptions along with a dramatic decrease in death rates—but most importantly, the residents were simply happier.
Dr. Thomas’ s approach, named the Eden Alternative, has driven nursing homes to allow a more autonomous(自主的) and creative living space for their elderly. It erases the belief that growing old means growing useless. He encourages residents to think of their age as an enriching new phase of life rather than the end of it.
Thomas, now a speaker and author of several books, also created small, independently-run residences with their own bedrooms and bathrooms, and he has been preaching a singular message that getting old is not a bad thing.
“Within six weeks, they had to send a truck around to pick up all the wheelchairs,” Thomas told the Washington Post. “You know why most people in nursing homes use wheelchairs? Because the buildings are so big.”
The 56-year-old doctor’ s methods have been adopted in Australia, Japan, Canada, and America with enormous success. Last year he published Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper, and More Corrected Life, a guide on how to shift our perspectives on aging and growth.
He is currently traveling through North America performing with his guitar and his enthusiasm on his Age of Disruption Tour.
46. What has Bill Thomas been doing for a quarter of a century?
A) Transforming people's lifestyle.
B) Honoring his Harvard education.
C) Changing people's philosophy of life.
D) Shifting people's perspective on aging.
47. Why did Bill Thomas try something different in the nursing home?
A) He wanted to make it more pleasant for seniors.
B) He wanted to apply his Harvard training to practice.
C) He felt it his duty to revolutionize its management.
D) He felt disappointed working in the environment.
48. What do we learn about Bill Thomas bringing animals and plants into the nursing home?
A) He made a mess of the nursing home.
B) He did something all professionals would do.
C) He won instant support from the state authorities.
D) He acted in violation of the state law.
49. What has Bill Thomas been persistently advocating?
A) Good health is not just a privilege of the young.
B) Nursing homes should be strictly limited in size.
C) Getting old is by no means something miserable.
D) Residences for seniors should be run independently.
50. How is Bill Thomas's new concept received?
A) It is gaining ground in many countries.
B) It is being heatedly debated worldwide.
C) It is considered revolutionary everywhere.
D) It is winning approval from the government.