Empathy

Last year, researchers from the University of Michigan reported that empathy, the ability to understand other people, among college students had dropped sharply over the past 10 years.

  36   Today ,people spend more time alone and are less likely to join groups and clubs.

Jennifer Freed, a co director of a teen program, has another explanation. Turn on the TV, and you're showered with news and reality shows full of people fighting, and generally treating one another with no respect.   37 

There are good reasons not to follow those bad examples. Humans are socially related by nature

   38   Researchers have also found that empathetic teenagers are more likely to have high self-respect. Besides, empathy can be a cure for loneliness, sadness, anxiety , and fear.

Empathy is also an indication of a good leader .In fact, Freed says, many top companies report that empathy is one of the most important things they look for in new managers.  39  "Academics are important .But if you don't have emotional intelligence, you won't be as successful in work or in your love life." she says.

What's the best way to up your EQ? For starters, let down your guard and really listen to others.   40 

To really develop empathy, you'd better volunteer at a nursing home or a hospital, join a club or a team that has a diverse membership，have a "sharing circle" with your family, or spend time caring for pets at an animal shelter.

A. Having relationships with other people is an important part of being human—and having empathy is decisive to those relationships.

B. "One doesn’t develop empathy by having a lot of opinions and doing a lot of talking," Freed says.

C. That could be because so many people have replaced face time with screen time, the researchers said.

D. Everyone is different, and levels of empathy differ from person to person.

E. Humans learn by example-and most of the examples on it arc anything but empathetic.

F. Empathy is a matter of learning how to understand someone else-both what they think and how they feel.

G. Good social skills-including empathy-are a kind of "emotional intelligence" that will help you succeed in many areas of life.

Now you’re a fool for helping. “I don’t want to get involved”seems to have become a national motto. One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City, California to New Orleans, Louisiana. In the middle of the desert, I passed a young man standing by the roadside. He had his  41  out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time  42  you’d be called a jerk (混蛋) for passing by somebody  43  .

Several days later I was still  44  about the hitchhiker (搭便车的人), about how I didn’t even lift my foot  45  the accelerator (加速踏板) for him. “Does anyone stop any more?” I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBois’s famous line—”I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Was that  46  these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey  47  the US without any money, just  48  on the good will of others. What would happen? Would he find food, shelter and support? The idea intrigued (激起兴趣) me.

The week I  49  thirty-seven, I realized that I had never done something truly crazy.  50 I decided to really do it: travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. I would only accept 51  of rides, food and places to sleep. For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states. I was treated kindly  52  I went. I was  53  by people’s readiness to help a stranger.

In Oregon, a house painter named Mike  54  the cold weather and asked if I had a coat. I didn’t, so he gave me a big green army-style jacket. A lumber-mill worker in Michigan named Tim invited me to a  55  dinner with his family in their shabby house. Then he offered me a tent. I refused, but Tim insisted, packing it into my bag himself. I found people were generally compassionate. Hearing I had no money and would take none, people bought me food or  56  with them whatever they happened to have. Those who had the  57  to give often gave the most.

I’m  58  to all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter and their gifts. My faith in ordinary folks was  59  . I was proud to live in a country where people are still willing to help. In spite of everything,you can still depend on the   60  of strangers.

41.A.finger         B.thumb             C.foot          D.hand

42.A.that       B.where             C.when          D.which

43.A.in need        B.in danger         C.in trouble        D.in favor

44.A.worrying   B.considering   C.thinking      D.bringing

45.A.on             B.off           C.away          D.from

46.A.possible   B.interesting       C.necessary         D.important

47.A.through       B.across            C.in            D.over

48.A.relying        B.basing        C.relating      D.insisting

49.A.seemed         B.got           C.turned            D.became

50.A.So             B.But           C.And           D.However

51.A.jobs       B.supplies      C.offers            D.helps

52.A.everywhere     B.nowhere       C.anywhere      D.somewhere

53.A.frightened     B.annoyed       C.amazed        D.disappointed

54.A.saw        B.noted             C.felt          D.sensed

55.A.rich       B.simple        C.delicious         D.interesting

56.A.supplied   B.offered       C.provided      D.shared

57.A.fewest         B.most          C.best          D.least

58.A.grateful      B.careful       C.hopeful       D.helpful

59.A.created        B.reminded      C.returned      D.renewed

60.A.happiness B.kindness      C.fairness      D.brightness

New Year’s Day is worth celebrating and you probably celebrate New Year’s Day together with your family and friends, enjoying drinks and watching the ball drop. If you’re lucky, perhaps you share a kiss with that special one when the clock hits 00:00am. But how New Year’s Day would look in another country? Listed below are four of the top ten “Unique New Year Traditions from Around the World.”

1. Breaking Dishes on Neighbor’s Door—Denmark

  A strange Danish New Year tradition, depending on how you look at it, is throwing dishes at neighbor’s door. The family with the tallest tower of broken plates, glasses, cups and other crockery is considered to be the luckiest person because it symbolizes their large crowd of loyal friends.

2. Talking to Spirits—Mexico

  Mexicans strongly believe that they can communicate with the souls of their dead loved ones. New Year’s Eve is considered the best time to communicate with dead spirits to convey a message or ask for guidance. Taos Inn, in New Mexico for example, offers 15 minutes session of spiritualism and deep thought for $15. Not a bad price for some helpful guidance!

3. Wearing Polka Dots—Philippines

  Imagine people wearing polka dots and dining room tables full of round shaped food and fruits on one single day of the year in Phillippines. And they believe that this will bring them prosperity by associating the round dots to coins and wealth.

4. Burning Scarecrow Dummy—Ecuador

  Ecuador has a custom of crafting scarecrows and burning them. As midnight approaches, gathering outside, each family burns their own scarecrow filled with newspapers and pieces of wood. The tradition says that this destroys all the bad things that took place in the past 12 months. The scarecrow also scares away bad luck, which in turn, fills their new year with luck and happiness.

  The world is large but different. People of all nations may celebrate New Year’s Day much differently, but a lot of general themes are to be seen. We all want to start a new, fresh year with renewed enthusiasm and hope no matter what happened during the past year. We all want to be happier, find love, renew friendships, increase our wealth and also hope for a little extra luck in the coming new year.

21. People generally celebrate New Year’s Day in the following ways except _____.

    A. sharing the time with their family

    B. getting together with their friends

   C. participating in the ball drop

    D. spending the time with their lovers

22. Which of the following can’t describe the 4 unique New Year traditions properly?

   A. The more broken plates, glasses, cups you have at your door, the more good 

    friends you have according to Danish New Year tradition.

   B. By paying $15 in Taos Inn, Mexicans can communicate with the souls of their

    dead loved ones. 

   C. Wearing polka dots can help people in Philippines to gain wealth.

   D. People from Ecuador make and burn scarecrows to win good luck and happiness.

23. What can you infer from the last paragraph?

    A. No matter how we celebrate New Year, increasing our wealth is very important.

    B. The traditions will be changed with the time going by.

    C. We seldom experience different traditions to celebrate New Year.

    D. Celebrating New Year’s Day means looking forward to a happier and better coming year.

    A white shark shipped from New York and placed into an outdoor pool for a Kmart commercial in Los Angeles died after showing signs of distress, an official from the animal welfare group that monitored the production said on Thursday.

The American Humane Association (AHA), which certifies film and TV productions with animals, says everything possible was done to ensure the 1.5 meter shark's safety.

The shark's death follows lots of criticism of the use of animals in Hollywood productions. The animal rights group, people for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which said it received details on the shark's death from two whistleblowers(揭发者), criticized the AHA in a letter over the shark's death."Sharks are sensitive animals who, in captivity(囚禁), require a highly specialized and controlled environment," the PETA letter read. "Given the delicate nature of this species, why would the AHA approve the transport and use of this animal?"

The shark was placed into a 227- liter outdoor tank in the Van Nuys suburb of Los Angeles, said Karen Rosa, a senior adviser of the AHA. She added that was a good amount of water for it. "We honestly don't know why the animal died. It was not being mistreated. It was not being harmed," Rosa said.

Early in the day, the shark seemed to be in good condition, but at one point they noticed it showed signs of distress. "As far as I know, it was immediately insisted upon that the animal receive specialized aquatic veterinarian(兽医) care," she said.

Oxygen was pumped into the tank and the shark was given a shot to try to stabilize it before it was transferred to an aquatic compound for care, where it died the same day, Rosa said.

The shoot was for a Kmart commercial, but a representative for the retailer could not disclose any details."We take this matter seriously and safety is always our first concern," the spokesman for Kmart said in a statement.

21. The shark was shipped to Los Angeles for________.

A. a study by the AHA              

B. a business activity

C. a film about animals             

D. a project by an animal welfare group

22. From the passage, we can learn that PETA ________.

   A. monitor films and TV productions that have animals

B. sent a representative to the scene of the shoot

C. believed the shark received specialized care

D. didn’t think the shark was transferred very well

23. What does Karen Rosa think of AHA?

   A. It had done all that it needed to do.            B. It was against the rights of the animals.

C. It had found out the reason why the shark died.  D. It should be responsible for the shoot.

24. What is the best title for the passage?

 A. Sharks Should be Forbidden for Commercial  

B. PETA Tries to Stop Shooting With Animals

C. Sharks Are Sensitive Animals in Captivity

D. Shark Brought to Los Angeles for Commercial Dies

假定你叫李华,是我校高三（2）班的学生。你在校报英语专栏看到了学校“英语文化节”的一则招募启事，请阅读启事，并根据写作要点和写作要求写一封应征邮件。

写作要点： 1.表明意图；2.陈述应征目的；3.说明应征条件（性格、能力等）。

写作要求： 1.词数:100词左右；   2.开头和结尾部分已写好，不计入总词数；

3.可适当增加细节，使行文连贯。    

Dear MS Chen,

I’m a student from Class 2,Grade 3.                                                                                       

Looking forward to your reply.

                                                                         Yours,

                                                                 Li Hua

    It's easy to blame technology for having damaged our social abilities, since most people feel more comfortable chatting online than meeting face－to－face. But this is actually a "chicken－and－egg" problem.

    It's possible that social networking is damaging our ability to socialize offline. As people rely more and more on typed words and emoji (表情符号), their emotional sensitivity is decreasing. "You can't learn nonverbal expression of feelings from a screen in the way you can learn it from face－to－face communication," Yalda Uhls, a researcher at the University of California said. "If you're not practicing face－to－face communication, you could be losing important social skills."

    A study in 2013 found that people unlocked their phones more than 100 times on average per day. Constantly checking your phone－a symptom of the phenomenon called FOMO (fear of missing out)－is also distracting people from face－to－face communication.

    But for people who already suffer from social anxiety, the Internet is a safe barrier for them to function normally. Behind that barrier, they feel more comfortable saying what they want without the risk of embarrassment. For them, it's much easier to look at a phone than to look at someone in the eye.

    Social media may even help with offline communication. In a study, US teenagers who are afraid to talk to the opposite sex were asked to approach a boy or a girl online first before talking to them in person. "Once they felt like they were doing okay online, then they could continue the conversation face－to－face in a more comfortable state," a researcher said. "The anxiety was lessened by using technology."

33．What's Yalda Uhls' opinion on online communication?

A．It causes people to lose social skills.

B．It helps people convey more meaning.

C．It has both advantages and disadvantages.

D．It can replace face－to－face communication.

34．Why is the Internet a safe barrier for some people?

A．They find it easy to use a phone.

B．They can say whatever they want.

C．It can avoid much embarrassment.

D．It can free them from social anxiety.

35．According to the last paragraph, how do teenagers benefit from social media?

A．They make more friends online.

B．They find it easy to talk to the opposite sex.

C．They learn to chat with others online.

D．They become less nervous in offline communication.

I received a call today asking if I would be willing to bring food to a family in need．The mother was having a major operation and would be lying down for several weeks．Of course，I responded with an immediate"Yes！"．As I planned the meal in my head，I reflected on how many times over the years I had been asked to prepare food．I have done so countless times with a very open heart．

But the truly amazing thing is that I have received double over the course of my life．When my mother passed away，our house was filled with fresh dinners for weeks．A woman from the church of our community stopped by each evening with some food．The gift of food was her small way of trying to ease our pain．

Later in my life，when I was on bed rest during my pregnancy with twins，women of the church again stepped in to help．They arranged babysitting for my two year old daughter，and brought lovely dinners to our house．Even when I was put in the hospital，my husband would bring cooked meals to my hospital room．How we relied on these dinners to feed my tired husband and young daughter．

Food is all about comfort．It feeds our bodies，but it can also feed our souls．When you hear people talking about their favorite holidays，it usually includes their feelings connected with sharing food．I know that I will have many more opportunities in my lifetime to prepare food for others．It is truly a gift I want to prepare and deliver to someone in need．

44．The author has given lots of food to others because　    ．

A．she is poor at cooking       

B．she is a church member

C．she is friendly to others      

D．she has received others'food

45．We can learn from the first paragraph that the author　   　．

A．had to stay in bed for several weeks

B．knew the family in need very well

C．was glad to be able to lend a hand

D．was tired of preparing food

46．What do we know about the author's family？　   　

A．Her family is too poor to buy enough food．

B．Her family lives not far from a church．

C．Her husband is not good at cooking．

D．She has a babysitter taking care of her twins．

47．According to the passage，which of the following conclusions can we get？　  　

A．A good beginning makes a good ending．

B．One good turn deserves another．

C．Actions speak louder than words．

D．Every man has his faults．

The prisoner had waited many months for help, but none had come. Now he felt he would do something to gain his freedom, to be free again to go about the world as he wished. But he could think of no way to run away.

He spent many hours thinking of his life before he was captured, regretting the mistakes he had made and dreaming of the joys he had known. And over and over he said to himself that he was being punished for no reason. He was guilty of no crime, but he had not been given a chance to explain the events which made him guilty.

Then one night the guard who sat outside the prisoner’s door fell asleep. When he noticed this, the prisoner was struck by a feeling of hope. Perhaps he could steal the keys while the guard was sleeping.

Silently the prisoner moved toward the guard. Very gently he lifted the ring of keys from the guard’s belt. Then he turned and crawled toward the door. Could he work the lock from the inside? The key turned and the door was opened. Within two minutes he had crossed the yard and climbed the wall. Then he ran across the field, free at last, a smile of joy beginning to spread across his face.

21．The prisoner had a wish           .

    A．to be excused                    B．to go away freely with his family

    C．to be a free man in the prison   D．to be helped out of the prison

22．He thought he         .

    A．was not a killer                                   B．was being treated well

    C．had done nothing wrong           D．would be guilty

23．In the third paragraph, “the prisoner was struck by a feeling of hope” means that          

    A．he felt hopeless                                   B．he was unable to move

    C．he kept on hoping                                  D．he was very excited

The traffic in Beijing will be better when Subway Line 16 ______ into service.

A. would be put        B. was put              C. will be put       D. is put

假设你是李华，把好朋友Colin 借给你的一件非常珍贵的物品丢失了。请给他写一封英文短信说明情况。

内容包括：

  1.物品丢失的经过；

  2.表达歉意；

  3.提出解决方案。

注意：

  1.词数100左右；

  2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Pointing to a small village at the foot of the mountain, he told us that was ________ he was born and brought up.

  A. what                    B. in which                   C. how                         D. where

 After the earthquake，the poor girl was found ________under the ruins of a church.
A．burying        B．to be buried     C．buried          D．being buried

All the preparations for the task ______, and we're ready to start.
　A. completed B. complete　C. had been completed D. have been completed

My mother was a responsible teacher and she retired. So I decided to give her one of my old computers to help her pass the time. She had a little bit of computer  _________  , so I just set it up for her and let her   _________  with it on her own.

As time went on, I   _________   the computer was hardly touched. She said she didn’t know   _________   to use it. I decided to teach her. I sat and   _________ everything and she seemed OK with what I said. Unfortunately, my sister called me at that moment   _________   we talked on the phone for an hour. Then when I saw her again, she was sitting in front of the computer, looking quite   _________   . The screen saver (屏幕保护) had appeared and she didn’t know how to  _________    it off. She had tried _________  every key and it didn’t work. I told her, “Just   _________   the mouse a little.” What I meant was that she just needed to move the mouse around to  _________ the computer up. What she did was to  _________   the mouse and start shaking it around in mid-air until the   _________    went completely black. I couldn’t help laughing because of her funny  _________  . The more I laughed the   _________  she got.

She thought that I was a (n)  _________   teacher and she decided to figure the thing out herself. Well, at least I helped her overcome her   _________  of breaking something and encouraged her to    _________  a little.

About a week later, I found a home-made   _________  card with a mouse on the front making a funny face   _________  to my door. It said, “Thanks for the computer lessons. Love, Mom.”

36．A. knowledge  B. theory     C. technology   D. history

37．A. watch      B. train      C. play         D. see

38．A. thought    B. heard      C. found        D. ignored

39．A. why        B. when       C. how          D. where

40．A. learned    B. described  C. explained    D. discussed

41．A. and        B. but        C. because      D. since

42．A. amusing    B. relaxed    C. interesting  D. discouraged

43．A. get        B. break      C. cut          D. turn

44．A. hitting    B. feeling    C. changing     D. removing

45．A. hang      B. shake      C. rub          D. push

46．A. clean     B. wake       C. bring        D. take

47．A. put up    B. cut off    C. pick up      D. put away

48．A. screen    B. curtain    C. cover        D. window

49．A. gesture   B. movement   C. action       D. expression

50．A. happier   B. ruder      C. better       D. angrier

51．A. impatient B. humorous   C. careful      D. helpful

52．A. pressure  B. sadness    C. depression   D. fear

53．A. observe   B. reply      C. experiment   D. answer

54．A. shopping  B. birthday   C. inviting     D. greeting

55．A. stuck     B. appeared   C. printed      D. combined

 I've asked several people what happened, but no one will give me a_______ answer.

   A. loose          B. native        C. latter           D. straight

After having a heavy lunch, when we continue our work in office, we tend to feel drowsy. It may strengthen so much that we find it difficult to keep our eyes open. At that time, many of us wish we could have a small bed next to our desks where we can take a rest! Sometimes, we even get a sense of guilt for fear that we may commit some mistakes in the work we are doing at that time. Some people may think that there must be something wrong with their health.

Usually, our lunch consists of heavy foods that make the stomachs full. So, most of the blood is directed towards the stomachs where the digestion is taking place. As a result, the brain receives much less amount of oxygen than it usually gets. This condition gives rise to drowsiness which is also accompanied by a sense of tiredness. During digestion of the foods, stomach acids are produced to help with digestion but they also change the pH values of the blood and make it alkaline(碱性的). Generally speaking, the pH values of the blood from 7.35-7.45 is normal. This alkalinity of blood can lead to the drowsy feeling. If you observe carefully, you will find that when you eat foods like pasta or bakery products, you tend to feel sleepier. These foods make the sugar levels in the blood higher than normal.

Thus we’d better make some changes on the foods that make up our lunch. Avoid potatoes, pasta, desserts and sweets, and eat less. Besides, we should stay away from drinks rich in caffeine, such as coffee. The fact is that it can make you think clearly only for a brief period of time. After that, you will start feeling sleepy all over again. Walking a few minutes after lunch is the best way to get rid of the drowsiness. This will improve the flow of blood in the body and will limit the blood sugar.

28. What does the underlined word “drowsy” in Para. 1 mean?  

 A. Sick.   B. Weak.    C. Sleepy.    D. Impatient.

29. Why do we sometimes feel guilty after having a heavy lunch？  

A. Because we can’t help worrying about our health.

 B. Because we may drink lots of our company’s coffee.

 C. Because we fear we may make mistakes in the work.

 D. Because eating may take up our work time.

30. If a person eats too much, the pH value of his blood might be at ______.  

 A. 8       B. 7       C. 6       D. 5

31. By following the suggestions in the last paragraph, we could________.  

 A. get rid of our bad eating habits finally

 B. improve our health without much effort

 C. keep our blood flowing at a normal speed

D. ensure our work efficiency in the afternoon

假如英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号∧，并在此符号下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线＼划掉。

修改：在错词下面划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2、只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

We are now living in a information age, in which TV, cellphones and the Web are wide used. It seem that many people cannot enjoy themselves without it. However, unless I were to give up one of them, I would turn off TV rather than to switch off my cellphone or cut off the Internet. I can do without TV because few shows attract me and there are too many ads. Besides, most programs on TV are available elsewhere, either. As for cellphones and the Web, they are less necessary for me. I need a cellphone to keep in touch my family and friend.

I watch documentaries, not movies．I read history books, not fiction．I use every free moment to accomplish one of the tasks on my never-ending checklist, and I am completely filled with thoughts of productivity．An hour sleeping is an hour wasted．And like the rest of 21st century America, I like it．But this fixation on productivity is increasingly destroying character and transforming men into robots.

New York Times columnist David Brooks warned American University students of this cultural decline in a speech．“We cut off all things spiritual and emotional in a competitive urge to stand out”, he said, “The pressure to succeed professionally, to acquire skills, to do the things you need to do to succeed in an information age economy really became the overwhelming（难以应付的） pressures, and it sort of eclipses the thinking about character and morality.”

Many students happily go to college, viewing it as a next step on their rise to professional achievement．Forcing as many success-building activities into their schedules as they can, they enjoy keeping busy with little sleep．“Today’s outstanding kids are likely to spend their afternoons and weekends shuttling from one skill-improving activity to the next,” Brooks wrote in an article, “We fear failure more than we desire success.”

A century ago, college was about character building．Today, our characters are in decline．We are experts on economics, material things and professional skills．We fail to discuss and understand relationships, emotions and all things spiritual．

Philosopher Karl Popper divided the world into two categories: Clocks and Clouds．Clock problems are those that can be taken apart, examined and solved through deductive reasoning（演绎推理）．Clouds cannot be taken apart．Cloud problems represent whole systems that need to be understood in a different way.

“When we have a Cloud problem, we try to turn it into a Clock problem,” Brooks said．And in a reason-centered culture, adding titles to one’s resume becomes a trend．At American University, 85 percent of seniors (and 89 percent of business majors) graduate with at least one practical experience which is often helpful to a student’s future career, but can sometimes draw focus away from academics.

To prevent the death of man’s character, Brooks urges rediscovering our human natures through falling in love．And by love he means love for a task, job, or another person．“Synchronicity is key to happiness,” he said．Rather than crazily increasing our long lists of accomplishments, we need to lose ourselves in what we do, and success will come on its own.

29．From Paragraph 1, we can learn that people __________.

A．are controlled by time

B．are keen on reading books

C．are changing their characters

D．are eager to achieve more

30．In Paragraph 2, the underlined word “eclipses” means _________.

A．deletes       B．weakens

C．worsens       D．emphasizes

31．The last paragraph mainly tells us that __________．

A．love is more important than focus

B．the focus on human natures counts

C．more work contributes to happiness

D．success comes from devotion to work

32．The purpose of this passage is to __________.

A．bring awareness to character building

B．stress the importance of productivity

C．warn about the pressure to seek success

D．criticize students’ desire for achievements

 ---Did you see Lucy when you arrived at the party?

---Yes, but she ________ soon afterwards.

A. had left            B. was leaving      C. would leave     D. left

Disability aids are vital to those who suffer problems with executing work with two hands. These are people who have been disabled due to some major sickness or some other problems. In order to help them carry on their work in the normal way, disability aids are manufactured. This helps them make their life a lot easier than what it would have been without these aids. The kind of disability aids that an individual might require depends on the person only. It is the problem that a person faces that decides the aids that he/she will use for carrying out their respective jobs. The following is the list of a few disability aids that come of significant use.

The first and foremost aid is the stocking aid, aiding the individuals suffering from the problem of bending down to reach the foot and wear their own socks. These stocking aids have a gutter(槽) that is made up of plastic material. These gutters are shaped in a certain way along with the attachment of cotton tapes in it. The sock is then put over the gutter. The foot is placed inside the gutter. The cotton tapes help in pulling the socks up the leg and subsequently the sock. In this manner, the sock is worn by a person who has problems wearing it by bending one’s back and reaching the foot.

There are openers that help the people who have problems with their hands or wrists to open bottles of ketchup, jam and other such bottles and jars that necessitates the use of hands and fingers.

The third type of disability aids that comes to our minds are lifts. Now what are lifts? Lifts are certain machines that help in lifting people from specific areas, such as a bathtub or a set of stairs. These lifts are of varied types and come for numerous applications. It is for the individual to decide the type that he/she requires to use.

For people, who have problems in balancing their upper bodies in a stable manner, there is something known as grab rails. These grab rails are installed for those who have mobility problems in their upper bodies. These rails come in varieties of shapes, sizes and angles. These grab rails are available to home users as well, in their different variations. One can purchase and fix one to their homes according to one’s specificities. These grab rails require the act of screwing and drilling in order to fix them to their appropriate place. The prices of these rails also vary according to the variation of their shapes and sizes.

A portable book holder is a much sought-after disability aid. It can be used by anybody for that matter, not just the disabled. These portable book holders are light-weight and can be easily moved about. These holders relieve the strains on one’s hands, necks and shoulders that might occur due to the handling of a book. The holders are provided with extended legs that help in placing the reading material at suitable distance.

Thus with the help of these disability aids, the old and disabled people can make their lives much more convenient and comfortable that would otherwise have been a cumbersome and complex one.

Disability Aids