Taking care of Mother

Toshi: We have to face the facts. Mother is too old to live alone.

Midori: Yes, you're probably right. She is getting older, and since your father died, she seems very forgetful.

Toshi: Mother will need someone to take care of her in the near future.

Midori: Perhaps we could hire a nurse.You know, someone who could come in during the day, clean the house, cook some meals, make sure she takes her pills.

Toshi: But nurses don't do all of those things. You're thinking of a nurse and a housekeeper. Who would pay for that? It will be very expensive!

Midori: Well, Toshi, what are you thinking?

Toshi: Since I'm the only child, we have to take care of her. She can come to live with us.

Midori: Here? In this tiny house? There are only two bed­rooms.We can't move our two daughters out of their small bedroom.

Toshi: What else can we do? We can't afford to hire a nurse and a housekeeper. I'm her only child. Her husband, brother and sister are all dead. We have to take care of her.

Midori: May be we could look for a bigger house.

Toshi: InTokyo? You know that's impossible. We tried look­ing last year and everything inthis area of Tokyo is too expensive.

Midori: Let's move away from the city. Someplace cheap.

Toshi: But then I would be far away from my office. It might take me two or three hours on the train. I hate to commute. No, the only solu­tion is for Mother to live with us here.

VI. Give synonyms to the following:

Talk - Absent - minded - Small - Large -

Give antonyms to the following:

Expensive - Tiny - Far -

VII. Answer the questions:

1. How old was Toshi`s mother?

2. Why did Toshi want the mother to live with them?

3. What did Midori propose to do?

4. Did they have a big or a small house?

5. Could they afford to hire a nurse and a housekeeper? Why?

6. What was Toshi`s solution?

What do you think?

Which opinions do you agree with? Check as many as you want.

Ø It's too expensive to take care of old people. I think the government should be responsible for taking care of them.

Ø Taking care of elderly parents is the child's duty. So the child should not depend on other people or on the govern­ment for help.

Ø Your parents should live with you when they're old, even if your house is small.

Ø If your mother or father suddenly comes to your house to live, it will cause a lot of problems.

Ø Elderly people should live in special homes. They shouldn't bother their children.