 An old man lived with his family. The family would eat together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, dropping to the floor. When he grasped his glass of milk, it often spilled clumsily(笨拙地) at the tablecloth. With this happening almost every night, the son and daughter-in-law became annoyed with the mess. “We must do something about grandfather,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his milk spilling, noisy eating and food on the floor,” the daughter-in-law agreed. So the couple set a small table at the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in wooden bowls. Sometimes when the family looked in grandfather’s direction, he had tears in his eyes as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp warnings when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening, before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood pieces on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy replied, “Oh, I’m making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. These words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears streamed down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken, both knew what must be done. 小题1:Eating was difficult for the grandfather because ________.
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