A、They were already terminally ill. B、They couldn’t overcome the fear of death. C、They were aware of the approaching death. D、Th

In the old days, children were familiar with birth and death as part of life. This is perhaps the first generation of American youngsters who have never been close by during the birth of a baby and have never experienced the death of a family member.
    Nowadays when people grow old, we often send them to nursing homes. When they get sick, we transfer them to a hospital, where children are forbidden to visit terminally ill patients—even when those patients are their parents. This deprives the dying patient of significant family members during the last few days of his life and it deprives the children of an experience of death, which is an important learning experience. Some of my colleagues and I once interviewed and followed approximately 500 terminally ill patients in order to find out how they feel about death. We were most impressed by the fact that even those patients who were not told of their serious illness were quite aware of its potential outcome. It is important for family members, and doctors and nurses to communicate with these patients in order to truly understand their needs, fears and fantasies. Most of our patients welcomed another human being with whom they could talk openly and frankly about their trouble. Many of them shared with us their tremendous need to be informed, to be kept up-to-date on their medical condition and to be told when the end was near. We found out that patients who had been dealt with openly and frankly were better able to cope with the approach of death and finally to reach stage of acceptance prior to death.
    12.What did children in America think of death in the old days?
    13.What were the children in contemporary American society deprived of?
    14.During the interview with the patients, what deeply impressed the speaker?
    15.What is most needed by a dying patient according to the speaker?