An English woman suffering from a rare condition known as painful hyperacusis says that everyday noises, such as her children’s laughter, her friends’ voices, and even music cause her paralyzing (麻痹的) pain.

Until 18 months ago, Karen Cook worked as a cabin crew and lived a perfectly normal life with her husband and their two boys. But then she started experiencing something strange and painful. In 2022, Karen’s hyperacusis suddenly set in. All of a sudden, sound became a problem for her. The voices of loved ones, chatting with friends, or listening to her favorite music caused her unbearable headaches to the point where she began to seclude herself just to make them stop.

Ever since she was originally diagnosed with hyperacusis, Karen has been trying to cure, or at least keep its symptoms in check, but things have been getting worse. She now spends most of her time indoors, because she can’t handle all the noise of the outside world, and even when she is home alone, she wears earplugs and noise blockers to protect herself.

“Something as beautiful as my children’s laughter, hearing their voices, is like pain for me,” the 49-year-old woman said. “I would sit and watch them through the window opening their Christmas presents because it was too noisy for me to be in the room and they would come up to the window and show them to me.”

Karen, from Southport, in the northwest of England, used to be very active and outdoorsy, but today her main priority is protecting herself from the physical pain caused by sound. Her life has changed completely and the only thing that keeps her going is her kids. She is determined to fight and hopefully find a way to treat this condition, but so far nothing has worked.

1.What does the underlined word “seclude” mean?

A Supervise.

B Accuse.

C Separate.

D Blame.

解析：选C。C词义猜测题。根据划线部分前面的“The voices of loved ones, chatting with friends, or listening to her favorite music caused her unbearable headaches”和倒数第二段的“I would sit and watch them through the window opening their Christmas presents because it was too noisy for me to be in the room”可知，声音对她来说成了折磨，亲人的声音、与朋友聊天的声音或者她最喜欢的音乐都让她头疼得难以忍受，她只能透过窗户看着孩子们开心地打开圣诞礼物，她开始“孤立”自己以让这种疼痛停止。故选C。

2.How does Karen feel about the outside world?

A It brings her hope.

B It’s closely linked to her illness.

C It benefits her kids.

D It upsets her.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第三段的“because she can’t handle all the noise of the outside world”可知，现在她大部分时间都呆在室内，因为她无法处理外界的所有噪音，由此可知外面的世界对她来说是个困扰。故选D。

3.What makes Karen decide on the journey to treat her condition?

A Unbearable headaches.

B Noise blockers.

C Her family.

D Christmas presents.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据最后一段的“Her life has changed completely and the only thing that keeps her going is her kids.”可知，她的生活已经完全改变了，唯一能让她坚持下去的就是她的孩子，她决心抗争，希望能找到治疗这种疾病的方法。故选C。

4.What’s the passage mainly about?

A Unconditional love.

B Mom with a rare disease.

C Unbearable noises.

D Family with pain.

解析：选B。B主旨大意题。本文主要讲了一位英国母亲患罕见疾病，每天受噪音影响遭受折磨的故事。故选B。