When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choice in life.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I would live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is my doctors' code for preparing yourself to die.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. I was completely in despair. Later that evening, I had another examination and my wife told me that tumor turned to be curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I' m fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death. To tell the truth, no one wants to die. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. It clears out the old to make room for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.
Your time is so limited that you shouldn't waste it repeating someone else's life. Don' t be trapped by dogma（教条）— which is living with the results of other people' s thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart. It somehow already knows what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
【小题1】The doctor advised the author to go home and get his affairs in order because ______.
| A．he had to rest at home |
| B．his disease couldn't be cured |
| C．his disease was not serious at all |
| D．he had to wait for the result of the test |
| A．He thinks it is impossible to avoid. |
| B．He thinks it is not the end of life. |
| C．He thinks it is nothing to be scared of. |
| D．He thinks it is the beginning of a new life. |
| A．follow others' advice | B．take no notice of diseases |
| C．take exercise and keep healthy | D．have the courage to follow our heart |
| A．came across | B．dealt with | C．survived | D．supported |
【小题1】B
【小题2】A
【小题3】D
【小题4】A
解析试题分析：苹果公司CEO乔布斯在斯坦福大学毕业典礼上的节选部分。主要内容是：乔布斯认为“记住你即将死去”是他一生中遇到的最重要箴言。人们的时间有限，所以不要将它们浪费在重复其他人的生活上。不要被其他人喧嚣的观点掩盖你真正的内心的声音。要有勇气去听从直觉和心灵的指示。
【小题1】细节理解题。由第三段的incurable以及…which is doctor’s code for preparing yourself to die可知医生认为作者的病无法医治，所以让他回去安排自己的事情。选B。
【小题2】推理判断题。由第五段To tell the truth, no one wants to die. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it可知，作者认为没有人愿意死，但是死亡是我们每个人共同的终点，从来没有人能够逃脱它。选A。
【小题3】推理判断题。最后一段中，作者提到：人们的时间有限，所以不要将它们浪费在重复其他人的生活上。不要被其他人喧嚣的观点掩盖你真正的内心的声音。要有勇气去听从直觉和心灵的指示——它们在某种程度上知道你想要成为什么样子，所以其他的事情都是次要的。选D。
【小题4】猜词题：所在的句子的意思是：记得我要死了是我遇到的最重要的工具可以让我做出最大的决定，encounter是“遇到”，选A
考点：考查人物传记类短文
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
When Pat Jones finished college, she decided to travel around the world and see as many foreign places as she could while she was young. Pat wanted to visit Latin America first, so she got a job as an English teacher in a school in Bolivia. Pat spoke a little Spanish, so she was able to communicate with her students even when they didn’t know much English.
Once, A sentence she had read somewhere struck her mind: if you dream in a foreign language, you have really mastered it. Pat repeated this sentence to her students and hoped that some day she would dream in Spanish and they would dream in English.
One day, one of her worst students came up and explained in Spanish that he had not done his homework. He had gone to bed early and had slept badly.
“What does this have to do with your homework?” Pat asked.
“I dreamed all night, Miss Jones. And my dream was in English.”
“In English?” Pat was very surprised, since he was such a bad student. She was even secretly jealous (嫉妒的). Her dream was still not in Spanish. But she encouraged her young student, “Well, tell me about your dream.”
“All the people in my dream spoke English. All the newspapers and magazines and all the TV programs were in English.”
“But that’s wonderful,” said Pat. “What did all the people say to you?”
“I am sorry, Miss Jones. That’s why I slept so badly. I didn’t understand a word they said. It was a nightmare (噩梦)”.
【小题1】Pat believed that ______.
| A．people can learn foreign languages in their dreams |
| B．she already dreamed in Spanish so she has mastered Spanish |
| C．one of her worst students had already mastered English |
| D．dreaming in a foreign language means a good command of it |
| A．the home work was too difficult |
| B．the student dreamed in English |
| C．the student didn’t sleep well |
| D．the student didn’t know much English |
| A．to show us how to learn a foreign language |
| B．to show us how to teach a foreign language |
| C．to amuse us with an interesting story |
| D．to encourage us to travel to foreign countries |
| A．in Bolivia, people speak Spanish |
| B．Pat’s student who dreamed in English was actually good at English |
| C．Pat has already learned much Spanish |
| D．in Latin America, the newspapers and magazines are in English |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The artist Grandma Moses became famous for her simple, bright, cheerful paintings of American farm life．Her full name was Anna Mary Robertson Moses．But she was known to everyone as Grandma Moses because she did not begin to paint seriously until in her seventies．
Born on a farm in New York, Anna had little schooling．Her days were filled with farm chores．But she often found time to make pictures．Soon, however, she became too busy to draw or paint．At the age of 12, she went to work as a servant for a family nearby．She worked for other people for many years．Then, when she was 27, she married Thomas Moses, a farmer．And they began raising a family of their own．
Anna Moses could no longer do heavy farm work with age．Then, in her seventies, she began to paint in oils．Her pictures showed things she recalled from childhood-farm scenes, ice-skating, bringing home the Christmas tree．Later, she began to display her art at county fairs．Her pictures recorded a way of life that was quickly passing away．People everywhere loved these happy scenes, and soon her paintings were shown in art galleries．Grandma Moses became famous partially on account of her age, but mainly because her approach to art was modest and simple compared to many other painters of her time．Without formal training or even knowledge of Modernism, she relied on her own simple techniques to create her landscapes and scenes．She continued to paint almost until her death, on December 13, 1961 , at the age of 101．
The themes in her paintings provided the comfort of a rural life that many busy Americans treasured from their past．The threat of nuclear arms that appeared on television screens and in magazines had Americans starving for something more．Grandma Moses' art appealed to those who had lost hope for the future．Her classic paintings still appear on TV commercials, greeting cards, and magazine and book covers．
【小题1】What can be inferred from the fact that Grandma Moses picked up a paintbrush?
| A．She had no other ways to kill time． |
| B．Her friend and family suggested it． |
| C．She had had a love for painting since her childhood． |
| D．She needed to make a living by selling her paintings． |
| A．her old age | B．her plain style |
| C．her lack of training | D．her modern knowledge |
| A．her paintings raised people's hope for the future |
| B．her paintings expressed the reality of her old age |
| C．many Americans were interested in purchasing art works |
| D．people wanted to get comfort by remembering grandmas |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
My husband and I had just opened up a pet sitting business earlier that year. Our customers had slowly risen from three to thirty a month. We were busy through those hot summer months, driving between visits. Our services were strictly held at the pet owner’s home. It was almost too busy for the two of us, but we were making good money!
We asked pet owners new to our services to phone two weeks ahead so we had enough time to meet the owners and pets at their homes and make any following meetings before the owner leaves.
One day, we decided to take on a new customer just two days before they would leave. We met the family, filled in a form, and spent some time with their dog, Hercules. He playfully jumped on us and touched our hands and arms using his tongue. The family laughed as he did this, showing us that he was very loving.
Two days later I appeared at the house, alone. I came up to Hercules and said hello happily. I filled up his water bowl and cleaned any messes he made. Meanwhile, he was so lovely sitting beside. I thought this would be the good picture to send to the owners, a usual service. After the light and “click” sound went off, Hercules rushed at me. I didn’t know what had just happened until I noticed the drops of blood. I ran out and did the only thing — calling my husband.
Then I went to neighbors for help. My husband arrived after ten minutes. The helpful neighbor and my husband led Hercules back into his pen (圈). Then my husband and I took off to the hospital.
I must have looked like I was shot when I walked into the hospital. The nurses quickly moved me to a room. I asked the doctor in a weak but playful manner, “ Am I going to die？” He replied, “Finally.”
【小题1】According to the text, the author’s work was .
| A．tiring and dangerous | B．easy and free |
| C．well paid | D．done outdoors |
| A．Cleaning the clients’ house. |
| B．Walking the pets outside. |
| C．Bringing the pets to her own house. |
| D．Taking a photo of pets to the owners. |
| A．Hercules feared the sound and the flash |
| B．the author attacked Hercules first |
| C．Hercules was very hungry then |
| D．the author treated Hercules badly |
| A．anger | B．humor | C．carelessness | D．patience |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Henry Edwards Huntington was born in 1850 in Oneonta, New York. In 1872 he went to work for his uncle, one of the owners of the Central Pacific Railroad. Twenty years later, Huntington moved to San Francisco at his uncle’s request to share management of the Southern Pacific Railroad. On the way to San Francisco, he visited San Marino, and later bought it, which is home to his collections today.
In 1902, Huntington moved his business operations to Los Angeles, where he developed the street railway system that created the structure of the Los Angeles area. He greatly expanded the existing electric railway lines, creating an extensive inter-urban system providing the transportation necessary. Huntington’s business interests continued to grow particularly in the areas of water, power, and land development; at one time he served on as many as 60 corporate boards throughout the United States.
At the age of 60, he announced his decision to retire in order to devote time to his book and art collections and the landscaping of the 600-acre farm. In 1911 the large Beaux Arts building, in the charge of the architect Myron Hunt, was completed.
In 1913, Huntington married Arabella Duval Huntington. She shared his interests in collecting. As one of the most important art collectors of her generation, she was highly influential in the development of the art collection now shown in the former building.
In 1919, Henry and Arabella Huntington signed the agreement that conveyed their San Marino property and collections to a nonprofit educational trust, creating the Huntington, one of the world’s great cultural, research, and educational centers.
Henry E. Huntington died in 1927, leaving his great treasures the Huntington, including the world-famous Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California to the public, which hosts more than 500,000 visitors each year.
【小题1】What can you learn about Huntington from the first two paragraphs?
| A．He worked in many fields before he came to Los Angeles. |
| B．He built a house to store his art collection in San Marino. |
| C．He did a lot to the USA railway development. |
| D．He founded the Central Pacific Railroad. |
| A．He devoted himself to his personal interests. |
| B．He worked part time for non-profit business. |
| C．He was in charge of an educational center. |
| D．He shared his wife’s interests with her. |
| A．An excellent artist. | B．A talented architect. |
| C．An ambitious educator. | D．A successful businessman. |
| A．a science fiction | B．a newspaper report | C．a novel | D．a biography |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Many years ago in a small German town, a Jewish businessman had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the businessman’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain.
The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender’s wife and he would forgo her father’s debt. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble-strewn path. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. The sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. No doubt she was caught in a dilemma.
What would you have done if you were the girl? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1.The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2.The girl should know that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3.The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral (横向的)and logical thinking.
Read on…
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. “Oh, how clumsy of me!” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.” Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.
【小题1】The underlined word “forgo” in paragraph 2 may mean ________.
| A．pay off | B．run out | C．take over | D．give up |
| A．The girl refused to take a pebble and fled at once. |
| B．The girl exposed the cheat and found another way. |
| C．The girl picked one pebbles and made it disappear. |
| D．The girl picked a black pebble and accepted the result. |
| A．The girl dropped the pebble onto the path on purpose |
| B．The girl dropped the pebble onto the path by accident |
| C．The girl didn’t know there were two black pebbles in the bag |
| D．The girl replaced a black pebble in the bag |
| A．Keeping calm when facing a difficult situation. |
| B．Thinking about a complicated problem in another way. |
| C．Thinking twice before making a final choice. |
| D．Coming up with a clever answer is easy. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
When my brother and I were young, my mom would take us on Transportation Days.
It goes like this: You can’t take any means of transportation more than once. We would start from home, walking two blocks to the rail station. We’d take the train into the city center, then a bus, switching to the tram, then maybe a taxi. We always considered taking a horse carriage in the historic district, but we didn’t like the way the horses were treated, so we never did. At the end of the day, we took the subway to our closet station, where Mom’s friend was waiting to give us a ride home——our first car ride of the day.
The good thing about Transportation Days is not only that Mom taught us how to get around. She was born to be multimodal (多方式的). She understood that depending on cars only was a failure of imagination and, above all, a failure of confidence—the product of a childhood not spent exploring subway tunnels.
Once you learn the route map and step with certainty over the gap between the train and the platform, nothing is frightening anymore. New cities are just light-rail lines to be explored. And your personal car, if you have one, becomes just one more tool in the toolbox—and often an inadequate one, limiting both your mobility and your wallet.
On Transportation Days, we might stop for lunch on Chestnut Street or buy a new book or toy, but the transportation was the point. First, it was exciting enough to watch the world speed by from the train window. As I got older, my mom helped me unlock the mysteries that would otherwise have paralyzed my first attempts to do it myself: How do I know where to get off? How do I know how much it costs? How do I know when I need tickets, and where to get them? What track, what line, which direction, where’s the stop, and will I get wet when we go under the river?
I’m writing this right now on an airplane, a means we didn’t try on our Transportation Days and, we now know, the dirtiest and most polluting of them all. My flight routed me through Philadelphia. My multimodal mom met me for dinner in the airport. She took a train to meet me.
【小题1】Which was forbidden by Mom on Transportation Days?
| A．Having a car ride. |
| B．Taking the train twice. |
| C．Buying more than one toy. |
| D．Touring the historic district. |
| A．Building confidence in herself. |
| B．Reducing her use of private cars. |
| C．Developing her sense of direction. |
| D．Giving her knowledge about vehicles. |
| A．displayed |
| B．justified |
| C．ignored |
| D．ruined |
| A．Airplane. |
| B．Subway. |
| C．Tram. |
| D．Car. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In 1883. John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea, but Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so." "Crazy men and their crazy dreams.'' "It's foolish to chase wild visions." Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged.
One day he was lying on his bed in hospital, seeing the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment with the sunlight streaming through the windows, and a gentle breeze bowing the flimsy white curtains apart when an idea hit him. He decided to make the best use of the only finger he could move. Thus, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm until the bridge was finally completed.
【小题1】Which of the following is true of Washington and his father?
| A．They are hardworking and courageous. |
| B．They are stubborn and bold. |
| C．They are creative and persistent. |
| D．They are curious and modest. |
| A．the tragic accident | B．the building of the bridge |
| C．the brain damage | D．the discussion and persuasion |
| A．She could understand Washington and helped him a lot. |
| B．She couldn't understand him but took good care of him. |
| C．She didn't like Washington's idea about building the bridge. |
| D．She took the responsibility to continue building the bridge. |
| A．people all over America supported him |
| B．almost no bridge experts in the world supported him |
| C．his friends were strongly in favor of his idea |
| D．many people considered it would be a great feat |
| A．NO pains, no gains. | B．Many hands make light work. |
| C．A lighted heart is a good medicine. | D．Passion creates wonder. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
I spend a lot of time backpacking and hiking the outdoors and there are two pieces of equipment that are with me on each trip: an Adventure Medical Kits Weekender and an Adventure Medical Kits Suture Syringe Kit. Both proved very helpful on my most recent adventures to the Wrangell in Alaska.
On that day, we were “blessed” with rain, making our water crossing on the Dixie Pass very difficult. Our party of 12 had almost reached our destination when I slipped, severely gashing(划伤) my knee open in the process. While I could not see the wound at first because of the rain pants I was wearing, I knew it was severe.
Blood was running freely and I made those standing nearby aware of the damage. They quickly came over to assist, pulled my pack off and removed the Weekender First Aid Kit and Suture Kit from it. Fortunately, one of my partners is a doctor called William, who has often performed this type of work in the operating room, not out in the wild.
I seriously think he was more nervous about all this than me! I, of course, was more than happy that I did not have to stitch(缝合) myself up. As a marine, I’ve had to do it before. Fortunately, the sky had cleared up about two hours before, so we had great sunlight to work with. The doctor worked quickly with the assistance of another fellow camper acting as a nurse and placed seven stitches into my knee once the wound had been cleaned up.
Later that evening we used a syringe(注射器) we set aside loaded with Iodine(抗炎药) to clean the wound and then bandaged it again. The doctor was very impressed with the kits contents!
I’ve already ordered another Suture Syringe Kit. I have to say the kits are worth their weight in gold! Thanks for the contents in the kits!
【小题1】What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 probably refer to?
| A．the wound | B．the rain | C．the kit | D．the knee |
| A．Because William didn’t know how to use the kits. |
| B．Because the author didn’t trust William. |
| C．Because the author hurt himself severely. |
| D．Because William had no experience of doing it in the wild. |
| A．useless | B．extremely useful | C．troublesome | D．not essential |
| A．How first aid kits saved a backpacker in Alaska. |
| B．How a doctor did the operation in the wild. |
| C．How the author with 12 fellow campers hike the outdoors. |
| D．How the author hurt himself. |
查看答案和解析>>
湖北省互联网违法和不良信息举报平台 | 网上有害信息举报专区 | 电信诈骗举报专区 | 涉历史虚无主义有害信息举报专区 | 涉企侵权举报专区
违法和不良信息举报电话：027-86699610 举报邮箱：58377363@163.com