Question

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate from the bottom of your heart, for he was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When asked how he was able to do so, he would reply,“ If I were any better, I would be twins!”

There was no doubt that Jerry was unique because he had several followers who were in his shadow from restaurant to restaurant. Obviously, these colleagues were greatly touched by Jerry’s attitude so as to follow him here and there. Being a natural motivator, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation whenever he or she was having a bad day.

Curious about his style, I went up to Jerry and asked him, “ I can’t believe it! You can’t be a positive person all the time. How do you do it? ” Jerry replied, “ Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or to point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested. “ Yes, it is,” Jerry said. “ Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.”

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon after I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination(密码组合). The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments(碎片) of the bullets still in his body.

I bumped into Jerry about six months after the terrifying accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “ If I were any better, I’d be twins. Want to see my scars(伤疤)？” I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “ Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you scared?” I asked.

Jerry continued, “The paramedics(护理人员)were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read,‘ He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.” “What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets(子弹)！’. Over their laughter I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’ ”

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his experienced doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

1.By saying “If I were any better, I would be twins！”(Paragraphs 1&7), Jerry means that_________.

A. he felt depressed in life

B. he was content with his life

C. he regretted not having a twin brother

D. he attempted to live as good a life as his twin brother

2.According to Paragraph 3, what did the writer think of Jerry’s positive thinking style at first?

A. He accepted it and tried to copy it.

B. He was jealous of and even hated it.

C. He was in favor of and reflected on it.

D. He failed to understand it and tended to confirm it.

3.Why did Jerry think he needed to take action in hospital?

A. He couldn’t bear the rudeness of a big nurse.

B. The medical staff were not skilled enough to save him.

C. He was in danger and had to follow the nurses’ instructions.

D. He had to encourage the doctors and nurses for the operation.

4.The underlined part” declined to”(Paragraph 7) can best be replaced by__________.

A. refused to B. promised to

C. agreed to D. intended to

5.Which of the following would best describe Jerry according to the passage?

A. Humorous and optimistic.

B. Unique(独特) and unselfish.

C. Positive and cautious.

D. Outstanding and ambitious.

6.Which of the following is conveyed in this article?

A. Jerry’s survival is a miracle (奇迹).

B. Unique people may achieve success.

C. Attitude is everything.

D. Choices mean success.

Answer 1