About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas(胰腺). I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which was doctor’s code for preparing to die. It meant to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It meant to make sure everything was buttoned up so that it would be as easy as possible for your family. It meant to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy(活组织检查). I was calm, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.
This is the closest I’ve been to facing death. No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way 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. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by the principle — 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 important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.The author's main purpose in writing the passage is to let the readers __________.
A.be brave when facing a cancer |
B.treasure their lifetime to fulfill their own business |
C.know a sorrowful experience of his won |
D.know how he treasured his family. |
Why can the author's illness be cured so soon?
A.He prepared everything in order. | B.He had a biopsy. |
C.His pancreatic cancer can be curable with surgery. | D.His wife helped him. |
The impression the author gave readers is that __________.
A.he was so optimistic that the incurable illness wouldn't bring him down. |
B.he could leave death alone and had enough courage to become what he wanted to. |
C.he was so determined that he wasn't scared at death. |
D.he was such a responsible man that he prepared well before he died. |
What does the underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refer to?
A.Gods. | B.The doctors |
C.Heart and intuition | D.Other persons |
McGill Comedy Club Important meeting today. Discussions on putting on Blazing Saddles. Union room 302, 3-4 pm. New members (both actors and nonactors, living and dead) are welcome. |
History Students' Association Prof. Michael Cross of Dalhousie University will be speaking on “Unskilled Labours on Rivers and Canals in Upper Canada, 1820-1850: The Beginnings of Class Struggle,"at 10 am in Leacock 230. |
Design Mirror Sale All types and sizes of design mirrors priced to please. Sale today in Union room 108. |
McGill Teaching Assistants' Association A general meeting, for all the TAs, will be held at 4 pm in Leacock 116. |
Women's Union Important. General Meeting at 6 pm, Union room 423. Speaker on “Importance of d eciding basic goals of the Women's Union".Everyone, old, new and those intere sted, please attend. |
|
Film Society Last meeting of the term for all members.All managers are required to be present. 6:00 sharp, Union room 434. |
Canadian University Students Overseas CUSO presents “Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast" at 7 pm. Newman Centre, 3484 Peel. Find out about CUSO here and overseas. Everyone welcome. |
1.Where can you probably find this text?
A. In a school magazine. B. In a national paper.
C. In a guide book.D. In a university daily newspaper.
2.If you are interested in arts, where would you go for a visit?
A. Leacock 116. B. Union room 423.
C. Union room 108. D. Newman Centre, 3484 Peel.
3.Which of the following is the name of a play?
A. Blazing Saddles.
B. Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast.
C. Importance of deciding basic goals of the Women's Union.
D. Unskilled Labours on Rivers and Canals in Upper Canada, 1820-1850.
The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean, so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for ever.He sent his camera crew(摄制组) out one evening to film the sunset for him.
The next morning he said to the men,“Have you provided me with that sunset?"
“No,sir," the men answered.
The director was angry. “Why not?"he asked.
“Well, sir,"one of the men answered,“we're on the east coast here, and the sun sets in the west. We can get you a sunrise over the sea, if necessary, but not a sunset."
“But I want a sunset!"the director shouted.“Go to the airport,take the next flight to the west coast, and get one."
But then a young secretary had an idea.“Why don't you photograph a sunrise," she suggested,“and then play it backwards? then it'll look like a sunset."
“That's a very good idea!" the director said. Then he turned to the camera crew and said, “Tomorrow morning I want you to get me a beautiful sunrise over the sea."
The camera crew went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay(海湾). Then at nine o'clock they took it to the director. “Here it is, sir," they said, and gave it to him. He was very pleased.
They all went into the studio(摄影棚).“All right,"the director explained,“now our hero and heroine are going to say goodbye. Run the film backwards so that we can see the ‘sunset'behind them."
The “sunset" began, but after a quarter of a minute ,the director suddenly
put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera crew to stop.
“The birds in the film were flying backwards, and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach."
1.One evening, the director sent his camera crew out ________.
A. to watch a beautiful sunsetB. to find an actor and an actress
C. to film a scene on the sea D. to meet the audience
2.Why did the director want to send his crew to the west coast?
A. Because he changed his mind about getting a sunset.
B. Because he was angry with his crew.
C. Because it was his secretary's suggestion.
D. Because he wanted to get a scene of sunset.
3. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The crew had to follow the secretary's advice.
B. If you want to see a sunrise, the east coast is the place to go to.
C. The camera crew wasn't able to film the scene the first day.
D. The director ordered his crew to stop filming the “sunset".
4.The director wanted to film a sunset over the ocean because ________ .
A. it went well with the separation of the hero and the heroine
B. when they arrived at the beach it was already in the evening
C. it was more moving than a sunrise
D. the ocean looked more beautiful at sunset
5. After the“sunset" began, the director suddenly put his face in his hands ________ .
A. because he was moved to tears
B. as he saw everything in the film moving backwards
C. as the sunrise did not look as beautiful as he had imagined
D. because he was disappointed with the performance of the hero and heroine
HOW TO BOOK
Booking opens for Beckett Shorts on 8 September.
BY TELEPHONE
For credit card(信用卡)bookings. Calls are answered.
BOX OFFICE
01789 295623 9am-8pm(Mon-Sat)
0541 541051(24 hours, 7 days, no booking charge).
BY FAX
For credit card bookings. Please allow at least 48 hours for reply, if required.
BOX OFFICE
01789 261974 or 01862 387765
BY POST
Please enclose(附上)a cheque or credit card details together with an SAE or add 50p to the total amount(总额)to cover postage. Please send to the Box Office, RST, StratforduponAvon, CV376BB.
Booking opens for all other plays on 19 September.
IN PERSON
BOX OFFICE
RST hall, 9∶30am-8pm(Mon-Sat)(6pm when theatres are closed).
OVERSEAS BOOKING
The easiest method of payment is by credit card.You can also pay by: Eurocheque(
up to £500)with your card number written on the back.
PAYING FOR YOUR TICKETS
CREDIT CARDS
We accept Visa, Master card, American Express and Diners Club. Please give t
he card number, name and address of cardholder.
CHEQUES
Cheques and postal orders should be payable to: Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
1.In which of the following ways of booking does one probably have to pay extra money?
A.In person. B.By telephone. C.By fax. D.By post.
2.One has to wait for 2 days or longer for a reply if he/she pays__________.
A.in person B.by telephone C.by fax D.by post
3.What is a useful number to call at 11am Sunday?
A.01789 295623 B.0541 541051 C.01789 261174 D.01862 387665
Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn't think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique(古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception(接待). I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?”“Twenty pounds,”I said. “OK,”he said. “I'll give you twenty pounds.”“It's got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that, it's nothing.”
Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.”“I'll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean?” “You've just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I've changed my mind. I am sorry. I'll give you twentyseven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,”he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You're right,”I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said,‘Would you mend this chair for me?’”“I wouldn't have agreed to do it,”he said. “We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I'll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused(感到有趣) by the whole thing.
1.We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer_________.
A. was rather impolite
B. was warmly received
C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair
D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair
2.The underlined word “approach” in the second paragraph means _________.
A. plan for dealing with things
B. decision to sell things
C. idea of repairing things
D. way of doing things
3.The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper _________.
A. changed his mind
B. accepted the offer
C. saw the writer's purpose
D. decided to help the writer
4. How much did the writer pay?
A. £5. B. £7. C. £20. D. £27.
5. From the text, we can learn that the writer was _________.
A. honest B. careful C. smart D. funny
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