ThebookingnotesoftheplaytheAge-优题课

The CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs’ story about death
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（遇到）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 biopsy（活组织检查）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.
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 was not serious at all

C．his disease couldn’ t be cured

D．he had to wait for the result of the test

How did the author feel after the diagnosis?

A．Angry

B．Excited

C．Optimistic

D．Hopeless

What does the author think of death?

A．He thinks it is nothing to be scared of.

B．He thinks it is not the end of life.

C．He thinks it is impossible to avoid.

D．He thinks it is the beginning of a new life

In the author’ s opinion, we should ____________.

A．follow others’ advice

B．take no notice of diseases

C．take exercise and keep healthy

D．have the courage to follow our heart

Japan’ s nuclear crisis is also causing concerns in China. Worried shoppers rushed to stores and supermarkets in the country for salt, with the belief that it might protect them from potential nuclear radiation spreading from Japan.
Many rushed to buy to store as much iodized salt as possible because of the rumor that iodized salt could help prevent radiation poisoning spreading from Japan’ s Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Consumers also worried that the nuclear plumes might spread to China by air and sea, polluting food sources, including salt taken from the sea.
The wave of panic buying spread quickly across the country, driving up salt prices by five to ten fold in some cities.
Even regions rich in salt production, like Jiangxi Province，faced sudden shortages.
The government took measures to guarantee enough supply and to stabilize（稳定）the market. It also dismissed the nuclear rumors, saying the nuclear fallout was unlikely to reach the country, and that salt did not help to prevent radiation poisoning.
Local authorities have stepped in to stabilize the market, too. As well, state-owned salt companies have been urged to increase their supply.
Facing expanding market demand, distribution centers have taken extra measures to ensure they are well-prepared.
Wang Yun, the General Manager of Beijing Salt Industry Corporation, said, “Our storage reserves can guarantee a two-month supply for the Beijing market.”
People made panic purchases of salt for the reasons EXCEPT______________.

A．salt might protect them from potential nuclear radiation

B．nuclear radiation might pollute food sources

C．nuclear radiation might pollute salt taken from the sea

D．there would be a shortage of salt on the market

The underlined word “fold” in the third paragraph means _______.

A．times

B．prices

C．quantities

D．means

What measures did the government take for the panic buying?

A．Enough salt would be offered to each house.

B．It admitted that salt could stop nuclear radiation.

C．Authorities urged state-owned salt companies to increase the supply.

D．Those who spread the rumor were all arrested and punished.

What is the purpose of the writer to give the example of Beijing Salt Industry Corporation?

A．To tell readers that there is a salt company in Beijing.

B．To make people believe that the supply of salt is enough.

C．To call on panic people to buy enough salt.

D．To prove what the government did was right.

On the morning of November 18, 1755, an earthquake shock Boston. John Winthrop, a professor at Harvard College, felt the quake and awoke. “I rose”, Winthrop wrote, “and lighted a candle, looked at my watch, and found it to be 15minutes after four.” John Winthrop hurried downstairs to the grandfather clock. It had stopped three minutes before, at 4:12. Except for stopping the clock, the quake had only thrown a key from the mantel(壁炉台) to the floor.
The clock had stopped because Winthrop had put some long glass tubes he was using for an experiment into the case for safekeeping. The quake had knocked the tubes over and blocked the pendulum(钟摆).Winthrop, therefore, had the key on the floor. The quake had thrown it forward in the direction of the quake’ s motion by a shock coming from the northwest, perhaps in Canada.
What does “it” in the second paragraph refer to?

A．the floor

B．the key

C．the clock

D．the case

The selection suggests that.

A．earthquakes are common in Boston

B．John Winthrop was a scientist

C．John Winthrop often had difficulty in sleeping

D．Harvard College was a center for earthquake researching

Professor Winthrop ran downstairs because he wanted to know what had happened to.

A．the clock

B．his grandfather

C．the key

D．the glass tubes

John Winthrop put some tubes into this clock case because.

A．he wanted to do an experiment

B．he thought an earthquake was probably to happen soon

C．he thought it safe for them to be put there

D．he wanted to record the exam time of the earthquake

The aims of the Illustrators’(插图画家的)Exhibition, staged as part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, organized by BolognaFiere and held from 23to 26 December 2011,are to bring illustrators and publishers together and to promote illustrators and their works among publishers.
QUALIFICATIONS
·Individual illustrators or groups of illustrators of any nationality, if they were born before 31^st December 1992, whose artwork is intended foe use in children’s books, are qualified to enter the Exhibition, either directly or through publishing houses or schools.
·Please state in the application form whether you are entering work for the Fiction or Nonfiction Category. Illustrators may only enter one category.
·Artwork previously presented to the Exhibition may not be re-entered.
·The confirmation(确认) form must be filled in and a photograph attached, then presented together with illustrations no later than 15 October 2011.
SHIPMENT
Entries may be delivered by post, express delivery service or by hand. From abroad, please use the following forms: Form “A” for registered mail or post by air; Form “B” if using an international forwarding agent or airline.
To avoid delays, material should not be sent by normal post. Material should be sent “carriage (运费) paid”, including any customs and delivery costs.
BolognaFiere may not be held responsible for the non-arrival or late arrival of artwork. all published works must be accompanied by a declaration bearing the ISBN number, publisher’s name and address.
REQUIREMENTS
The illustrations(i.e. the size of the sheet)must not exceed(超过) the following dimensions:
Fiction:
32×42 cm( or 42 × 32 cm)
Non-fiction:
50 ×70 cm ( 70 × 50cm)
Illustrations in larger formats will not be considered, nor will they be returned by BolognaFiere. The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board, maximum thickness 2mm( for scanner separation purposes).
SELECTION PROCESS
All artwork received by the stated deadline and meeting the specified requirements will be examined and selected by an international group ( whose decision is final ), including five members ( from publishing house and art schools ) appointed each year by BolognaFiere.
EXHIBITIONS ABROAD
After the Bologna event, the Illustrators Exhibition will travel to Japan under the supervision of JBBY. The Illustrators Exhibition may afterwards be transferred to other venues in other countries. The exhibitions of illustrations held abroad follow the same rules and regulations as the Illustrators Exhibition, and the provisions (条款) of the regulations are extended to the organizers of the exhibitions held abroad.
RETURN OF ARTWORK
All the works will be returned to their owners by BolognaFiere or directly by the organizers of the exhibitions and held abroad by the end of July 2012.
Which of the following of the Illustrators’ Exhibition is true?

A．It will last five days in all in July every other year.

B．is intended for college students who are good at painting.

C．is held by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in BolognaFiere.

D．

can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers.

The illustrators of the Illustrators Exhibition __________.

A．should be at least 16 and no more than 25

B．may re-enter their artwork after it is returned

C．should state the category of their artwork clearly

D．may choose to attach a photo to the application form

Which of the following is unacceptable for delivering entries?

A．Normal post

B．Airline post

C．Registered mail

D．Express delivery

What is BolognaFiere responsible for?

A．Paying for the delivery costs	B．Late arrival of artwork
C．Confirmation of ISBN number	D．Returning the illustrators’works.

The illustrators’works will not be considered if they ________.

A．are received after the day of 15 October 2011

B．are smaller than the required size

C．have already been published abroad before.

D．don’t meet the demands of the internationals experts.

“What is the most important thing you’ve done in your life?”The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers.
The answer came to me in an instant. It’s not the one I gave, because the situation was not right. As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people. but here’s the true answer:
The most important thing I’ve ever done occurred on October 8,1990. I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while. Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other’s lives. He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night.
While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts. It was my friend’s father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital. In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust.
For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木鸡). Then I tried to figure out what I should do. Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome. Be there for moral support? Well, maybe. But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they’d be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened. All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way. Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home. So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later.
As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts. I now faced another problem. I couldn’t leave the keys in the truck. So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys.
When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting. As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife. I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next. Soon a doctor appeared. He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died.
For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence. After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son.
My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families. When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said , “Thanks for being here.”
For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye.
It’s the most important thing I have ever done.
The experience taught me two lessons.
First: The most important thing I’ve ever done happened when I was completely helpless. None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation. Something terrible was happening to people I cared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome. All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that--- just be there when someone needed me.
Second: The most important thing I’ve done almost didn’t happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life. Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organized them. These skills are critical for lawyers. When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital.
From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn’t the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve. The most important thing in life is the kids’ team you coach or the poem you write----or the time when you’re just somebody’s friend.
When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author __________.
A felt it was not an interesting question
B. thought for a while and spoke his mind
C. gave an answer from a lawyer’s point of view
D. didn’t give the real answer
When he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought _________.

A．He had to stay with his family	B．His friend did not need his help.
C．He would not be of much help	D．the baby would be in the doctor’s care

What can we infer from the author’s description of the scene at the hospital?

A．He found out that he was in the way.

B．He would have felt guilty if he had not been there.

C．He regretted that he went too later.

D．His friend would have felt better if he had not been there.

Which of the following is conveyed in this story?

A．Family and relatives can not take the place of friends.

B．More people are a great comfort when one is in trouble.

C．It is best to be here when someone needs you.

D．You can certainly help a friend if you want to.

The author learned from his own experience that_______.

A．what is taught in school is usually of no use.

B．a lawyer cannot learn much in classrooms

C．a lawyer should know people’s feeling first

D．he needs to be able to feel as well as think logically

The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggests that the author_______.

A．is fond of writing poems

B．is going to coach the kid’s team

C．is determined to make friends with everybody

D．is fully aware of the importance of being helpful to those in need