9．When Breath Becomes Air gives an autobiography about Paul Kalanithi's experiences as a doctor and as a terminally ill patient．The book discusses Kalanithi's longtime fascination with questions of human biology，mortality （死亡率），and meaning．It then examines how these questions are heightened by the author's own confrontation （冲突） with lung cancer，sickness，and death．
Kalanithi's father was a doctor from New York City．The family moved to Kingman，Arizona，so that his father could pursue his medical career when Paul was young．His father worked long hours and was rarely home，which convinced young Paul that the last thing he wanted to do was to become a doctor himself．Paul's mother was concerned about the weak school system in Kingman，and so gave a long list of literary classics which she made Paul and his brothers read．As a result，Paul became fascinated by literature．He attended Stanford University，from which he graduated in 2000 with a B．A．and M．A．in English Literature and a B．A．in Human Biology．He earned an M．Phil in History Philosophy of Science and Medicine from the University of Cambridge．In 2007，Paul graduated from the Yale School of Medicine with the highest honors．He returned to Stanford for residency training （住院医生实习） in Neurological Surgery．As he neared the end of his 7-year residency he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer．The hopes and dreams he and Lucy，his wife，have held to are dramatically changed．
When Breath Becomes Air gives an account of Kalanithi's transformation from an innocent medical student troubled by the question of"what，given that all organisms die，makes a virtuous and meaningful life"into a young neurosurgeon （神经外科医生） at Stanford，guiding patients toward a deeper understanding of death and illness，and finally into a patient and a new father to a baby girl，confronting his own mortality．What makes life worth living in the face of death？What do you do when the future，no longer a ladder toward your goals in life，flattens out into a continuous present？What does it mean to have a child，to care for a new life as another fades away？These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this deeply moving，delicately observed autobiography．
Paul Kalanithi died in March 2015，while working on this book，yet his words live on as a guide and a gift to us all．"I began to realize that coming face to face with my own mortality，in a sense，had changed nothing and everything，"he wrote．"Seven words from Samuel Beckett began to repeat in my head：‘I can't go on．I'll go on．'"When Breath Becomes Air is an unforgettable，life-confirming reflection on the challenge of facing mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient，from a gifted writer who became both．
13．What can we learn from Paragraph 2？D
A．What led to the diagnosis of Kalanithi's lung cancer．
B．Why Kalanithi changed his mind to become a doctor．
C．When Kalanithi decided to follow in his father's footsteps．
D．How Kalanithi developed his interest in English literature．
14．Which of the following words can be used to describe the book？B
A．Discouraging．B．Reflective．
C．Delightful．D．Controversial．
15．Kalanithi began to seek the meaning of lifeA．
A．when he was a medical student
B．when he became a neurosurgeon
C．when he studied English literature
D．when he was diagnosed with cancer．
分析 本文讲述了Kalanithi在其母亲的影响下对文学产生兴趣，并且在做医学学生的时候开始对生命产生思考，最后写出了具有很大影响的自传．
解答 13．D；主旨大意题；第二段主要讲述了Kalanithi一家人在其小时候的生活，表明了他的母亲对他的影响，并且讲述了他对英语文学兴趣的养成过程，故选D．
14．B；细节理解题；由文中第一段The book discusses Kalanithi's longtime fascination with questions of human biology，mortality （死亡率），and meaning．（这本书讨论了Kalanithi对人类生物学、死亡和意义等问题的长期迷恋）可知这本书提出的问题都是能够反射出一些问题的，所以这本书是有反射性的，故选B．
15．A；细节理解题；由文中第二段He returned to Stanford for residency training （住院医生实习） in Neurological Surgery．As he neared the end of his 7-year residency he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer．The hopes and dreams he and Lucy，his wife，have held to are dramatically changed．可知Kalanithi在做医学学生的时候开始思考生命的意义，故选A．
点评 本文考察学生的细节理解和概括能力以及细心程度，只要抓住文章的关键词，采用寻读的方法查找细节，就能找到正确答案．
