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.

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

2.How did the author feel after the diagnosis?

A．Hopeless      B． Excited       C． Optimistic   D． Angry 

3.What does the author think of death?

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

4.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

 

 

If you're 70 and overweight, you may live longer

A few extra pounds might help you live longer if you're past your prime(壮年) but otherwise healthy, a new study finds.

    Physicians routinely follow guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. Because weight depends on height, they use a standard measure called body mass index (BMI), which is calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared.

    Healthy weight is defined as a BMI anywhere between 18.5 and 24.9 in adults, whereas 25 to 29.9 is overweight and 30+ is obese.

    The new study suggests that in the elderly, these boundaries may be too narrow. While no one is questioning that extra fat poses health risks in young and middle-aged adults, it may reduce the impact of frailty and old age, geriatrician(老年医学专家) Dr. Thomas Yoshikawa told Reuters Health.

    So far, nobody knows exactly how BMI affects lifespan in older people. Some researchers speculate that it acts as an energy reserve that can help the elderly cope with illness.

    For the study, Australian researchers followed more than 9,000 men and women who were between 70 and 75 years old at the beginning. The participants reported their height and weight as well as various factors related to health and lifestyle. About 33 percent of the women and 44 percent of the men were overweight.

    Over 10 years, more than 2,000 of the participants died. Women who had an active life and didn't smoke were the most likely to be alive at the end of the study.

    But neither health nor lifestyle could fully explain why overweight people of both sexes survived longer than their normal-weight peers, who fared no better than obese individuals. In terms of survival, the best BMI was between 26 and 27, well within the overweight range.

    The new results agree with earlier research showing that fat may be beneficial in old age.

1．We can learn from the passage that_________．

A. the heavier one is, the better             

B. we shouldn’t lose weight when old

C. one should keep his weight within the recommended range

D. we shouldn’t worry about our weight if we are slightly fatter than normal when old 

2．According to the passage, if a person is 1.5 metres in height and 67.5 kg in weight, his BMI is________.

  A．30            B．25           C．45         D． 28

3. What does the author want to tell us most?

A. Fatness has little to do with diseases in old age.        

B. Fatness is not always bad.

C. Fatness may be beneficial instead of harmful in old age.

D. Overweight people of both sexes survive longer than their normal-weight peers.

 

Mrs Jane , you said you live in the USA, can you be a bit more______?

  A. special    B. specific        C. especial    D. spare

In November of 2007, NBC Universal launched its first official Green Week． Throughout the week, NBC Universal presented over 150 hours of environmentally themed content across multiple platforms．

Now, NBC Universal is proud to present Green Week 2009． With a new theme and message of "Green Your Routine," Here at NBC and NB      C．com we celebrate our talent in the "The More You Know" PSA campaign, presenting green-themed tips in several of our daytime life, among several other features here on the "Green Your Routine" site．

Fashion & Beauty

Throw a clothes swap party! Dying for that sweater your friend wore the other day? Well, maybe she'll trade for that old T-shirt you have． Here's a website that helps you organize a swap party （www．swapstyle．com）, or just plan your own!

Go natural with organic make-up． Applying unnatural products directly on your skin wasn't exactly what nature intended． Try switching to a line of organic make-up and cosmetics for a different way to bring out your natural beauty．

Home

Drop a brick in your toilet tank! Literally! According to the EPA, flushing（冲洗）makes up 30 percent of a household's water use （about three to six gallons per flush）． By placing a brick in your toilet tank, you can help to conserve the amount of water used during each flush．

Work

Print smarter． Printing and copying can be one of the most costly operations in any office． To save on ink and paper costs, print double-sided and try to fit more than one page on a sheet． More printing tips can be found here: lifehacker．com

Turn off your computer． Do you leave your computer on overnight? If so,  you're using up a good amount of electricity． When you can, try turning off your computer and the power strip it's connected to． If you can't,  at least shut off your monitor．

Transportation

Organize a carpool． There are many benefits to carpooling（拼车）． You save on gas, reduce wear and tear on your car, and you get to ride in the HOV lanes． Get connected with your neighbors and co-workers to start sharing rides and check out this website for more tips: www．erideshare．com．

Lose the car, get a bike． If you live close to where you work, try taking a bike instead of driving． You'll keep in shape and save on gas!

Every small step and effort makes a difference! Be sure to GREEN YOUR ROUTINE!

1. NBC Universal holds Green Week activities ___________．

  A． in a university   B． in a park                          

  C． in an office                          D． on the internet

2. This year, Green Week welcomes ____________．

  A． advice on how to improve the website                     

  B． suggestions about how to make their activities more interesting

  C． tips on what to do to make our life greener

  D． opinions on whether we should have campaigns

3.If you want to carpool with somebody, you can find more advice and information at______．

  A． www．swapstyle．com                                                   B． www．erideshare．com

  C． www． lifehacker．com                                            

  D． www． NBC．com

4.Which is NOT recommended by Green Week this year?

    A． Using things like cucumbers to beautify your skin．

    B． Reducing the room of your toilet tank to save water when flushing．

    C． Giving away your old clothes to those in need of them．

    D． Printing and using computers in an economical way．

 

Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up．The sense of humour is mysteriously(神秘地)connected with national characteristics．A Frenchman ,for instance, might find it hard to laugh at Russian joke．In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears．

       Most funny stories are based on comic situations．In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a worldwide request．No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say ,Charlie Chaplin’s early films．However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from America, has recently come into fashion．It is called “sick humour”．Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent (cause by force)death or serious accidents．Many people find this sort of joke distasteful．The following example of “sick humour” will enable you to judge for yourself．

A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas．From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering(纠缠) his doctor tell him when he would be able to go home．He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital ．Though the doctor did his best, the patient’s recovery was slow．On Christmas day, however, the doctor consoled(安慰)him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good．The man took heart and, sure enough , on New Year’s Eve he was able to hobble(跛行) along to a party．To compensate(补偿)for his unpleasant experiences in hospital , the man drank a little more than what was good for him．In the process, he enjoyed himself and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals．He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg．

Whether you find “sick humour” funny or not will depend on ________．

       A．your having been brought up in America                           

B．the joke being related to a really comic situation

       C．your ability to see the funny side of an unpleasant event  

D．your ability to laugh until you cry

The man spent Christmas day feeling miserable because ________．

       A．the doctor had failed to cure him                 

B．he was not able to be with his friends

       C．being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebrations at the hospital

       D．he thought he might also miss the New Year’s Eve celebration

The point of the joke taken to explain “sick humour” is that ________．

       A．no sooner was the out of hospital than he had to go back in again．

       B．the man should not have said how much he hated hospitals

       C．the man would be unable to walk for the rest of his life  

D．the man had not got a leg to stand on

What can you learn from this story ?

       A．On New Year’s Eve, the man was able to walk properly to the party．

       B．At the party , he enjoyed himself but only drank a little．

       C．He had to go to hospital again though he hated it．

       D．The man got well soon because the doctor took good care of him．