I was diagnosed with cancer in September 2005, after discovering a small lump in my neck. All seemed well after the lump had been removed. However, a follow-up blood test revealed that the cancer had spread. I underwent chemotherapy(化疗), and within four months I lost nearly 20kg, all my hair and energy.
I got a tentative all-clear(解除警报)two days after my 28 the birthday. To me, it signaled a new start, and I couldn’t wait to get on with my life. The doctors told me that it would be months before I could get back to my old activity levels, but I just didn’t want to accept this. I wanted to be normal again –now, not in six months.
So I started by simply walking around Edinburgh. Each day I would get home four or five hours later feeling like I had run a marathon. After less than six weeks, I half-ran, half-crawled up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. I spent the next couple of days in bed recovering, but soon after that I was back in the gym.
My diet had never been great before I fell ill --- I was a real vegetable-phobe(厌恶蔬菜的人)， and to some extent I still am. Nowadays, though, I make myself eat more natural foods. I have discovered that a good blender and a slow-cooker help make foods I don’t like bearable.
When one suffers a physical setback, emotional support from others is important. Still, there are things only you can do for yourself; at the end of the day, you are the one going through it. I went back to work, and now have started a company to take my passion for health and fitness forward. I believe that what holds most people back is a poor mental attitude and lack of determination. You can achieve whatever you want; you just have to work hard at it.
56. What do we learn about the author from the passage?
A. He was diagnosed with cancer after a regular blood test.
B. He got back in the gym two days after his 28th birthday.
C. His doctors asked him not to do any kind of exercise for six months.
D. He wanted to recover from his illness as soon as possible.
57. How did the author change his diet?
A. He started eating more natural foods.
B. He began to like eating vegetables.
C. He learned to cook by himself.
D. He liked eating the foods he hadn’t liked before.
58. Based on the last paragraph, the author thinks that_________.
A. the help and support of others are useless to sick people
B. people can’t be mentally unprepared to decide things
C. people should do everything by themselves
D. hard-working people get what they want
59. The author thinks the main thing in life is _______.
A. optimism B. calmness C. passion D. honesty
60. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Life Depends on Exercise B. Perseverance Is the Key to Success
C. How I Bear Cancer D. How to Overcome Cancer