When I was 17, I read a quote(引语)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(密码) 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.
21. 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
22. 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
23. 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
24. What does the underlined word “encountered” in paragraph 2 mean?
A. came across B. dealt with C. survived D. supported