I’ve just done my first jump since the accident that nearly killed me just a year ago. As I was lying in hospital, thinking that I would never skydive again, I wasn’t feeling glad to be alive. Instead I was wondering how I could possibly live without it.
It all started one evening after another nine-to-five day. I was sitting at home thinking, “There has to be more to life than this,” when an advertisement came on the television: “Try skydiving!”
The next day, I called the nearest skydiving centre and booked my first jump.
I will never forget my first jump. It was a beautiful, cloudless day and the sun was just going down. As I pushed myself away from the plane at 11,000 feet, my mind went blank.
Words cannot describe the excitement I experienced while I was free-falling. That was the most amazing four minutes of my life.
From the first jump, I was hooked. I started spending every free moment I had skydiving. At work, I sat in front of my computer and imagined ways of making more money so that I could jump more often.
The accident happened on my 1,040th jump. Another skydiver collided (碰撞) with my parachute (降落伞) at 80 feet. I fell and hit the ground at about 30 mph, face down. I broke my legs, my right arm and my nose. I lost 6 litres of blood, 19 teeth and 25 pounds of fat. I was lucky to be alive.
People who have never experienced skydiving will find it hard to understand that my only motivation to get better was that I could do it again. All I can say is that for me, skydiving is life and life is skydiving.
50. What can we learn about the author’s first skydiving from the text?
A. The author planned it for a long time.
B. The author was too excited to enjoy it.
C. It turned out to be fairly successful.
D. It took place a year before the accident.
51. The underlined part “I was hooked” most probably means “__________”.
A. I was attracted by skydiving B. I was shocked by skydiving
C. I became familiar with skydiving D. I became curious about skydiving
52. Which of the following shows the author’s strong will for skydiving?
A. The author spent almost every nine-to-five day skydiving.
B. The author worked hard to make more money for skydiving.
C. The author imagined himself skydiving while at the hospital.
D. The author expected to recover only to continue skydiving.