I was in my first year of college, making friends and enjoying life, but then my whole world turned upside down. I had a heart attack. It felt like someone was stabbing (刺) me in the chest with a knife over and over again.
After three months of rest I went back to college, but then things took a turn for the worse. I was staying at my Nana’s house and woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible pain in my chest. I knew I was having a heart attack again.
I couldn’t even shout for help. Luckily my grandpa was going to the toilet and heard me falling out of bed. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be here.
The two holes in my heart were causing the problems and I needed an operation immediately to repair them. Unfortunately, the surgery didn’t go well and they only managed to repair one of the holes.
When I woke up from the operation, I had a really dry mouth and couldn’t wait to have something to eat and drink. The biggest shock of all came when I was told that I needed a heart transplant and was put on the register. The doctors were stunned at how quickly heart failure came on – it usually takes years, but it took my heart less than six months to get to that stage. My whole world came crashing down, but I stayed strong. It was a choice between crying every day and getting on with my life.
As time went on, life became even harder. I hated feeling weak all the time and needing help with everything. It got to the point where I thought I would never get a new heart. I was diagnosed with depression.
Even though I thought that Christmas 2008 would be my last, I really enjoyed it and even had a good New Year. Everyone was crying for me when the clock struck midnight and they told me to keep fighting.
A week later, I got a call from the doctors saying they’d found a suitable donor (捐赠人). My wish came true and thankfully the operation went well. I spent four hours in surgery where they took out my old heart and put a new one in. When I woke up I burst out crying. I had a second chance at life.
28. What happened when the author was having his second heart attack?
A. He felt less pain than he had during the previous one.
B. He narrowly escaped death thanks to his grandfather.
C. He realized what it was and shouted for help in time.
D. He decided to have an operation to repair the two holes in his heart.
29. When the author learned that he needed a heart transplant, he ______.
A. chose to continue to fight for his life
B. couldn’t help crying every day
C. felt so depressed that he tried to kill himself
D. was so anxious that his heart failure developed very quickly
30. At the beginning of 2009, the author ______.
A. was convinced that the past Christmas had been his last
B. received a heart transplant but the operation didn’t go well
C. felt blessed and grateful for his second chance at life
D. felt hopeless all the time and was diagnosed with depression
31. Which one would be the best title for the text?
A. Choices matter B. Rebuilding my world
C. Waiting for a new heart D. The most special Christmas