A
Throughout my twenties I told myself that I would give up smoking one day.That seemed comfortably far away to prevent me panicking too much,but also definitive enough to fool myself into thinking I’d give up before it killed me.But then my thirties came and went and nothing happened.
Then,my aunt died from lung cancer.I had a moment of fear:unless I decide to stop smoking,there will be a high probability that at some point in my life I’ll have a cough or some other symptom(症状) and it will be cancer or a similar awful disease.Still,I didn’t act.
But I couldn’t help beginning a good,hard think about my smoking and what I was going to do about it.The more I thought about it,the more I questioned what I really loved about it.Then came the sudden realization:I was an addict—I was making all the kind of excuses that the alcohol and drug addicts made.
I decided to quit.But after a few days when out for drinks with friends,I yielded to temptation(诱惑) and had one.The next day I bought a pack of cigarettes and my very first quit attempt was well and truly a failure.But I learned from this and decided the next attempt would be better planned.I investigated different options online,and met with a smoking cessation(戒烟) nurse at my local surgery who used some techniques to change my thinking about smoking.
With all the support around me,I felt so confident about my ability to quit.I actually looked forward to the date I’d set to stop.That was nearly 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back.Of course,in the early days it wasn’t always plain sailing.There were times when I was weak and times when I nearly slipped up.But I was prepared for this and didn’t let it throw me off.Stopping smoking was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
1.What can we know about the author from the first two paragraphs?
A.He was ignorant of cigarettes.
B.He cared little about his health.
C.He lacked motivation for working.
D.He didn’t make up his mind to quit smoking.
2.What inspired the author to make the first quit attempt?
A.His self-analysis.
B.Worsening health.
C.Symptoms of lung cancer.
D.Loss of a family member.
3.What does the underlined phrase “yielded to” in paragraph 4 mean?
A.Came up with.
B.Gave in to.
C.Stepped out of.
D.Broke away from.
4.Which can best describe the second attempt?
A.It was fruitless.
B.It lasted for 10 years.
C.It was a determined attempt.
D.It was abandoned halfway.
