Lesson 8 Life Is All about Choices
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I’d be tw ins!”
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Michael was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator①. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, “I don’t get it. You can’t be positive all the time. How do you do it?”Michael replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Mike, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”
“Yeah, right. But it isn’t that easy.” I protested.
“Yes it is,” Michael said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people w ill affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line is: It’s your choice how you live life.”
I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry that I had worked in for years to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling off 60 feet from a communications tower. Luckily he was found and rushed to the hospital.
A fter l8 hours of surgery②, and weeks of intensive③ care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be tw ins. Wanna see my scars?” I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
“The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-toborn daughter,” Michael replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”
“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness④ ?” I asked.
Michael continued, “…the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the operation room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.” “What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big burly⑤ nurse shouting questions at me,” said Michael. “She asked me if I was allergic⑥ to anything. ‘Yes,’ I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity.’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I’m choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’”
Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I 1earned from him that every day we have a choice to live fully. Attitude is everything.
(676 words)
Notes
① motivator [ˑməʊtɪveɪtə(r)] n. 激起行为（或行动）的人（或事物），激励者；促进因素，激发因素
② surgery [ˑsə:dʒərɪ] n. 外科手术
③ intensive [ɪnˑtensɪv] adj. 密集的；彻底的；精细的；强调的
④ consciousness [ˑkɒnʃəsnɪs] n. 意识；知觉；自觉；觉悟
⑤ burly [ˑbɜ:lɪ] adj. 强壮的，结实的
⑥ allergic [əˑlɜ:dʒɪk] adj. 过敏的
Exercises
Ⅰ. How well did you read?
1. [Give the method] Michael cheered his employees up by___.
A. show ing his sympathy towards them
B. accepting their complaining
C. letting them see the bright side of life
2. [Understand the important point] According to Michael, how you live life is determined by___.
A. your reaction to situations
B. your good mood
C. your own choice
3. [Consider the purpose] The w riter left the restaurant industry to___.
A. set up his own firm B. get a better social status C. make more money
4. [Give the details] How did Michael get injured?
A. He had a car accident.
B. He fell from a tall tower.
C. His car crashed onto a tower.
5. [Find the feeling] When the w riter saw Michael after the accident, Michael___.
A. was in low spirits B. remained optimistic C. felt very unlucky
6. [Find the reason] In doctors’ eyes, “he is dead” because they thought___.
A. he was terribly ill
B. he was injured too badly
C. he was unconscious
7. [Draw a conclusion] Michael joked with the doctors and nurses in order to___.
A. show his strong desire to live
B. tell them he was just fine
C. prove he was becoming better
Ⅱ. Read for words and exp ressions
1. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined words.
(1) “Yeah, right. But it isn’t that easy.” I protested. (Para. 4)
A. agreed B. declared C. objected
(2) …he rep lied, “If I were any better, I’d be tw ins. Wanna see m y scars?” I declined to see his wounds… (Para. 7)
A. bowed B. reduced C. rose
2. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined expressions.
(1) I reflected on what Michael said. (Para. 6)
A. thought carefully B. forgot C. felt puzzled about
(2) A fter 18 hours surgery, and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. (Para. 7)
A. was driven out of B. was allowed to leave
C. continued to stay in
Ⅲ. Writing practice
Tell something about Michael according to the follow ing questions. Do not include anything that is not in the passage.
Answer these questions in note form to get your points:
1. What kind of person is Michael?
2. Why is he so popular with his employees?
3. Why is Michael always very happy and optimistic?
4. How did Michael get seriously injured one day?
5. When the nurse asked if he was allergic to something, what did he answer? Why?
6. What was the result?
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