It is no good dwelling on the past. What existed or happened in the past may have been beautiful or exciting and may now bring profound and precious memories, but the past is dead, and it is not healthy for living spirits to linger over a world inhabited by ghosts. The past may also be a place of horror, of regret, of unfortunate deeds that "cannot be undone". It is painful and pointless to fix on the period which cannot be relived or repaired. It is unproductive self-punishment. The past must be kept in its place, outlived and outgrown. It is also useless to worry about the future. Why fly to heaven before it's time? What anxious visions haunt the person who thinks too much about the future? He may envision the horrible mushroom cloud, the earth shriveling from radiation, the overpopulated, abused earth gone dead. He may imagine his own life going away, appointments missed, advancements given to someone else, his house burned to the ground, his love lost, everything in his life, as in a nightmare, slipping away from him. There is no end to the disasters a person can worry about when he focused anxiously on the future. There are events in his future, including his own death, over which he has little or no control, but he can ruin his life worrying about them. There are some disasters he may be able to prevent, but he must do that by living well in the present, not simply by worrying about the future. The present moment which is even now moving into the past, is the only reality I know, and I don't want to miss it. The wild-cherry cough drop dissolving in my mouth is sweet and soothing. Even my sore throat and backache have meaning. The cool night air, the crackling noises of my furnace, my cat yawning and stretching—these are the tangible realities I can recognize. They exist in this moment, together with my own breathing. Along with these are the realities of other people and of all life on this earth that matters to me now, not at some past or future time. Everyone needs a sense of history, but history needs to keep its distance to be appreciated. It is also vital to leave some sense of direction, which means making plans for the future but not becoming preoccupied with them. What is most important, I believe, is living in the present, that is, being alive now.
单选题
By describing the past as "a world inhabited by ghosts"(Line 3, Para. 1), the author means that______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：首段第2句中的a world inhabited by ghosts指的就是the past，本段反复提到过去已经失去，多想无益，只有A与这个主题相符。
单选题
What does the author suggest that we do with the past?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：作者在首段第1句就用It is no good．．．直接表明自己的观点，认为人活在过去是没有益处的。首段第2、3句分别讨论了对过去美好的事物和不幸的事物的态度，从中可以看出，作者认为不论好的坏的，过去就已经过去，人不能活在过去，因此，C是对首段作者态度的正确概括。
单选题
Which of the following may be the worst problem that threatens one's life?