Standing on the edge of the plane,my tandem skydiving（双人跳伞）instructor,Bill,asked "Do you have any last words？" "Yes," I said,joking. "I hope my parachute opens."
I'd never felt more alive as Bill and I stepped out and started our freefall.Those first few seconds were amazing.As we reached 4，000 feet,I felt a parachute open above us.This,I was told,would slow us down for a smooth descent（下降）.So why were we still traveling so fast？I looked up：The parachute was flopping unopened in the wind.I started to freak out.I could hear Bill swearing as he tried to fix whatever had gone wrong.Seconds passed,which felt like forever,until finally our emergency parachute opened.Except it got caught in the first one,making both parachutes useless.I asked Bill,"Are we going to die？" He said he didn't know.At that moment,I just felt guilty.I'd brought my family along for the day.I'd invited them along to watch me die.
We hit the ground.I was immediately breathless,and an unimaginable pain shot up my back as we bounced into a lake on a golf course（高尔夫球场）.Gathering all my strength,I turned to face Bill.He started screaming.We were found by some golfers.My mother and sister cried uncontrollably as Bill was put into a helicopter,and I was placed into an ambulance.The next four or five months were intense.I had broken my back.After being discharged（出院）from the hospital,I locked myself in my bedroom and took painkillers.I became terrified of the outside world.
After years of therapy（治疗）and hard work,the deep physical and mental pain is healing.I heard that Bill made a full recovery and returned to skydiving.I was always terrified of being myself and doing the things I wanted.Now I've learned that I need to be fearless.There's nothing like falling from 15，000 feet without a parachute and surviving to force you to make the most of every day.



How did the author feel before skydiving？ ______

A. Worried.
B. Excited.
C. Terrified.
D. Guilty.

What happened during the tandem skydiving？ ______

A. Bill didn't open the parachute in time.
B. The author stayed calm the whole time.
C. Something went wrong with the parachutes.
D. The author couldn't breathe during the freefall.

How did the accident influence the author？ ______

A. He had constant pain in his head.
B. He became crazy about extreme sports.
C. He developed a serious mental problem.
D. He became more confident in himself.

What did the author eventually realize？ ______

A. Safety first.
B. Fear can lead to failure.
C. Cooperation matters.
D. Seize and cherish every day.