張明波

在過去的20年里，每年的一月，“我”都會(huì)花幾分鐘思考這個(gè)問題的答案：“生命的意義是什么？” 那么“我”為什么要反復(fù)問自己這個(gè)問題呢？

1. ponder /pnd（r）/ v. 考慮;琢磨

2. philosophically /flsfkli/ adv. 哲學(xué)地;達(dá)觀地;沉著地

3. cumulatively /kjumjltvli/ adv. 漸增地;累積地

Every January for the past 20 years， I have taken a few moments to ponder the answer to the big question， “What is the meaning of life？”

Its one of those enormous questions that are so important—philosophically and practically in terms of how we live our lives—and yet we never stop to really think about the answer. If you might be able to get your response in less than a minute， the wisdomtoeffort ratio for this exercise could not be more advantageous. I tend to ponder such things as the creator of the Wisdom Project， a collection of writings about the wisdom in everyday life experiences.

The reason why I ask this question year after year is that my answer changes over time， which I find interesting and meaningful. There is no only correct answer， I believe—only answers that are right for you at any given time.

My favorite answer， though， is the Zenlike circular reasoning attributed to writer Robert Byrne， who put it， “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” Some people have concluded that lifes meaning is subjective. “There is not one big universal meaning for all，” author Anas Nin wrote in her diary. “There is only the meaning we each give to our life， an individual meaning， an individual plot， like an individual novel， a book for each person.”

Taking a few moments to record your response to the question “What is the meaning of life？” is the kind of simple exercise that effectively adds meaning to your life. And then I suggest answering it every year. Looking back on how your thinking has evolved and been influenced by experience tells you something more about yourself. Cumulatively， it gets you closer to a deeper selfunderstanding.

Whatever small step you take toward finding the meaning of life is a step toward a more meaningful and longer life.

1. Why does the author ask the question every year？

A. To get the response in less than a minute.

B. To get the correct answer to the meaning of life.

C. To find different answers interesting and meaningful.

D. To learn the wisdom in everyday life experiences by himself.

2. What have the examples of Robert Byrne and Anas Nin proved？

A. Our life should be a life of purpose.

B. The two persons have found the best answer.

C. Everyone has his or her own answer at any given time.

D. Lifes meaning is philosophically and practically important.

3. What does the author suggest people doing about adding meaning to their life？

A. Trying asking others about what their opinions are.

B. Understanding themselves more by answering the question every year.

C. Looking back on their life to influence their meaning of life.

D. Writing down their responses to the question and doing more exercise.

Sentence for writing

The reason why I ask this question year after year is that my answer changes over time， which I find interesting and meaningful.

【信息提取】名詞reason后的定語從句由why引導(dǎo);that引導(dǎo)表語從句，不能使用because。注意：如果reason在定語從句中充當(dāng)主語、表語或者賓語，定語從句用that引導(dǎo)。

【句式仿寫】我遲到的原因是沒趕上公共汽車。