A
(2019·江西九江二模)I went to a New York Mets’ fantasy camp in 1995, an incredible experience. I was fortunate to be on a team whose pitching coach was Mel Stottlemyre, the former Yankees’ star pitcher(投手) and Mets’ and Yankees’ coach. I was upset when Mel died of cancer on Jan. 13, 2018, at the age of 77.
He was warm, friendly and treated us as if we were major leagues. He asked me whether I would like to pitch and showed me how to throw a “twoseamer”， a fastball that tends to sink, as well as a straight fourseam fastball. I knew that pitching was not for me. At age 45, my experience in organizing baseball was limited to a couple of years in Little League in the Bronx, and softball games as an adult. Mel eventually left the Mets and became the pitching coach for the Yankees. I followed his career and knew about his diagnosis(诊断) of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, in April 2000, and a stemcell transplant.
In the summer of 2002, I was diagnosed as multiple myeloma and was told that I needed a stemcell transplant by the same group of doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center that had treated Mel.
This shocked me, and frankly, I became quite depressed. I vowed that somehow I would try to speak to Mel. One day, my phone rang. Mel was calling from the Yankees’ locker room. I asked him to tell me everything about his treatment. He spent 30 minutes generously explaining all the details. I hung on every word. He told me how well he was feeling and ended the conversation by giving me his home phone number! “I feel great, and I’m not retiring，” he told me.
This incredible experience lifted my spirits. Every time I saw Mel during games on TV as I awaited my transplant, I repeated to myself, “Look at Mel. If he can do it, so can I．”
1．Why did the author say he was lucky in paragraph 1?
A．He joined a famous team.
B．He met an unusual coach.
C．He was successfully cured.
D．He was chosen as a pitcher.
2．What do we know about the author?
A．He was not skilled in pitching.
B．He was a good baseball player.
C．He called Mel for his treatment.
D．He forgot what Mel had told him.
3．How old was Mel when he was diagnosed as multiple myeloma?
A．23. B．45.
C．59. D．61.
4．What would be a suitable title for the text?
A．The Skills Taught by My Former Coach
B．The Transplant Given by the Same Doctors
C．My Baseball Team Helping Me Out
D．My Coach’s Spirits Shining on Me
