| 阅读理解。 |
| Mark, a young person, tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there's a big difference between "being a writer" and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. "You've got to want to write," I say to them, "not want to be a writer." The truth is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by good luck there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded (报答). When I left a 20-year job in the U. S. Coast Guard to become a writer, I had no hopes at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn't even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer. After a year or so, however, I still hadn't got a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that hardly made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn't going to be one of those people who die wondering "what if". I would keep putting my dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. |
| 1. The passage is meant to _____. |
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| A. warn young people of the hardship that a successful writer has to experience B. advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer C. show young people it's unrealistic (不现实的) for writers to seek wealth and fame D. encourage young people to hunt for good jobs |
| 2. What can be concluded from the passage? |
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| A. Real writers often find their work interesting and rewarding. B. A writer's success depends on luck rather than on effort. C. Famous writers usually live in poverty. D. The chances for a writer to become successful are small |
| 3. Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing work? |
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A. Real writers often find their work interesting and rewarding. |
| 4. "Shadow land" in the last sentence refers to _____. |
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| A. the wonderland one often dreams about B. the bright future that one is looking forward to C. a world that exists only in one's imagination D. the state (状态) of uncertainty before one's final goal is reached |