2015-05阅读.doc

Passage 1 Many 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 individuals 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 reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune, there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me a place in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer. 　　After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely 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 last even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. 1. The passage is meant to _____. 　　A) warn young people of the hardships 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 for a writer to pursue wealth and fame 　　D) encourage young people to pursue a writing career 2. What can be concluded from the passage? 　　A) Genuine 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 and isolation. 　　D) The chances for a writer to become successful are small. 3. Why did the auth