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 hour 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 (自由栏目 ) writer, I had no prospects .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 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 I 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 test 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.
21. 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
答案：A
22. 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 efforts.
C. Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation.
D. The chances for writers to become successful are small.
答案：D
23. Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career?
A. He wasn' t able to produce a single book.
B. He hadn' t seen a change for the better.
C. He wasn' t able to have a rest for a whole year.
D. He thought that he lacked imagination.
答案：B
24. "...people who die wondering: What if?" (Line 3, Para 3 ) refers to "those __________”.
A. who think too much of the dark side of life
B. who regret giving up their career halfway
C. who think a lot without making a decision
D. who are full of imagination even upon death
答案：C
25. "Shadowland" in the last sentence refers to__________.
A. the wonderland one often dreams about
B. the bright future that one is looking forward to
C. the state of uncertainty before one' s final goal is reached
D. a world that exists only in one' s imagination
答案：C
许多年轻人告诉我他想成为一名作家。我总是鼓励这样的人，但我也解释说，“成为作家”和写作之间有很大的区别。在大多数情况下，这些人梦想着财富和名望，而不是独自一人在打字机前的漫长时间。“你必须想写作，我对他们说，“不要想成为作家。”
现实是，写作是一件孤独、私密、收入微薄的事情。对于每一个被命运亲吻的作家来说，还有成千上万的人的渴望永远得不到回报。当我离开美国海岸警卫队20年的职业生涯，成为一名自由职业者时(自由栏目 ) 作家，我没有前途。在全部的
我所拥有的是一位朋友，他在纽约的一栋公寓楼里为我找到了房间。天气冷，没有浴室都没关系。我立刻买了一台旧的手动打字机，感觉自己像一台真正的打字机。
然而，大约一年后，我仍然没有休息，开始怀疑自己。推销一个故事太难了，我几乎挣不到足够的钱吃。但我知道我想写作，我多年来一直梦想着写作。我不会成为那种死后会想：如果？
我会继续考验我的梦想，即使这意味着生活在不确定性和对失败的恐惧中。这是希望的阴影地带，任何有梦想的人都必须学会在那里生活。
