单选题 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 ca-reer in the US Coast Guard to become a freelance writer (自由撰稿者), 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 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.

单选题 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

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】本题是一道涉及文章写作目的类的题目。问文章的写作目的是什么。利用浏览式阅读和跳跃式阅读法，我们知道本文作者主要介绍了梦想当作家和从事写作两者之间是有着天壤之别的。然后以自己的亲身经历告诫年轻人写作生涯充满了艰难和贫困。因此，本题的正确答案应是A“提醒年轻人要想成为一个成功的作家必须经历艰辛”。文章并没有说作家追求名利是不现实的，因此C是错的。文章第一句表达了作者对那些想当作家的年轻人总是予以鼓励，但并没有表明他鼓励所有的年轻人去从事写作。因此D也不是正确答案。B与文章的第一句话不符，同样也不是此题的正确答案。

单选题 What can be concluded from the passage?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】本题是一道结论类问题。问从文章中我们可以推断出什么结论。通读全文内容，我们知道作者在文章中主要介绍了写作生涯中的困苦和成为成功作家的艰难。尤其文章第二段第二句指出，对于每一个幸运成功的作家来说，他的背后还有众多的人永远无法实现自己的作家梦。因此，本题的正确答案应是D“成为成功作家的几率是很小的”。

单选题 Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career?

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】本题是一道具体细节题。问本文作者在从事写作生涯的一年以后为什么会开始怀疑自己。利用查阅式阅读法，我们很快可以在文章第三段第一句话中找到相关信息。这句话指出，然而，一年以后，我仍然没有取得什么进展，于是就开始怀疑自己。因此，本题的正确答案应该是B“因为他没有看到情况有什么好转”。

单选题 "...people who die wondering, what if?"(Line 3,Para. 3)refers to those ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】本题是一道句子含义类问题。问题涉及文章中的具体细节。利用查阅式阅读法，我们可以在文章最后一段里找到相关信息。根据最后一段内容和所考查句子的上下文，然而一年后，作者因为没有能够取得进展而开始怀疑自己。但多年来强烈的写作愿望坚定了他实现自己梦想的信念，作者声明自己不会成为那种在临死前还在想“假如我……”而是如第六句所说：“我会坚持自己的梦想，把自己的梦想付诸实践，即使这意味着前途未卜和生活在失败的恐惧中。”由此可见，本题的正确答案应是B，此句指的是那些临死前后悔自己中途放弃了写作梦想、没有坚持到底的人。

单选题 "Shadowland" in the last sentence refers to ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】本题是一道词语含义类问题。利用查阅式阅读法，我们可以在文章的最后一句话中找到测试的词汇。根据所考词汇的上下文，我们可以推断出带有所考词汇句子中的this指的是前一句自even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure(……即使这种生活意味着前途未卜和生活在失败的恐惧中)。因此本题的正确答案应是C“指在实现目标之前的那种前途未卜的境况”。