Question

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 (自由撰稿者), I had not 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.

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.“people who die wondering. What if?” ( Line 5, 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

4.“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

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲述的是从事写作行业的艰难，告诉我们要想以写作为生，要耐得住寂寞，能够坚持自己的理想等。

1. 推理判断题。根据文章1,2段，尤其是第二段内容The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose wish is never rewarded.可知，事实上，写作是一项孤单寂寞而又收入微薄的工作，作者目的是警告想成为成功作家的年轻人写作的艰辛，故A正确。

2. 细节理解题。根据第二段The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose wish is never rewarded可知，很多从事写作的人都没有成功，成功的人是少数。故D正确。

3. 推理判断题。根据本句I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering. What if?及后面一句I would keep putting my dream to the test even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure.（我会继续坚持梦想，尽管意味着生活艰难。）说明，他不愿意放弃自己的理想。故B正确。

4. 词义猜测题。根据上句I would keep putting my dream to the test even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure.（我将继续坚持梦想，甚至它意味着生活中的不确定的和令人恐惧的失败。），再根据文章最后一句的后半句anyone with a dream must learn to live there. （任何有梦想的人必须学会在那里生活。）可知，本句前半句的意思是：这是希望的阴影之地。划线词的意思是“达到最终目标前的不确定状态”，故选C。

【名师点睛】本文主要讲述的就是从事写作行业的艰难，告诉我们要想以写作为生，要耐得住寂寞，能够坚持自己的理想等。从题目设置的角度看，本题侧重对学生把握文章中心段落和各段落的中心句的能力的考查，所以遇到这类题后，要注意把握好文章结构，了解文章中心意思，找到各段落中心句。不要让文中的一些生词影响了注意力。

考点：考查议论文阅读