Question

Like many young people, I dreamed of growing up and becoming a successful writer one day. My first part-time job came when I was 18 years old. I was working in a paint factory. Because of the terrible smell of paint, it became normal for me to temporarily pass out during my lunch hour.

All of my spare time was spent writing and sending stories to any publisher that would read them, dreaming that one day losing consciousness while eating my ham sandwiches would no longer be a part of my daily routine.

I discovered content mills, where a writer could devote his time to writing soul-destroying online copy. It provided a little pay, but I wouldn’t faint(昏厥). So, I quit my day job. But it is difficult to work from home. At times, I would lose all passion for writing 500 words about an advertisement for a bed for a few pounds, but the terrible smell of paint reminded me to get back to writing.

Several months later, the money got better. I was given a job writing for one of the largest entertainment websites in the world. The job was simple: I complained about everything that was wrong with society and they paid me ₤50 for each article. A guy from the website asked if I’d be interested in leaving my small town life to move to the big city of Manchester to become a professional writer for them. I accepted.

After a pretty successful year, I was offered a promotion. Just 18 months earlier, I was suffering from the smell of paint on a daily basis and now I was managing a team of nine writers.

1.What does the underlined part mean in the passage?

A. Losing heart.    B. Losing one’s memory.

C. Feeling sleepy.    D. Becoming unconscious.

2.What once weakened the author’s love for writing?

A. The unpleasant smell in the factory.

B. Being given consistent writing work.

C. Something’s being wrong with society.

D. Writing advertisements at a low price.

3.What message does the author deliver in the passage?

A. Never give up nor stop trying.

B. A good beginning is half done.

C. Behind bad luck comes good luck.

D. A man can do no more than he can.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.A

【解析】本文介绍了作者的经历。他的梦想是成为一名作家，18岁时在油漆厂工作，业余时间写东西给任意的出版商，也以低廉的稿费给content mills写稿，他也曾经失去对写作的热情，但他没有放弃，还是坚持了下来，并在给不断尝试中获得了持续给某娱乐网站写稿的机会，最终成了该网站的内部作者，还升了职。

1.细节理解题。由第二段中的“losing consciousness while eating my ham sandwiches”吃火腿三明治时失去知觉可知pass out 意为失去知觉，无意识。故选D。

2.细节理解题。由第三段的“ At times, I would lose all passion for writing 500 words about an advertisement for a bed for a few pounds有时，我会失去对一张床写500个字的广告几磅的的热情。可知低价写作广告会削弱作者的写作热情。故选D。

3.主旨大意题。由二至五段的“Because of the terrible smell of paint, it became normal for me to temporarily pass out during my lunch hour.”可知由于油漆的难闻气味，我在午饭时间暂时昏倒是正常的。但作者仍然没有放弃自己喜欢的写作。后来作者给content mills写稿，“At times, I would lose all passion for writing 500 words about an advertisement for a bed for a few pounds, but the terrible smell of paint reminded me to get back to writing.”可知虽然稿费很低，一度使作者失去写作的热情，但作者还是坚持了下来，并在给不断尝试中获得了持续给某娱乐网站写稿的机会，最终成了该网站的内部作者，还升了职，由此可见，只要坚持并不断尝试，机会总会有的。故选A。

【名师点睛】：

细节理解题:

细节题的发问具体，涉及内容五花八门，通常采用以疑问词开头的特殊疑问句或不完全句的形式，有时即便不是以what，which，how many (much，long，etc.)等疑问词引导的问句，也是以变相的问句对这类事实或细节进行提问。如：本文的第二题：

2. What once weakened the author’s love for writing?

A. The unpleasant smell in the factory.

B. Being given consistent writing work.

C. Something’s being wrong with society.

D. Writing advertisements at a low price.

解题方法： 

1、整体感知，确定文体，根据文体特点寻找主题句。 

2、如果文中没有现成的主题句，则需依靠衔接过度词、句际关系等把握文章逻辑结构，分辨主题与细节，总结段落大意。 

3、对比选项，谨防常见病症：以偏概全、所概括的内容与文章不相关、概括太笼统等

本文第二题是以what，which，how many (much，long，etc.)等疑问词引导的问句，是对这类事实或细节进行提问。由第三段的“ At times, I would lose all passion for writing 500 words about an advertisement for a bed for a few pounds有时，我会失去对一张床写500个字的广告几磅的的热情。可知低价写作广告会削弱作者的写作热情。故选D。