2012年GCT考試英語閱讀理解專項(xiàng)練習(xí)150

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 my r Tm 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. 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 found his dream would never come true.

4. "...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

5. "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：A D B B C