解放军文职招聘考试作家

 Mark, 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 people 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(报答). When I left a 20-year job in the U. S. Coast Guard to become a writer, I had no hopes 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 typewriter and felt like a real writer.

 After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t got 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 shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

1. The passage is meant to _______.

A. warn young people of the hardship 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 writers to seek wealth and fame

D. encourage young people to seek good jobs

2. What can be concluded from the passage?

A. Real 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.

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 work?

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. “Shadow land” in the last sentence refers to _______.

A. the wonderland one often dreams about

B. the bright future that one is looking forward to

C. a world that exists only in one’s imagination

D. the state of uncertainty before one’s final goal is reached

【答案与解释】不少年轻的文学爱好者梦想成为作家。作者以自己的亲身经历告诫他们：“写点东西”与“当作家”是完全不同的两码事，那些成功或出名的作家是通过鲜为人知的艰难跋涉走过来的幸运者。

1. A。主旨题。从第 2 段第 1 句话 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 可得到答案。

2. D。主旨题。从文章第 2 段的第 1 句可推知答案为 D。

3. B。语义理解题。从第 3 段第 2 句话 It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat 中便知。

4. D。词义猜测题。从最后一段的最后两句不难猜测出 Shadow land 指的是最终目标得以实现前的那种半信半疑的状态。