Many young people tells me they want to be writers. 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 . When I left a 20-year job in the U.S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer (自由撰稿者), 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 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 Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

1.What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. to show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to seek wealth and fame

B.to advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer

C. to warn young people of the hardship that a writer has to experience

D. to encourage young people to take up a writing career

2. 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 found his dream would never come true.

C. He wasn’t able to have a rest for a whole year.

D. He hadn’t seen a change for the better.

3. Which of the following is true?

A．If you have a dream,you can make it come true.

B. Don’t to be a writer

C. Many young people think if they can write,they can become a writer.

D.The writer will give up being a writer.

4 What does the underlined phrase refer to? ________.

A. who think a lot without making any effort

B. who regret giving up their career halfway

C. who think too much of the dark side of life

D. who are full of imagination even upon death

5. “Shadow land” in the last sentence refers to ________.

A. the wonderland one often dreams about

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

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

D. the bright future that one is looking forward to

To________ telling lies, he asked his friend to help him cheat his parents.

　 A. get rid of　　 B. get away with　 C. throw away　 D. get down to　

—Can you believe I had to pay 30 dollars for a haircut?

—You should try the barber’s　　　　 I go. It’s only 15.

A.as　　　　 B. which　　 C. where　　　 D. that

Common ________ of depression are lack of energy, loss of interest in things you once enjoyed.

A．signs B．scenes C．sights D．signals

______the meeting himself gave them a great deal of encouragement.

A. The president will attend 　　　　

B. The president to attend

C. The president attended 　　　　　

D. The president's attending

----Has your father returned from Africa yet?

----Yes, but he ____ here for only three days before his company sent him to Japan.

A. was　　　　　　 B. has been　　　　　 C. will be　　　 D. would be

I thought her nice and honest________I met her.

A．first time 　　　　　　　 B．for the first time

C．the first time 　　　　　　D．by the first time

A strange woman comes to my door one day in early March.It’s a rich area so we often have people selling things door to door，dusters，make?up，frozen foods—but she doesn’t look like a professional saleswoman.She hasn’t got the patter(喋喋不休) either.She just smiles shyly and puts a card in my hand：“Amy Turner.Pet Portraits Undertaken.”

I run my fingernail along the cheap gold edge of the card and look at her，waiting for an explanation.

“I’ll paint any animal in the comfort of your own home.”Amy Turner says.“Wouldn’t you like a nice picture of your loved one？I’ve had experience of dogs，cats，parrots，prize bulls...”

“Prize bulls！”I can’t help looking up and down our street.The thought of any of my neighbours keeping bulls in their back gardens makes me smile.

“I don’t have any animals，”I say as we look past each other.She must be wishing some little cat or dog would come running down the hall to give the game away and it is the first chance I’ve had to smell the air outside.It is one of those spring mornings when you wake up and find winter’s gone.Even the camellia in the garden opposite has flowered overnight，pink blossoms which look shocking against the quiet greens and greys.

“Why are you still in your dressing gown？”Amy says，turning her attention back to me.“It’s nearly lunchtime.Are you ill？”

“I’m fine，”I lie.I’m not going to tell a stranger I’ve just been sick in the toilet upstairs and would still be sticking my fingers down my throat if the doorbell hadn’t rung.But now I’m not sure what to do next.Amy is still standing there.She_doesn’t_seem_to_think_that_not_having_a_pet_is

_a_good_enough_excuse.

“I’m starving.”she says and I smile politely，nodding the way you do before you say goodbye.

“No，”she puts her foot in the door.“I’m really starving.I’ve had nothing to eat for two days and no one has any pets for me to paint.I need some food or I’ll faint，right here on your doorstep.”

I stand to one side and let her in.

1．According to the text，what does a professional saleswoman usually do?

A．Sells things door to door with her cards.

B．Never puts a card into people’s hands.

C．Tries to talk people into buying her things.

D．Smiles，hands her cards and walks away.

2．What does the underlined word “one” in the third paragraph stand for?

A．Dog. 　　　　B．Child.　　　　　 C．Pet. 　　　　　D．Cat.

3．From the text we know that Amy is a ________.

A．young baby?sitter 　 B．poor beggar　 C．professional salesgirl D．poor painter

4．What does the writer mean by saying “She doesn’t seem to think that not having a pet is a good enough excuse.”？

A．It seems that she doesn’t want to leave.

B．She wants the writer to give another excuse.

C．She is sure there is a pet in the house.

D．She thinks that not having a pet is a bad thing.

—How often do you go out for supper?

— ________ ，once a week.

A. Have no idea　　　　　　　 B. It depends

C. As usual 　　　　　　　　 D. Generally speaking

------ Could I borrow your dictionary?

-------Yes, of course you　　　

A. might　　 B. will　　　　　 C. can　　　　　　 D. should