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 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 career in the U.S. Coat Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no hope at all.What I did have was a friend who found me a 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 I hardly made enough to eat.But I knew I wanted to write,l 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.
The purpose of the passage is 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 seek wealth and fame |
D.encourage young people to be a writer over a long period of time |
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 little. |
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. |
“…people who die wondering,what if?” 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 |
“shadow land” in the last sentence means .
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 |