I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all – there wouldn’t be enough time in a day. I’ll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte’s Web? Well, many years ago, I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That’s how the story of Stuart Little got started.
As for Charlotte’s Web, I like animals and my farm is very pleasant place to be – at all hours. One day, when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was going to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save his life. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)
Sometimes I’m asked when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early – as soon as I could spell. Children often find pleasure through trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was not good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing could be a way of earning a living.
Well, here is the answer to the last question. No, they are imaginary (虚构的) tales. In real life, a family doesn’t have a child who looks like a mouse and a spider doesn’t write words in her web. Although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too – truth about the way people and animals feel, think and act.
小题1:E.B. White wrote this passage to ______.
A. introduce his new books
B. introduce two funny stories
C. explain why he enjoys writing
D. answer some readers’ questions
小题2:We can know from the passage that E.B. White is a writer who ______.
A. writes very fast
B. works on a friends’ farm
C. mainly writes stories for adults
D. writes imaginary tales for children
小题3:What inspired E.B. White to write Charlotte’s Web?
A. That he wanted children to love animals.
B. That he was deeply impressed by a clever pig.
C. That he wanted to use his own way to save a pig.
D. That he wanted to save the animals on a farm.
小题4: E.B. White started to write because he wanted to ______.
A. improve his spelling
B. express his thoughts
C. show his sadness
D. make a good living
小题5:What is probably the last question?
A．Are your stories true?
B．What is the truth in your stories?
C．Will you write more imaginary tales?
D．Do you know a child looking like a mouse?
小题1:D
小题2:D
小题3:C
小题4:B
小题5:A
题目分析：文章介绍了E.B. White回答读者的来信中的几个问题。
小题1:D 细节题。根据第一段I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all – there wouldn’t be enough time in a day. I’ll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.说明他收到很多来信，但是没有足够的时间一一回复，所以就回复一下共同的问题，故D正确。
小题2:D 推理题。根据最后一段2,3行In real life, a family doesn’t have a child who looks like a mouse and a spider doesn’t write words in her web.说明在他的小说里写了一些特殊情况的孩子，故最有可能是写给孩子看的，故D正确。
小题3:C 细节题。根据第三段第三行So I started thinking of ways to save his life.说明他写这部小说是为了在小说里用自己的方法来挽救猪的性命。故C正确。
小题4:B 细节题。根据第四段2,3行Children often find pleasure through trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures.说明他写作是为了把自己的思想表达出来，故B正确。
小题5:A 推理题。根据最后一段第一行Well, here is the answer to the last question. No, they are imaginary (虚构的) tales.中的回答：这些小说都是虚构的。说明对方的问题应该是. Are your stories true?故A正确。
点评：本大题主要还是考查了细节题和推理题，更加注重综合语言能力的运用，需要根上下文，结合语境，做出准确的判断。