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 computer. “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 US Coast Guard to become a free writer, I had no promise 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 computer and felt 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 know 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.
小题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 be after wealth and fame
D．encourage young people to be after a writer career小题2:What can be concluded from the passage?
A．Real writers often find their work interesting and rewarding
B．Writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort
C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation（隔离）
D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small小题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小题4: “Shadowland” in the last sentence refers to _____.
A．thewonderlandonoftendreamsabout
B．thebrightfuturethatoneislookingforwardto
C．thestateofuncertaintybeforeone’sfinalgoalisreached
D．aworldthatexistsonlyinone’simagination
小题1:A
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:C
题目分析：本文主要讲述的就是从事写作行业的艰难，告诉我们要想以写作为生，要耐得住寂寞，能够坚持自己的理想等。
小题1:推理题。根据文章1,2段，尤其是第二段内容The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose wish is never rewarded.可知写作是一种很艰难的，很寂寞的工作，不是很多人能够做到的。故A正确。
小题2:细节题。根据第二段The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose wish is never rewarded可知很多从事写作的人都没有成功，成功的人是少数。故D正确。
小题3:推理题。根据第三段的句子：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.可知作者没有看见情况有什么好转，故B正确。
小题4:猜词题：从最后一段的句子： I would keep putting my dream to the test--- even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure.可知“Shadowland”指的是成功前的一段不确定的时间。选C。