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 (打字机).“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 (怀疑)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 (不确定)and fear of failure.This is the shadowland of hope,and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

1.According to the author’s idea,writing is .

A. enjoyable B. interesting C. lonely D. boring

2.When the author left his 20-year job,he .

A. felt sad B. lost his heart C. felt unforgettable D. found himself

3.When the author went to the New York apartment building,.

A. there was almost nothing there B. there was everything there

C. the author was pleased with it D. the author was so happy

4.What does the underlined word “shadowland” probably mean in Chinese?

A. 点点希望 B. 夺目强光 C. 人生低谷 D. 虚幻境界

5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Tell us to study hard. B. Let us dream of succeeding.

C. Let us do something that we can’t accept. D. Hold on to your dream even if you meet difficulties.

When a leafy plant is under attack, it doesn’t sit quietly. Back in 1983, two scientists, Jack Schultz and Ian Baldwin, reported that young maple trees getting bitten by insects send out a special smell that neighboring plants can get. These chemicals come from the injured parts of the plant and seem to be a warning. What the plants pump through the air is a mixture of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds(VOCs).

Scientists have found that all kinds of plants give out VOCs when being attacked. It’s a plant’s way of crying out. But is anyone listening? Obviously. Because we can watch the neighbors’ react.

Some plants pump out smelly chemicals to keep insects away. But others do double duty. They pump out perfumes to attract different insects who are their natural enemies. Once the insects arrive, the tables are turned. The attacker who was lunching now becomes lunch.

In study after study, it appears that these chemical conversations help the neighbors. The damage is usually more serious on the first plant, but the neighbors stay safer because they heard the warning and knew what to do.

Does this mean that plants talk to each other? Scientists don’t know. Maybe the first plant just made a cry of pain or was sending a message to its own branches, and so, in fact, was talking to itself. Perhaps the neighbors just happened to hear the cry by accident and so wrong information was exchanged.

Charles Darwin, over 150 years ago, imagined a world far busier, noisier and more intimate than the world we can see and hear, our senses are weak. There’s a whole lot going on.

1.What does a plant do when it is under attack?

A.It makes noises. B.It gets help from other plants.

C.It stands quietly. D.It sends out certain chemicals.

2.What does “the tables are turned” mean in Paragraph 3?

A.The attackers are attacked. B.The insects gather under the table.

C.The plants get ready to fight back. D.The perfumes attract natural enemies.

3.Scientists find from their studies that plants can__________.

A.talk to one another B.predict natural disasters

C.protect themselves against insects D.help their neighbors when necessary

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A.The world is changing faster than ever. B.People have stronger senses than before.

C.The world is more colorful than it seems. D.People in Darwin’s time were full of imagination.

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