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.

Thanks to an online activity and a stranger with a strong sense of romance and a strong will, an old box full of 70-year-old love letters was returned to its very first owner.

Twenty years ago, a woman named Cherry Vallance got the letters from her neighbor who found them in the top floor of his house and wanted to throw them away. Luckily, they ended up in Cherry’s house where they were once again forgotten until her daughter, Kim Rowe, discovered them again.

The letters were from 1948 and 1949 and were about the first romance between Norma Hall in Kent, England and Bob Beasley, a soldier fighting overseas. That was the only information she had, but Kim heard a lot of moving stories about people and things being found through Facebook years later. She posted the story online.

The Internet found Norma Beasley living in Lincoln, England. She was so surprised to find that her loved love letters still lived in the world, and that they were in the same old box.

The moment makes people smile and also full of tears, though. Norma says she hasn’t looked at the letters yet. Bob passed away late last year, and she is still not ready to face the letters alone.

1.The love letters have a history of ________.

A.70 years B.20 years C.50 years D.only one year

2.________decided to find the owner of the love letters.

A.Cherry Vallance B.Kim Rowe C.Norma Hall D.Bob Beasley

3.From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4, we know that ________.

A.the letters were dirty B.the old box was very strong

C.the letters were kept well D.the old box wasn’t very pretty

4.What happened to Bob Beasley?

A.He moved to a new house. B.He had left the world.

C.He lost his way home. D.He went to another country.

5.According to the passage, which of the following sentences is NOT TRUE?

A.Norma Hall isn’t Kim Rowe’s grandmother.

B.Norma Beasley is the owner of the love letters.

C.Norma Hall got married to Bob Beasley.

D.Norma Hall has lived in Lincoln since 1948.

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