Question

Writing being largely a self-taught occupation, texts on how to get about it —though great in number— seldom are of much use．

You try, and fail．Then try again, and perhaps fail not quite so grievously．Until at last, if you have some gift for it, the failures become less frequent, or at any rate less noticeable．

It is this ability to conceal one’s defects（瑕疵）that passes, finally, for accomplishment．

Along the way there are the discouragements of unkind criticism, outright rejection, nagging insecurity and irregular inability to meet debts．

It is uncommon, therefore, to come across a book containing advice of much practical value for anyone toying with the dangerous idea of staring on a writing life．

A friend recently loaned me such a book, however — one I wish I’d had the luck to read years ago, and which I would commend to any young person bent on making a career of words．It is the autobiography of the English novelist Anthony Trollope, first published in 1883, the year after his death．

Needing some means to support himself, Trollope at age 19 signed on as a junior clerk in the British postal service．He was at his desk at 5:30 each morning to write for three hours．And he remained in the mail service 33 years, long after reputation and prosperity had come to him．

Now, what of his advice?

1．For safety’s sake, arm yourself with some other skills, some other line of work to fall back on．That way, failure at writing, though the disappointment may be keen, will not mean utter ruin．

2．Do not depend overly much on inspiration．Writing is a craft, which Trollope compared to the craft of shoemaking．The shoemaker who has just turned out one pair of his work sets to work immediately on the next pair．

3．Have a story to tell, but, more important than that, people it with characters who will speak and move as living creatures in the reader’s mind．Without memorable characters, story alone is nothing．

4．Meet your deadlines．Life is endlessly “painful and troublesome” for writers who can’t finish their work on time．

5．Do not be inflated by praise．And, above all, do not be crushed by criticism．

6．Understand the risks of writing for a living．“The career, when successful, is pleasant enough certainly; but when unsuccessful, it is of all careers the most painful．”

1．This passage mainly discusses _____．

       A．the difficulties and risks of making a career of words

       B．the uselessness of instructions in writing manuals

       C．the autobiography of the 19th century English novelist Anthony Trollope

       D．sound advice provided in a Trollope’s autobiography

2．From the context we can figure out that the phrase “pass for” in Paragraph 3 means _____．

       A．focus on            B．be regarded as          C．be equal to          D．lie in

3．According to the author, writing _____．

       A．is basically a self-taught occupation and few instructions are of much practical use

       B．is a “trial and error” process and it does not count whether you have the gift or not

       C．for a living is the most pleasant of all careers, full of praise and enjoyment

       D．sometimes provides good hopes of winning public praise and escaping poverty

4．From the passage we may infer that the author is most probably _____．

       A．an instructor of writing                        B．a writer

       C．an educator                                         D．a publisher

Answer 1

DBAB