A programmer and an engineer are sitting next to each other on a long flight from Los Angeles to New York. The programmer leans over to the engineer and asks if he would like to play a fun game. The engineer just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.
The programmer persists and explains that the game is really easy and has a lot of fun. He explains, “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5. Then you ask me a question, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll pay you $5.” Again, the engineer politely refuses and tries to get to sleep.
The programmer, now somewhat agitated, says, “OK, if you don’t know the answer you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll pay you $50!” This catches the engineer’s attention, and he sees no end to this torment(折磨) unless he plays, so he agrees to the game.
The programmer asks the first question. “What’s the distance from the earth to the moon?” The engineer doesn’t say a word, but reaches into his wallet, pulls out a five dollar bill and hands it to the programmer. Now, it’s the engineer’s turn. He asks the programmer, “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down on four?” The programmer looks up at him with a puzzled look. He takes out his laptop computer and searches all of his references. After about an hour, he wakes the engineer and hands him $50. The engineer politely takes the $50 and turns away to try to get back to sleep. The programmer, more than a little miffed, shakes the engineer and asks, “Well, so what’s the answer?” Without a word, the engineer reaches into his wallet, hands the programmer $5, and turns away and goes back to sleep.
【小题1】What’s the best title for the passage?

A.A Boring ConversationB.A Fun Game
C.A Trick During The FlightD.A Question Without Answer
【小题2】What’s the meaning of the underlined work “agitated”?
A.Angry.B.Excited.C.Surprised.D.Curious.
【小题3】What kind of person is the programmer according to what he said?
A.Confident.B.Selfish.C.Greedy.D.Generous.
【小题4】What can we infer according to the last sentence?
A.The engineer has little money with him.
B.Actually the engineer doesn’t know the answer, either.
C.The engineer is bored with programmer.
D.The engineer beats the programmer at last.
【小题5】Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A.In the beginning the engineer is not interested in the game.
B.The engineer is too sleepy to want to play the game.
C.At last the engineer gains $45 from the programmer.
D.Nobody knows the answer to the engineer’s question.


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 individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. “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 freelance writer(自由撰稿者), I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me a room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer.
After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t got a break and began to doubt 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 uncertainly and fear of failure. This is the shadowland of hope, and any one with a dream must learn to live there.
1. The passage is meant to                 .
warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience
advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer
show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to pursue wealth and fame
encourage young people to pursue a writing career
2. What can be concluded from the passage?
Genuine writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.
A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort.
Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation.
The chances for a writer to become successful are small
3. Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career?
He wasn’t able to produce a single look.
He hadn’t seen a change for the better
He wasn’t able to have a rest for a whole year.
He found his dream would never come true.
4. “I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering. What if?” refers to “those               .”
who think too much of the dark side of life
who regret giving up their career halfway
who think a lot without making a decision
who are full of imagination even upon death
5. “Shadowland” in the last paragraph refers to              .
the wonderland one often dream about
the bright future that one is looking forward to
the state of uncertainty before one’s final goal is reached
a world that exists only in one’s imagination

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