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 people 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 U.S. Coat Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no hope 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 a used typewriter and felt like 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 I hardly made enough to eat．But I knew I wanted to write，l 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 shadow land of hope，and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．

1.The purpose of the passage is 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 seek wealth and fame

D．encourage young people to be a writer over a long period of time

2.What can be concluded from the passage?

A．Real writers often find their work interesting and rewarding．

B．A writer's success depends on luck rather than on effort．

C．Famous writers usually live in poverty．

D．The chances for a writer to become successful are little．

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．

4.“…people who die wondering，what if?” refers to “those          ”．

A．who think too much of the dark side of life

B．who regret giving up their career halfway

C．who think a lot without making a decision

D．who are full of imagination even upon death

5.“shadow land” in the last sentence means          ．

A．the wonderland one often dreams about

B．the bright future that one is looking forward to

C．the state of uncertainty before one's final goal is reached

D．a world that exists only in one's imagination