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 as 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 wish is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S, Coast Guard to become a freelance writer(自由撰稿者), I had no hope 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 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 and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
小题1:The writer wrote the passage to ________.
A．warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience
B．advise young people to give up their ideas of becoming a professional writer
C．show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to dream of wealth and fame
D．encourage young people to gain a writing career小题2:What can be concluded from the passage?
A．Real writers often find their works interesting and rewarding.
B．A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort.
C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and loneliness.
D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small.小题3:The underlined part “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 careers halfway
C．who think a lot without making a decision
D．who are full of imaginations even upon death小题4:What is the best title of the passage?
A．how to be a writer
B．how to earn fame
C．how to write well
D．how to keep dreaming
