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.

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

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.

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

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

II.阅读（共两节，满分50分）
第一节 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B，C和D项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Like all other mothers who have small children, I, too, have to steal time-from my own children at home and from the children who know me as their teacher-just to put a few words down on paper. Many times I've wanted to write for myself, for other women, for my parents, for my husband, and especially for my children. I would have liked to leave a legacy (遗产) of words explaining what it has meant to have twins. One reason that there is not a great deal written about being a mother of a new baby is that there is seldom a moment to think of anything else but the baby's needs.
With twins, I did not have a spare hand to write with.
Before my twins were born, my days were long and I had nothing to write about. After the twins' birth I did have something to write about, but I found myself facing not a pen and paper but milk bottles.
Some nights, friends would visit. They would leave at 11 p.m., heading for bed, and for us the night was only just beginning. With twins, there is really no night. Each feeding lasts a long time. At 1:00 a.m., each of them would begin crying from hunger. At 4:00am, when I finally put them down, I felt exhausted.
Two years have passed since then and we've managed to live through it all. My days are still very full and even now there isn't one evening when I put the twins down for the night that I don't have a break. At last a little time for myself.
26. When did the writer have time but she didn't feel like writing anything?
A. Before the birth of her twins.
B. When she faced bottles of milk.
C. After her friends visited her home.
D. When she had to think about the babies' needs.
27. What does the writer mainly write about?
A. Her role as a wife.                         B. Her work as a writer.
C. Her experience as a mother.            D. Her feeling as a woman.
28. Why did the writer say the night was just beginning (in the 4th paragraph)?
A. Because her friends left her house too late.
B. Because she started to take care of the twins even at night.
C. Because her babies often cried and she woke up.
D. Because she could not sleep till four in the morning.
29. This passage is probably from a(n) ______.
A. blog          B. newspaper               C. guidebook               D. advertisement
30. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The writer was unhappy because of no time for writing.
B. The writer cared her babies more than her own interests.
C. The writer hated to be a mother of twins.
D. The writer could steal a little time at night.

第二节：完形填空（共20小题； 每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

         Growing up, I had a scar on my face — a perfect arrow in the center of my cheek, pointing at my left eye. I 36 it when I was three, long before I knew that scars were a 37 thing, especially for a girl. I only knew that my scar brought me 38 and tenderness and candy. As I got older, I began to take 39in my scar, in part to stop people laughing at me, but mainly as a reaction to the thought that I should feel uncomfortable. It’s true. I was 40 the first couple of times someone pointed at my 41 and asked, “What’s that?” or called me “Scarface.” But the more I heard how 42 my scar was, the more I found myself liking it.

     When I turned fifteen, my parents — 43 the advice of a doctor — decided it was time to 44 on what was now a thick, shiny red scar.

    “But I don’t mind the scar, really,” I told my father as he 45 that I would have the operation during my summer vacation. And my friends, along with my boyfriend at the time, 46 as I did, that my scar was 47 and almost pretty in its own way. After so many years, it was a 48 of me. But my father said it was a deformity (畸形). I don’t know what 49 more that day: hearing my father call my scar a deformity, 50 realizing that it didn’t 51 to him how I felt about it.

     I did have the operation that summer.

         In my late twenties, I took a long look at my scar, something I hadn’t done in years. 52, it could be seen in the right light, but no one 53 me about it anymore. As I leaned uneasily toward the mirror, I felt a sudden 54.

   There was something powerful about my scar and the proud person I 55 because of it. I have never been quite so strong since they cut it out.

36. A. got                     B. remained       C. kept        D. drew

37. A. good       B. bad      C. strange     D. funny

38. A. trouble     B. shame       C. attention    D. reward

39. A. pride        B. place     C. care           D. blame

40. A. uncomfortable                B. proud       C. pleased      D. disappointed

41. A. head        B. cheek        C. mouth           D. nose

42. A. long       B. unfortunate         C. beautiful     D. unbelievable

43. A. in         B. for         C. against           D. on

44. A. operate                      B. talk                C. remove       D. center

45. A. suggested       B. explained     C. told          D. ordered

46. A. felt                     B. acted      C. did           D. hoped[来源:学&科&网Z&X&X&K]

47. A. unlucky         B. ugly               C. unique    D. necessary

48. A. part            B. problem      C. memory       D. dream

49. A. interested         B. encouraged C. hurt       D. surprised

50. A. and             B. or         C. so            D. but

51. A. mind           B. occur      C. concern        D. matter

52. A. Still            B. Though      C. Thus          D. Also

53. A. cared         B. asked      C. questioned  D. mentioned

54. A. happiness        B. satisfaction   C. sadness       D. shock

55. A. respected       B. knew      C. met            D. became

补全对话（共5小题，每小题1分，满分5分）

 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".(61)________ "You've got to want to write," I say to them, "not want to be awriter."

The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poorly-paid affair. (62)________ When I left a 20-year job in the US Coast Guard to become a writer, I had no hopes at all. (63)________ . 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.(64)________ 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. (65)________ .

When a tornado touched down in a small town nearby, many families were left completely destroyed. Afterward all the local newspapers carried many human-interest stories featuring some of the families who suffered the hardest.
One Sunday, a particular picture especially touched me. A young woman stood in front of an entirely shattered mobile home, a depressed expression twisting her features. A young boy, seven or eight years old, stood at her side, eyes downcast. Clutching  (紧握)  at her skirt was a tiny girl who stared into the camera, eyes wide with confusion and fear.
The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less fortunate than themselves. I taped the picture of the young family to our refrigerator, explaining their difficulty to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and to three- year-old Meghan.
“ We have so much. And these poor people now have nothing,” I said.“We’ll share what we have with them.”
I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them on the living room floor. Meghan watched seriously, as the boys and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods.
While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys piled up discarded toys and games.
“I’ll help you find something for the little girl when I’m done with this,” I said.
The boys placed the toys they had chosen to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes. Meghan walked up with Lucy, her worn, faded, much-loved rag doll hugged tightly to her chest. She paused in front of the box that held the toys, pressed her round little face into Lucy’s flat, painted-on-face, gave her a final kiss, then laid her gently on top of the other toys.
“Oh, Honey,” I said.“You don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much.”
Meghan nodded seriously, eyes glistening with held-back tears. ‘”Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make that other little girl happy, too．”
Swallowing hard, I stared at Meghan for a long moment, wondering how I could teach the boys the lesson she had just taught me. For I suddenly realized that anyone can give their cast-offs away. True generosity is giving that which you value most.
Honest benevolence  (善行)  is a three-year-old offering a valuable, though shabby, doll to a little girl she doesn’t know with the hope that it will bring this child as much pleasure as it brought her. I, who had wanted to teach, had been taught.
The boys had watched, open-mouthed, as their baby sister placed her favorite doll in the box. Without a word, Brad rose and went to his room. He came back carrying one of his favorite action figures. He hesitated briefly, clutching the toy, then looked over at Meghan and placed it in the box next to Lucy.
A slow smile spread across Brett’s face. Then he jumped up, eyes twinkling as he ran to fetch some of his prized Matchbox cars.
Astonished, I realized that the boys had also recognized what little Meghan’s gesture meant. Swallowing back tears, I pulled all three of them into my arms.
Taking the cue from my little one, I removed my old jacket from the box of clothes. I replaced it with the new hunter green jacket that I had found on sale last week. I hoped the young woman in the picture would love it as much as I did.
It’s easy to give that which we don’t want any more, but harder to let go of things we cherish, isn’t it? However, the true spirit of giving is to give with your heart..
【小题1】Why does the author give a detailed description of a particular picture in the Sunday newspaper?