Many a young person tells me that he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I explain that there’s a big difference between “being a writer“ and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not of the long hours 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 typically a lonely, private and low-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20year career in the US Coast Guard to become a freelance writer(自由撰稿人), I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who was fond of me and so supplied my room in a New York apartment building. It was cold and had no bathroom; I bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer. After a year or so of this existence, however, I still hadn’t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough for a weeks’ groceries, I felt I was destined 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; anyone with a dream must learn to live there.The passage is meant to ______. warn young people of the trials what a successful writer experiences early in his/her career advise young people to give up their dreams 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

W: How will you like college, Simon? M: I doubt if I’ll like where it is and its size. It looks as if it’s very small. W: Yes, it’s very pleasant. There are only about a thousand students. M: What kind of students comes here? W: That’s a difficult question to answer. I suppose it’s an impossible question to answer, really. There are all kinds. They’re difficult to describe. M: What do they do in their spare time? W: All kinds of things. There are a lot of different kinds of clubs to join. Some students meet their friends at the Union. Some go to the library to study. M: Do they have to go to the library to study? W: No, they can study where they want to. M: Do you know what sports they play? W: Oh, yes, there are teams for all kinds of sports. M: It sounds as if going to college is fun. Q9. How does Simon find the college? He likes its position and its size, but he doesn’t think it’s very big. He likes its buildings and its size, but he thinks it’s very small He doesn’t like its position or its size, but he thinks it’s very big. He likes its position and its size, he thinks it’s very big.

The cost of meals in big cities varies greatly, (depend0______ on choices.

I got to the station, only (find)______ that the train was pulling out.

That street is a very (desire) ______ place for you to open a store.

A film featuring a talking mouse appeared in the United States. The character was only a pencil drawing, but it began a fantasy that America and much of the wider world have yet to grow tired of. _____________________________

You are required to write a letter for application according to the following information given in Chinese. Do not translate it word by word. 你是湖南长沙市保险学院学生，看到上海欣达公司在《中国日报》招聘秘书职位的广告，请以王卫民的身份写一封求职信，随信附上简历表一份，你住在学生2号宿舍135房间，学院邮编410114，写信时间：2006年5月10日。上海欣达公司地址：上海四川路138号，邮编200025

W: Shall we go to the airport to meet Dr. Smith this afternoon? M: Oh, I forget to tell you he has put off his trip. Q: What do we know about Dr. Smith? He has canceled his trip. He is arriving this afternoon. He has changed his plan. He forgot to arrange his trip.

W: Welcome, Mc Johnson. Take a seat, please. Our manager will be back soon. M: Thank you. Urn, it’s rather warm these days, isn’t it? W: Yes. The weather is quite unusual at this time of year. M: You’re right. Er...do you mind if I take off my jacket then? W: Sure. Make yourself at home. M: Thank you, that’s better. Urn...do you mind if I smoke? I notice nobody’s smoking around here. W: Well, I’m sorry, but this is a non-smoking Office building. M: Oh, that’s OK. I’m trying to quit it anyway. By the way, may I use your phone to book a table for lunch? W: Yeah. Sure. Do you know which restaurant is good? M: Oh, yeah, absolutely. W: Fine. The phone is over there. M: Thank you. Doctor and patient. Manager and clerk. Secretary and visitor. Teacher and student.

When his son stays here, what knid of room does he always have? He always has _______ one.

I could have called you yesterday, but I ______ your telephone number. didn’t have hadn’t had won’t have wouldn’t have

The dictionary will prove ______ to you in your English study. being of some use be of some use to be of some use of some use

The engineer claims that this engine is ______ as the previous one. twice powerful as twice powerful powerful as twice twice as powerful

He was so engaged ______ his business that he hadn’t been home for a month. at on for in

It is important that the report ______ to the general manager at once. sent be sent is sent will be sent

The roads have to be (wide) ______ so that the problem of traffic jam can be solved.

To my surprise, Jenny, as well as her parents, (be) ______ unfriendly to me.

Suddenly she turned around and (catch) ______ sight of her boss.

When the professor came into the room, he found himself (surround) ______ by many students.

We are all conditioned by the way we are brought up. Our values are determined by our parents, and in a larger sense, by the culture in which we live. Chinese people, for example, are traditionally not accustomed to drinking milk, and may actually become sick if they are compelled to drink a glassful of the beverage. Americans, on the other hand, thrive on milk, although they have many taboos of their own. Some years ago I gave a dinner party during which I served a delicious hors d’oeuvre filled with a meat that tasted somewhat like chicken. My guests wondered what the meat was, but I refused to tell them until they had eaten their fill. I explained that they had just dined on the flesh of freshly killed rattlesnake. Some people reacted by becoming nauseous, and a few people even vomited. By contrast, if I had served rattlesnake to a Chinese person, he might have requested a second helping, for in China the dish is considered a delicacy. Another interesting case is a young man I met recently in New York City. An American by birth, he had been removed from his native state of Oregon at the age of six months when his parents went to Japan as missionaries. Orphaned before his first birthday, he was reared by a Japanese family in a remote village. The young man was unmistakably American in appearance, with blond hair and blue eyes. But he had a Japanese style of walking, Japanese facial expressions, and he thought like a Japanese. Though he had learned to speak English fluently, he felt uncomfortable and out of place in an American city. He soon returned to Japan.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? Cultural Conditioning Our Parents’ Values Taboos among Americans American Customs

What can be concluded from the passage?

Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of writing career?

...people who die wondering, ’What if?’(Para. 3) refers to those ______.

Shadow land in the sentence refers to ______.