Question

Writing being largely a self-taught occupation, texts on how to get about it -though great in number- seldom are of much use. .www.7caiedu.cn

You try, and fail. Then try again. Until at last, if you have some gift for it, the failures become less frequent, or at any rate less apparantly.

It is this ability to cover up one’s defects that is finally regarded as accomplishment or achievement.

Along the way there are the discouragements of unkind criticism, outright rejection, troublesome insecurity and irregular inability to meet debts.

It is uncommon, therefore, to come across a book containing advice of much practical value for anyone toying（漫不經心地考慮） with the dangerous idea of staring on a writing life.

A friend recently lent me such a book, however - one I wish I’d had the luck to read years ago, and which I would recommend to any young person devoted to making a career of words. It is the autobiography （自傳） of the English novelist Anthony Trollope, first published in 1883, the year after his death.

Needing some means to support himself, Trollope at age 19 worked as a junior clerk in the British postal service. He was at his desk at 5:30 each morning to write for three hours. And he remained in the mail service 33 years, long after reputation and prosperity had come to him.

Now, what of his advice in his works?

1. For safety’s sake, arm yourself with some other skills, some other line of work to fall back on（求助）。 That way, failure at writing, though the disappointment may appear, will not mean ruin.

2. Do not depend too much on inspiration. Writing is a craft, which Trollope compared to the craft of shoemaking. The shoemaker who has just turned out one pair of his work sets to work immediately on the next pair.

3. Have a story to tell, but, more important than that, people with characters who will speak and move as living creatures in the reader’s mind. Without memorable characters, story alone is nothing.

4. Meet your deadlines. Life is endlessly “painful and troublesome” for writers who can’t finish their work on time.

5. Do not be carried away by praise. And, above all, do not be injured by criticism.

6. Understand the risks of writing for a living. “The career, when successful, is pleasant enough certainly; but when unsuccessful, it is of all careers the most painful.”

1.This passage mainly discusses__________.

A．the difficulties and risks of making a career of words

B．the uselessness of instructions contained in writing guidebooks

C．the autobiography of the 19th century English novelist Anthony Trollope

D．sound advice provided in Anthony. Trollope’s autobiography

2. From the context we can figure out that the underlined word “defect” in Paragraph 3 means__.

A．advantage

B．fault

C．truth

D．disadvantage

3.According to the author, writing _______.

A．is basically a self-taught occupation and no instructions on how to deal with it are of any practical use

B．is a “trial and error” process and it does not count whether you have the gift for writing or not

C．for a living is the most pleasant of all careers, full of praise and enjoyment

D．sometimes provides good hopes of winning public praise and escaping povert

4.From the passage we may infer that the author is most probably        

A．an instructor of writing	B．a writer
C．an educator	D．a publisher

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.B

【解析】

試題解析：

1.細節題，根據第六段which I would recommend to ...it is the autobiographty of ...Anthony Trollope...可知選D。

2.推理題，fault缺點，不足。根據句意這是一種能力最后所謂的成功或成就掩蓋了一些人的缺點。

3.細節題，根據第一段writing being largely a self-taught pccupation,texts on how to get zvut it –though gret in number-seldom are of much use.可知選A.

4.推理題，文章主要描寫了作者對于寫作的一些看法，以及一些建議，故可推出作者是一位作家。

考點：描述性文章的閱讀。

點評：文章主要描述了作者對寫作的看法以及他介紹了一本書和其中的一些建議。讀這樣的文章首先要了解作者描述的基本觀點，然后根據提問再理解細節。