大学英语四级考试：阅读笔记（20）

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage:
　　56.The passage is meant 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 pursue wealth and fame
　　D) encourage young people to pursue a writing career
　　57. What can be concluded from the passage?
　　A) Genuine 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 and isolation.
　　D) The chances for a writer to become successful are small.
　　58. 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.
　　59. "... people who die wondering, What if?" (Line 3, Para. 3) 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
　　60. "Shadowland" in the last sentence refers to _________
　　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
　　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 individuals 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."
　　注：1.一段首句细节，二段首句是文章主题句，本文为文科文章，以态度为切入点
　　2.But 转折，表明了作者负态度，但I always encourage such people, but I also... 全句来看是混合(中立)态度。
　　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. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer (自由撰稿者), I had no prospects 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 manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer.
　　注：1.fortune 幸运，财富
　　2.本段首句主题句，第二段结论句，career 事业，经历
　　3.manual 手动 genuine 真正的 gene 基因
　　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 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 Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
　　注：After a year 对应58题
　　59. "... people who die wondering, What if?" (Line 3, Para. 3) 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
　　注：不能根据字面意思，要看上下文关系来做。
　　●句子含义题做题方法：根据上下句之间相同、相反或解释说明等关系做题。根据该句话本身字面意思得出的选项为干扰选项。（该原则适用于词汇题）
　　60. "Shadowland" in the last sentence refers to _________
　　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
　　注：出现在最后一句，但应从前一句中寻找答案。A、B和D项都是字面意思
　　56.The passage is meant 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 pursue wealth and fame
　　D) encourage young people to pursue a writing career
　　注：1.主题题。二段首句是文章主题句，本文为文科文章，以态度为切入点。
　　2.B和C项都是片面负态度，而文章中作者持混合(中立)态度，故可以排除这两项
　　57. What can be concluded from the passage?
　　A) Genuine 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 and isolation.
　　D) The chances for a writer to become successful are small.
　　注：推理题。第二段第二句的同义改写，定位方法：顺序原则(58题的关键词出现在第三段，所以此题应该是在第二段)
　　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. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer (自由撰稿者), I had no prospects 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 manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer.
　　58. 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.
　　注：第三段第一句的同义改写，D项中的never 为绝对语气词，故不选
　　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 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 Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.