Question

I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.

I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.

It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.

Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.

The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.

It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract（合同）of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回報的）.

1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．I was waiting for good fortune.

B．I was trying to find an admirable job.

C．I was being aimless about a suitable job.

D．I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time.

2.The author decided to write a novel ______ .

A．to finish the writing course

B．to realize her own dream

C．to satisfy readers’ wish

D．to earn more money

3.How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?

A．Disturbed.

B．Ashamed.

C．Confident.

D．Uncertain.

4.What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?

A．It pays to stick to one’s goal.

B．Hard work can lead to success.

C．She feels like being unexpectedly lucky.

D．There is no end in sight when starting to do something.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.A

【解析】文章敘述了作者從英語文學(xué)專業(yè)畢業(yè)之后，幾經(jīng)周折，最終幸運地找到自己喜愛的寫書這門職業(yè)的事情。

1.推理判斷題。根據(jù)前后文“but no sense of what I wanted to do”“just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, …then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job…”可知作者對于找怎樣的一份適合自己的工作這件事漫無目的。故選C。

2.細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段話“I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel”可知作者決定寫小說的目的只是滿足自己內(nèi)心深處的愿望，實現(xiàn)自己的夢想。故答案為B。

3.推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章第三段話“It takes confidence to make a new start”“ My confidence dived”“ Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside”及本段敘述了作者回答別人問題時提到“I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there”可知，此時他的感覺應(yīng)該是還不完全確定他現(xiàn)在是否還要繼續(xù)寫他的小說。故答案選D。

4.推理判斷題。本段作者表達(dá)他剛剛開始時“there’s no end in sight”到后來的“an unbelievable stroke of luck” “to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回報的）”是想要告訴讀者，堅持自己的目標(biāo)是值得的，總會碰到運氣的降臨。B項“刻苦努力是成功之路”，不符合文章意思。C、D項停留于文章表面意思。故答案為A。