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 Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.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（有回报的）.

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.C

2.B

3.D

4.A

【解析】文章叙述了作者从英语文学专业毕业之后，几经周折，最终幸运地找到自己喜爱的写书这门职业的事情。

1.推理判断题。根据前后文“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…”可知作者对于找怎样的一份适合自己的工作这件事漫无目的。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段话“I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel”可知作者决定写小说的目的只是满足自己内心深处的愿望，实现自己的梦想。故答案为B。

3.推理判断题。根据文章第三段话“It takes confidence to make a new start”“ My confidence dived”“ Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside”及本段叙述了作者回答别人问题时提到“I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there”可知，此时他的感觉应该是还不完全确定他现在是否还要继续写他的小说。故答案选D。

4.推理判断题。本段作者表达他刚刚开始时“there’s no end in sight”到后来的“an unbelievable stroke of luck” “to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回报的）”是想要告诉读者，坚持自己的目标是值得的，总会碰到运气的降临。B项“刻苦努力是成功之路”，不符合文章意思。C、D项停留于文章表面意思。故答案为A。