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 typewriter. You ve got to want to write, I say to them, not want to be a writer .

　　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 , 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.

　　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 Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

　　55. By saying that an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince , the writer means _______.

　　A) different people have different styles of clothes

　　B) ready-made clothes may need alterations

　　C) statuses come ready made just like clothes

　　D) our choice of statuses is limited

　　：句意理解題，問文章中說一個美國人不能選擇中國農(nóng)民或印度王子的服裝，作者說這句話是什么意思。文章說得很明白：身份如同已有的服裝一樣，我們在選擇時會受到一定限制。所以項正確。

　　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 typewriter. You ve got to want to write, I say to them, not want to be a writer .

　　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 , 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.

　　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 Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

　　55. By saying that an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince , the writer means _______.

　　A) different people have different styles of clothes

　　B) ready-made clothes may need alterations

　　C) statuses come ready made just like clothes

　　D) our choice of statuses is limited

　　：句意理解題，問文章中說一個美國人不能選擇中國農(nóng)民或印度王子的服裝，作者說這句話是什么意思。文章說得很明白：身份如同已有的服裝一樣，我們在選擇時會受到一定限制。所以項正確。