導(dǎo)讀：

　　Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always K)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 N)wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter.(these individuals指代的是Many a young people。) "You've got to want to write,"I say to them, "not want to be a writer."

　　The reality is that writing is a E)lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never C)rewarded.(kissed by fortune意為“受到命運之神的親睞”，由此可推出第4題應(yīng)填的詞。) When I left a 20-year career in the US. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer(自由撰稿人), I had no H)prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. (What I did... my room in...。這是一個復(fù)合句，What引導(dǎo)的是主語從句，who引導(dǎo)的定語從句修飾a friend,由此可看出，作者剛開始從事寫作時的艱難。)It didn't even matter that it was O)cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a B)genuine writer.

　　After a year or so, however, I still hadn't gotten a break and began to D)doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that A)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 I)uncertainty and fear of failture.(put... to the test意為“使.....經(jīng)受考驗”，此處表明了作者態(tài)度，即要成為作家必須忍受很多困難。)This is the Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream learn to live there.

　　全文翻譯：

　　很多年輕人對我說他們想當(dāng)作家。我總是鼓勵這樣的青年，但同時我也向他們說明“當(dāng)作家”和寫作的區(qū)別是很大的。在很多情況下，那些想當(dāng)作家的人向往的是金錢和名譽，而不是獨自守著打字機的漫長日子。我對他們說，“你必須是想寫，而不應(yīng)是想當(dāng)作家。”

　　事實上，寫作是一件令人寂寞，孤獨而且報酬又不高的事情。在每一個受到命運之神青睞的作家背后，還有成百上千的不走運的作家，這些人的渴望從沒有得到過回報。當(dāng)我辭別了我在美國海岸警衛(wèi)隊20年工作成為一個自由撰稿人時，沒有任何前途可言。我只有一個朋友，他在紐約的一幢公寓里給我找了一個房間。盡管房間很冷而且連洗漱間也沒有，不過這都沒關(guān)系。我馬上買了一臺舊的手動打字機，感覺自己就好像是一個真正的作家了。

　　然而，大約一年后，我仍然沒有任何進(jìn)展并開始懷疑自己。要賣出一篇暫且可以糊口的作品是如此之難。但我知道我有寫作的欲望。這是我多年以來的夢想。我不會像有些人那樣，在臨終前還在想，當(dāng)初如果不放棄該多好啊!我會繼續(xù)接受考驗，即使這意味著變化無常的生活和對失敗的擔(dān)心。這其實也是夢想實現(xiàn)以前的一種虛幻的境界，每一個有夢想的人都應(yīng)該學(xué)會在這種境遇中生活。

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