Exercises
A. Determining the main idea.
Choose the best answer. Do not refer to the text.
The main idea of the text is that _______. ( D )
(a) genius comes from craftsmanship
(b) without genius there is no craftsmanship
(c) writing has nothing to do with genius
(d) genius and craftsmanship function to produce a good story
B. Comprehending the text.
Choose the best answer.
1. The author cites his experience of seeing a tree in flower on the edge of a woods to show that ________. ( C )
(a) he is capable of discovering beauty
(b) there is always something behind the beauty
(c) beauty can make one spellbound beyond question
(d) beauty can never be questioned
2. An outstanding story is the product of ________. ( C )
(a) a writer's creative power only
(b) a story teller's practice only
(c) a creative writer's painstaking effort
(d) sudden insights
3. Which of the following statements is NOT true? ( B )
(a) One's genius works and creates original stories.
(b) Trust one's creative function and one will surely be able to produce good stories.
(c) Every writer has genius to some extent, but not everyone has the ability to bring a good story into the world.
(d) One needs creativity and diligence to make achievements in writing stories.
4. By writing one can ____________. ( D )
(a) improve his writing skills
(b) do his best writing on the story
(c) form a habit of improving his work continually
(d) form a better way of life and improve his writing skills
5. A writer writes a story when he has ________. ( C )
(a) had the story as a whole in his mind
(b) understood the development of the story clearly
(c) had some vague idea about an original story in his mind
(d) known how a story is going to end
6. A story is conceived ___________. ( B )
(a) by a combination of all things in the writer's memory
(b) when some experience provokes the combination of the writer's early impressions
(c) when the writer knows that his experience and discovery can be shared with others
(d) when the writer feels that he has understood well what he experienced
7. The focal point of the text is the creative writer's _______. ( B )
(a) creative power
(b) continual effort in writing
(c) writing skills
(d) personal experience
8. Which of the following expresses the process of conceiving a story? ( A )
(a) The writer's unconscious selection of his treasury of experience helps the story to grow and brings it to his conscious mind.
(b) The writer has an impulse to write and then he sets out to search for material in his memory.
(c) The writer's rich personal experience stimulates him to work out a sketch of a story.
(d) The writer's creative power and his hard work help to form the framework of the story.
C. Understanding vocabulary.
Choose the correct definition according to the context.
1. I saw nothing of the might which had forced open a pit you could break your teeth on. ( A )
(a) strength
(b) possibility
(c) liveliness
(d) indication
2. All that appeared to me was a profound and eerie grace. ( B )
(a) strange
(b) mysterious
(c) frightful
(d) dreadful
3. Mastery is genius afoot. ( C )
(a) on foot
(b) on the move
(c) in operation
(d) ready
4. The craftsman's labor is as conscious, as canny and as practical as that of the bricklayer. ( D )
(a) careful
(b) lucky
(c) good
(d) clever
5. In any case, the lucid impressions of childhood and ... lie in the memory. ( B )
(a) bright
(b) clear
(c) clean
(d) transparent
6. Like any seed, the seed of a story has its own principle of growth which employs a process of intelligent selection, drawing from the unconscious mind's vast treasury of experience that it needs to fulfill its inherent form. ( D )
(a) special
(b) natural
(c) original
(d) relevant
7. You will see that they are not your private vagaries. ( D )
(a) good ideas
(b) clever ideas
(c) funny ideas
(d) unusual ideas
8. Rereading tends to condone errors in writing. ( B )
(a) spot
(b) forgive
(c) criticize
(d) correct
9. Self-conscious flamboyance shows up for what it is. ( A )
(a) showy behavior
(b) lightheartedness
(c) boasting
(d) acting up
10. What you considered a clever understatement is often revealed as an evasion of something difficult to state. ( A )
(a) avoidance
(b) running away
(c) running out
(d) escape
D. Discussing the following topics.
1. Is it possible for a writer to start writing on impulse and then catch some good ideas flashing into his mind during the process of writing? Cite examples to illustrate your point.
答案：
The answer is yes. But the question is open to discussion. Impulse can not stay long without careful thinking. Writing is also an art and art is cultivated.
2. How does a writer produce good stories? Do you believe that a genius is a person who is able to accomplish things without going through any hardship?
A writer needs creative power in producing good stories. He has to make painstaking efforts in writing. Creative power needs cultivation and genius alone may not work in creating original stories.
3. Do you think it is true that a good story is not written but rewritten? Why or why not?
答案： In most cases a good story is rewritten. But there are writers who think very carefully about the story to be written before they start writing. Careful thinking and rewriting are of the same nature here.
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