Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
Harlan Coben believes that if you’re a writer, you’ll find the time; and that if you can’t find the time, then writing isn’t a priority and you’re not a writer. For him writing is a ___1___ job — a job like any other. He has ___2___ it with plumbing, pointing out that a plumber doesn’t wake up and say that he can’t work with pipes today.
___3___, like most writers these days, you’re holding down a job to pay the bills, it’s not ___4___ to find the time to write. But it’s not impossible. It requires determination and single-mindedness. ___5___ that most bestselling authors began writing when they were doing other things to earn a living. And today, even writers who are fairly ___6___ often have to do other work to ___7___ their writing income.
As Harlan Coben has suggested, it’s a ___8___ of priorities. To make writing a priority, you’ll have to ___9___ some of your day-to-day activities and some things you really enjoy. Depending on your ___10___ and your lifestyle, that might mean spending less time watching television or listening to music, though some people can write ___11___ they listen to music. You might have to ___12___ the amount of exercise or sport you do. You’ll have to make social media an ___13___ activity rather than a daily, time-consuming ___14___. There’ll probably have to be less socialising with your friends and less time with your family. It’s a ___15___ learning curve and it won’t always make you popular.
There’s just one thing you should try to keep at least some time for, ___16___ your writing — and that’s reading. Any writer needs to read as much and as widely as they can; it’s the one ___17___ supporter — something you can’t do without.
Time is finite. The older you get, the ___18___ it seems to go. We need to use it as carefully and as ___19___ as we can, that means prioritising our activities so that we spend most time on the things we really want to do. If you’re a writer, that means — ___20___ writing.
解析语义推断。下文“often have to do other work to supplement their writing income”——“即便是相当 ___ 的作家也常需兼职补贴写作收入”，对照需要兼职这一事实，well-known“相当出名”才显得突出，故选 A。well-advised“受好建议”、well-informed“消息灵通”、well-chosen“精心挑选的”均与“知名度”一义不符。
7.
A) donate
B) generate
C) supplement
D) calculate
答案 C
解析动宾搭配。supplement their writing income“补贴写作收入”，是地道的“开源补充”含义，故选 C。donate“捐赠”、generate“产生”、calculate“计算”均不与 income 形成“补贴”一义。
8.
A) cause
B) purpose
C) question
D) condition
答案 C
解析搭配。a question of priorities“优先次序的问题”是固定搭配，与上一句“it’s a ___ of priorities”形成自然衔接，故选 C。cause/purpose/condition of priorities 均不构成“是不是优先级的问题”这一惯用法。
9.
A) highlight
B) sacrifice
C) continue
D) explore
答案 B
解析动宾搭配。sacrifice some of your day-to-day activities“牺牲日常活动”，与“想把写作置于首位就要放下别的事”逻辑闭环，故选 B。highlight“突出”、continue“继续”、explore“探索”均与“为优先级让路”不符。
10.
A) relations
B) interests
C) memories
D) skills
答案 B
解析语义推断。后文“看电视、听音乐、运动”都是个人“兴趣”活动，因此 “Depending on your ___ and your lifestyle”——“取决于你的兴趣与生活方式”，故选 B。relations“关系”、memories“记忆”、skills“技能”均不能涵盖“个人兴趣爱好”。
11.
A) until
B) because
C) while
D) before
答案 C
解析连接词。some people can write while they listen to music“一边听音乐一边写作”，while 表“同时进行”，故选 C。until“直到”、because“因为”、before“在之前”均与“同时发生”的关系不符。
12.
A) put up with
B) make up for
C) hang on to
D) cut down on
答案 D
解析短语搭配。cut down on the amount of exercise or sport“减少运动量”，与“为腾时间写作而压缩其它活动”逻辑一致，故选 D。put up with“忍受”、make up for“弥补”、hang on to“抓住不放”均与“缩减”相反。
解析短语搭配。in addition to your writing“除了写作之外”，作者强调“至少还得为阅读留时间”，故选 D。in place of“代替”、in charge of“负责”、in response to“回应”均不构成“附加”关系。
17.
A) indispensable
B) innovative
C) invisible
D) instant
答案 A
解析近义复现。后文“something you can’t do without”——“不可或缺的支撑者”，indispensable“必不可少的”最贴切，故选 A。innovative“创新”、invisible“看不见”、instant“即时”均与“不可或缺”一义不切。
18.
A) duller
B) harder
C) quieter
D) quicker
答案 D
解析比较级。The older you get, the quicker it seems to go——“年纪越大，时间越像飞逝”，quicker 与 “Time is finite”+催促珍惜的口吻一致，故选 D。duller/harder/quieter 均与“时间流逝感”不切。
19.
A) peacefully
B) generously
C) productively
D) gratefully
答案 C
解析并列副词。carefully and as productively as we can“既要小心又要尽量高效地使用时间”，与“分清主次、把时间花在真正想做的事上”逻辑闭环，故选 C。peacefully“平静地”、generously“慷慨地”、gratefully“感激地”均不切“高效利用时间”的核心诉求。
20.
A) at most
B) in turn
C) on average
D) above all
答案 D
解析短语搭配。above all writing——“最重要的是写作”，与全文“写作要被列为优先项”的主旨呼应，故选 D。at most“至多”、in turn“依次”、on average“平均而言”均不能强调“最重要”这一收束语气。