Tracy Wong is a well-known Chinese-American writer. But her writing __1__ was something she picked up by herself. After her first__2__, teaching disabled children, she became a part-time writer for IBM. __3__, writing stories was simply a __4__ interest. Tracy sent three of her stories to a publisher (出版商). __5__, they immediately suggested that she put them together to make a single one long __6__ and paid Tracy a $ 15,000 advance. “A pretty money,” said the publisher, “for __7__ writer.”
__8__ Tracy’s characters (人物) are interesting, her stories sometimes __9__ readers uneasy: those about the supernatural. “My mother believed I could __10__ the afterlife world,” she told a close friend. “She used to have me speak with my grandmother, who died many years ago.”
“Can I? I don’t think I can,” Tracy said with a laugh. “But I do have __11__ when things come to me __12__. “Once, she was wondering how to complete a __13__ set in ancient (古代的) China. __14__ the doorbell rang. It was a FedEx delivery man, with a copy of a book on Chinese __15__. It came without her having __16__ it.
Though she has published 45 books, Tracy has remained __17__ by her fame. She lives in the same __18__ she lived 27 years ago -- although in a more comfortable home. There’s more room for __19__ in her life -- and it wasn’t just __ 20__.
1. A. skill B. experience C. practice D. method
2. A. duty B. effort C. job D. task
3. A. Instead B. Normally C. Certainly D. Then
4. A. general B. deep C. personal D. lively
5. A. Interested B. Anxiously C. Seriously D. Encouraged
6. A. film B. story C. program D. article
7. A. a foreign B. a popular C. an unusual D. an unknown
8. A. Now that B. Even though C. Just because D. Except that
9. A. find B. turn C. leave D. hold
10. A. make up B. connect with C. control D. explain
11. A. events B. chances C. feelings D. moments
12. A. for no reason B. from a distance
C. by accident D. as gifts
13. A. description B. pointing C. scene D. talk
14. A. Surprisingly B. Suddenly
C. Expectedly D. Fortunately
15. A. cooking B. history C. play D. medicine
16. A. known B. sent C. realized D. ordered
17. A. unchanged B. excited C. determined D. unmoved
18. A. life B. city C. house D. way
19. A. success B. work C. joy D. variety
20. A. writing B. reporting C. luck D. fun