Writers who are conscientious but inexperienced often write with a great deal of self-conscious effort. Worrying constantly, they inch ahead word by word. When they have finally reached the end of the piece, they breathe a sign of relief. They have done their best. They are off the hook.

　　Before they start to write, experienced writers generally think very hard about their audience and their purpose. They devote time to sketching out the structure of the piece and perhaps to obsessing a bit about their first few sentences. But once over these hurdles, these writers do not fastidiously (挑剔的) choose their words like cherries from a tree. Rather, they let them fall upon the page as if their order were predestined. Such writers know well enough that nothing about this first rush of words has any relationship to destiny. Even though it frequently contains much worth retaining, this spontaneous outpouring represents only one of many possibilities for expressing the same thoughts.

　　Most writers want and need the luxury of shaking the tree and letting the fruit fall as it will. If we free our inner voice, it speaks to us rapidly and distinctly. By recording the words we hear, we quickly give form and substance to our thoughts. Half-formed ideas drifting through a writer's mind are, of course, nearly impossible to evaluate or revise. And frequently they are lost before we even have the opportunity to try. But an idea that has been made tangible and visible can be clarified and refined at will. And writers must revise. The more knowledgeable and particular the writer, the more complex or sensitive the purpose, the more time the revision may take, and the better the result is likely to be.

　　Your "gut" reaction to your first draft can provide some insights, but it will only carry you a short distance. To strengthen your phrasing and sentence structure, you again need to know precisely what you are trying to do and how you are going to do it. As with word choice, revising word order with confidence requires some real knowledge of specific rules and techniques. Although this knowledge permeates (滲入) even your first drafts, you appreciate it the most when you revise. It helps you to spot weaknesses immediately and to know exactly what remedies to apply.

　　1. All of the following are characteristics of conscientious but inexperienced writers     EXCEPT ______.

　　A. inching ahead word by word 

　　B. worrying constantly

　　C. self-consciousness 

　　D. being purposeful

　　2. The author thinks revision is ______.

　　A. a necessity 

　　B. a surplus 

　　C. a plus 

　　D. a luxury

　　3. The example of "cherries from a tree" is used to describe ______.

　　A. the way in which words fall into a writer's works naturally

　　B. the difficulty of selecting the best word among many

　　C. the beautiful language a writer can produce

　　D. the words a writer chooses to fill in his works

　　4. Which of the following statements does the author imply？

　　A. The writer's inner voice usually speaks to them in a vague and indistinctive way.

　　B. The first rush of words in a writer's mind is always the only way to express his thoughts.

　　C. Half-formed ideas in a writer's mind cannot be revised.

　　D. The more knowledgeable the writer, the less time the revision may take.

　　5. The main idea for the last paragraph is ______.

　　A. first draft is never the perfect one

　　B. writers must work on basic skills like word choice and revising word order

　　C. a writer is knowledgeable and his knowledge permeates his works

　　D. even if your writing skills have been fully displayed in your first draft, you still need revision.

　　答案及解析：

　　1. D。文中段描述了沒有經驗的作家總是小心翼翼（self-conscious），字斟句酌（inching ahead word by word），擔心寫不好(worrying constantly)。第二段描寫了有經驗的作家都會仔細考慮文章的對象和目的，有的放矢。沒有經驗的作家就沒有這種目的性。故答案為D。

　　2. A。從文中第三段"Writers must revise. The more knowledgeable and particular the writer，the more complex or sensitive the purpose，the more time the revision may take，and the better the result is likely to be."這兩句看，作者認為文章的修改對作家來說是非常重要的，是寫文章的一個必要工序（a must）。故答案為A。

　　3. D。文章第二段寫到"these writers do not fastidiously choose their words like cherries from a tree"。其中介詞短語like cherries from a tree是用來修飾前面的words,可見作者是用樹上的櫻桃比喻作家用來造句成文的詞語。故答案為D。

　　4. C。由第三段"Half-formed ideas drifting through a writer's mind are, of course，nearly impossible to evaluate or revise"可知，腦子里剛想出一半的想法是沒辦法修改的。在作家們嘗試著去修改這些想法之前，它們往往己經從腦海中消失、被遺忘了。故答案為C。

　　5. D。最后一段延續(xù)了倒數第二段的意思，還是闡明修改對于寫作的重要性。故答案為D。