Tracy Wong is a well-known Chinese-American writer. But her writing __ 16__ was something she picked up by herself. After her first__ 17__, teaching disabled children, she became a part-time writer for IBM. __ 18__, writing stories was simply a __ 19__ interest. Tracy sent three of her stories to a publisher. __20___, they immediately suggested that she put them together to make a single one long __21___ and paid Tracy a $ 15,000 in advance. “A pretty money,” said the publisher, “for __22___ writer.”
__23___ Tracy’s characters are interesting, her stories sometimes __24___ readers uneasy: those about the supernatural. “My mother believed I could __25___ 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 __26___ when things come to me__27__. “Once, she was wondering how to complete a __28___set in ancient China. __29___ the doorbell rang. It was a FedEx delivery man, with a copy of a book on Chinese __30___. It came without her having __31__ it.
Though she has published 45 books, Tracy has remained __32__ by her fame. She lives in the same __33__ she lived 27 years ago — although in a more comfortable home. There’s more room for __34__ in her life — and it wasn’t just __35__.
16. A. skill B. experience C. practice D. method
17. A. duty B. effort C. job D. task
18. A. Instead B. Normally C. Certainly D. Then
19. A. general B. deep C. personal D. lively
20. A. Interested B. Anxiously C. Seriously D. Encouraged
21. A. film B. story C. program D. article
22. A. a foreign B. a popular C. an unusual D. an unknown
23. A. Now that B. Even though C. Just because D. Except that
24. A. find B. turn C. leave D. hold
25. A. make up B. connect with C. control D. explain
26. A. events B. chances C. feelings D. moments
27. A. for no reason B. from a distance C. by accident D. as gifts
28. A. description B. condition C. scene D. talk
29. A. Surprisingly B. Suddenly C. Expectedly D. Fortunately
30. A. cooking B. history C. play D. medicine
31. A. known B. sent C. realized D. ordered
32. A. unchanged B. excited C. determined D. unmoved
33. A. life B. city C. house D. way
34. A. success B. work C. joy D. variety
35. A. writing B. reporting C. luck D. fun