8 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one more word than you need.
A. rather B. comments C. distant D fiction E. blank F. suffered G. stared H. absolutely I. reflect J. comfort K. published |
When Michael was young, he was sensitive and shy. It was a huge task for him to talk to a stranger or go downstairs to the shops. But the boy who lived in a 1 village 30 kilometers away from the city center found great pleasure in writing. He often drank a cup of coffee on a Saturday afternoon, starting with a 2 sheet of paper. “I’m interested in many kinds of writing,” he said, “from detective story to science 3 from love story to youth novel. It’s really a pleasure to use what you write 4 than what you say to express yourself.”
Michael found his talent for writing when he was 15. At that time, he was disliked by teachers for his bad academic performance and 5 from peer pressure. He liked to express himself in his diary. “No one was willing to talk to me then,” he recalled. “Sometimes they just 6 at if I had done something wrong. Actually I was at a What to do.” Then he quitted school and started writing. The young teenager wrote 10 pieces of writing in one year, most of which were 7 on the Internet. Soon his works were recognized by a lot of Internet critics and received many positive 8 from the netizens. Two years later, he was awarded the most popular webwriter by Sina. Some readers say Michael’s novels 9 his outstanding ability to explore the emotions of contemporary people, and his novels are a great 10 to people who are struggling in the society.