59

Writing to learn makes it possible to show learning in writing. Much of the writing you will do in college and at work will ask you to demonstrate what you have learned. The success of that demonstration will depend on, among other things, revising your writing to show your knowledge to best advantage. When you have begun to see what you want to say (frequently this becomes clear at the very end of a first draft), it is time to start thinking about how to present your ideas to others. It is time to start thinking about revising.

Revising can be described as the most important (and frequently most neglected) part of writing. Novelists Doris Lessing has said that many novels miss greatness because authors are unwilling or unable to revise them. James Michaner explains the importance of revision in this way: I have never thought of myself as a good writer. Anyone who wants reassurance of that should read one of my first drafts. But I'm one of the world's great revisers.

Revising takes many forms. It means thinking about the audience for your writing. Who will read your work and why? It also means developing an overall plan for the writing that will make your ideas clear. Often the organization of a first draft will reflect your process of discovery, but that may not be the best way to present your ideas to someone else.

Revising also gives attention to the style of language, to the structure of a paragraph, and to the shape of sentences and other forms that show learning to its best advantage in order to understand your point and change a word or a phrase to make your meaning clearer.

Writing to learn and writing to show learning are never, of course, entirely separate processes. Writers frequently consider issues of demonstrating learning while writing to learn, and writing to show learning often leads to new understanding. In drafting, for example, you may start thinking about what an audience will need to know in order to understand your point and change a word or a phrase to make your meaning clearer. But understanding the differences between writing to learn and writing to show learning is central to seeing writing as a process.

1.The author thinks that revising starts when_______.

A.you want to show what you know　B.you think about your audience

C.you have discovered your idea　　D.you have developed an overall writing plan

2.The chief purpose in revising your writing is for you to_______.

A.learn in the course of writing　　B.show your learning to its best advantage

C.add new ideas to your writing　　D.use an appropriate style of language

3.According to the passage, it is a fact that_______.

A.in revising, one should only correct some spelling mistakes

B.a good writer does not need to revise his writing much

C.the organization of a first draft is sure to be the best way to convey author's ideas

D.according to James Michaner he is a good reviser before he is a great writer

4.What Doris Lessing said helps to support the idea that_______.

A.he is one of the world's great revisers　B.he is not a good writer

C.revising is very important　　　　　　D.many writers are unwilling to revise their works

5.Which of the following statements can be the best title for the passage?

A.The Importance of Revising　　　B.The Importance of Writing

C.How to Compose Good Writing　D.How to Revise Your Writing

59

1.【答案】C。

【解析】本题的四个选项中，只有C项为正确答案。这可从文中的“When you have begun to see what you want to say (frequently this becomes clear at the very end of a first draft), it is time to start thinking about how to present your ideas to others. It is time to start thinking about revising.”推知，即写出初稿后，要表达的内容及思想通常会跃然纸上。而后，作者就应考虑修改稿件，考虑如何将自己的观点更有效地、更清楚地传达给读者。

2.【答案】C。

【解析】本题的四个选项中，只有C项为正确答案。这可从文中第一段的内容推知，即写文章的目的是传达自己的思想，展现自己的知识，但能否做到这一点，将自己的知识充分地展现出来（show your knowledge to best advantage），首先取决于你是否善于修改文章。修改文章，作者应该站在读者的立场上重新审视自己所写的东西，它的主要目的是提高写作的效益。

3.【答案】D。

【解析】本题的四个选项中，只有D项为正确答案。这可从文中的“James Michaner explains the importance of revision in this way: I have never thought of myself as a good writer. Anyone who wants reassurance of that should read one of my first drafts. But I'm one of the world's great revisers.”推知。

4.【答案】C。

【解析】本题的四个选项中，只有C项为正确答案。这可从文中第二段的内容推知，即修改文章是写作过程中最重要（也是经常为人所忽视）的一个环节，紧接着，本文举了两位名人的看法来说明这一点。

5.【答案】A。

【解析】本题的四个选项中，只有A项为正确答案。这可从文中的内容推知，即本文旨在阐明修改文章的重要性，而不是修改文章或写文章的步骤与方法。