This is the letter that Mr. White wrote
before his death about his three books for children:
Dear Reader:
I receive many letters from children and
can't answer them all -- there wouldn't be time enough in a day. That is why I
am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I'll try to answer some of
the questions that are commonly asked.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little
and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a
railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted
rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and
my barn（谷仓） is a
very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed
the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was
doomed to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig's
life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by
how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story
that you know, a story of friendship and salvation（拯救） on a farm. Three years
after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you
can see.)
Sometimes I'm asked how old I was when I
started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -- as soon as
I could spell. In fact, I can't remember any time in my life when I wasn't busy
writing. I don't know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think
children often find pleasure and satisfaction is trying to set their thoughts
down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I
used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of
earning a living.
Some of my readers want me to visit their
school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book. And some
ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I'd like to,
I can't go visiting. I can't send books, either -- you can find them in a
bookstore or a library. Many children assume that a writer owns (or even makes)
his own books. This is not true -- books are made by the publisher. If a writer
wants a copy, he must buy it. That's why I can't send books. And I do not send
autographs（亲笔签名，手稿）
-- I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in
New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I
live near my married son and three grandchildren.
Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are
imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a
family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider
doesn't spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn't blow a trumpet（喇叭，小号） . But real life is only
one kind of life -- there is also the life of the imagination. And although my
stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too --
truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.
Yours sincerely,
E.B. White
1.What does the author do?
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A． a writer
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B．a reporter
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C．a doctor
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D．a teacher
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2.What caused the author start to write?
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A．His parents’ encuoragement
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B．His talent in writing
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C．Not mentioned in the passage
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D．A writer in the early time
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3.Why does the author think he can’t seng
his autographs?
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A．Because he thinks it should be dong by movie stars.
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B．Because he thinks his writing is not good enough
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C．Because he has no much time
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D．Because he hates writing
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4.How long had the author been writing the
story of Chariotte’s web?
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A．3 minths
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B．2 years
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C．3 years
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D．5 years
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