O. Henry, born in Greensboro, North Carolina, was the pen name of William Sydney Porter. His father, Algernon Sydney Porter, was a physician. When William was three years old, his mother died, and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt. William was a good reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school, and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm. After that, he moved to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk. After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1882, he married.
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist (专栏作家). In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial (财务的) dealings. While in prison, William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking (1899), appeared in McClure's Magazine. After serving three years of the five years' sentence, he changed his name to O. Henry, hoping to forget his bitter past.
O. Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World, and also published the stories in other magazines. His first collection, Cabbages and Kings, appeared in 1904. Many other works quickly followed, such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room. O. Henry's bestknown work is The Ransom of Red Chief. His stories always have surprising endings. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O. Henry's last years were shadowed by drinking, ill health, and financial problems. In 1907, he experienced a failed marriage. In 1910, O. Henry died after an illness.
1．What's the passage mainly about?
A．A brief introduction to O. Henry.
B．O. Henry's career and marriage.
C．How O. Henry became a wellknown writer.
D．O. Henry's bestknown works.
解析：选A 主旨大意题。本文介绍了欧·亨利从出生到早期奋斗，到中年时期取得的成就，再到他悲惨的晚年的经历，因此是对他生平的简要介绍。
2．It can be inferred from the passage that O. Henry ________.
A．didn't like to study during his childhood
B．had little parental love as s child
C．was very interested in medicine and farming
D．took up only one job after he moved to Houston
解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第一段内容可知，欧·亨利三岁时母亲就去世了，是祖母和姑母把他抚养大的，由此可推断，他的童年缺少父母的爱，故答案为B项。
3．O. Henry spent some time in prison because ________.
A．he got involved in some problems connected with money
B．he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist
C．his weekly The Rolling Stone failed
D．he couldn't earn enough money to support his daughter
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial (财务的) dealings.”可知欧·亨利是因为经济问题招来的牢狱之灾。
4．Which is the right time order for the following events in O. Henry's life?
①He moved to New York City.
②He joined The Houston Post.
③Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking came out.
④The Furnished Room came out.
⑤Cabbages and Kings appeared.
A．①②③④⑤ B．②①③⑤④
C．③②①④⑤ D．②③①⑤④
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据文章内容可知，这几件事发生的时间分别为：①1902年，②1884～1897年间，③1899年，④1904年以后，⑤1904年。故答案为D项。
