A
Samuel Langhorne Clemens used the pen name Mark Twain and other pen names during his writing career.Pen names have been used by authors throughout the centuries for some common purposes.But Samuel Clemens didn’t appear to choose Mark Twain for any of those common reasons.Actually，“mark twain” is a term used in steam boat piloting.Clemens’ dream job was to be a pilot of a steam boat，so he used the term as his pen name.He got famous after using it so he kept on using the name Mark Twain.Twain started his career at the newspaper the Hannibal Journal，and it was his work as a riverboat pilot that helped him develop the writer’s voice that so many people know today.
Twain’s narrative (叙述) writing style belongs to what people call Southwestern humor.His life in Hannibal，Missouri introduced him to many of these character types.It was there that he familiarized himself with character types such as slave sellers and riverboat travelers.His style of writing marks the ending of Romanticism and the beginning of Realism in American literature.
Unlike the English writers who came before him，Twain created a much looser narrative style—the way characters spoke sounded like real speech，and no two characters sounded the same.Each had a unique voice that told the readers who was speaking.This American novelist did for literature what Walt Whitman did for poetry.
Mark Twain died on April 21,1910，but the humor in his works still has a great influence on people today.Humor is something the writer began producing during his newspaper days at the Hannibal Journal，where he contributed short，humorous pieces as well as articles to the paper.Interestingly，although Clemens mostly used his pen name Mark Twain when he wrote，he did have another pen name that he used when writing humor：Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass.
语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文。文章从Mark Twain写作使用的笔名、幽默的语言以及叙事的方式等方面介绍了他的写作风格。
1．What probably helped Clemens much in developing his writing career at the beginning?
A．His sense of humor.
B．His life in childhood.
C．His family atmosphere.
D．His working experience.
解析： 细节理解题。根据第一段的“it was his work as a riverboat pilot that helped him develop the writer’s voice that so many people know today.”可知，Clemens作为河船引水员的工作在他写作生涯中发挥了很大的作用。
答案： D
2．Why is Walt Whitman mentioned in the passage?
A. To attract readers’attention.
B．To introduce the topic sentence.
C．To describe Mark Twain’s characters.
D．To show Twain’s achievement in writing.
解析： 文章结构题。根据第三段的“Unlike the English writers who came before him，Twain created a much looser narrative style”可知，Mark Twain有他自己特别的写作风格，段末把他比作Walt Whitman是想突出他在文学方面的成就。
答案： D
3．What is mainly talked about in the passage?
A．Mark Twain’s writing style.
B．Humor in Mark Twain’s works.
C．Mark Twain’s contribution to literature.
D．The story of the pen name Mark Twain.
解析： 主旨大意题。通读文章可知，本文主要是从Mark Twain写作使用的笔名、幽默语言以及叙事的方式等方面介绍他的写作风格。
答案： A
