Ⅰ. 阅读理解
Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his pen name.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi(密西西比河). He was nearly drowned nine times.
After his father’s death in 1847, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.
Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投资) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.
At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.
【语篇概述】本文介绍了文坛巨匠马克·吐温的生平事迹和所取得的成就。
1. Mark Twain left school at 12 to _______.
A. work as a miner B. write stories
C. join the army D. make a living
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第二段第一句 “Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. ”; 和第三段第一句 “After his father’s death in 1847, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. ”可知, 他为了生计开始工作, 故选D。
2. Which of the following about Mark Twain is NOT true?
A. He was not a healthy boy.
B. He caused much trouble for his parents.
C. He gained lots of money by writing.
D. He had a happy childhood but a sad later life.
【解析】选D。推理判断题。根据第二、三段内容可知, 马克·吐温儿时患病, 父亲早逝, 不得不为了生计打工, 可见他的童年并不快乐, 故选D。
3. Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?
a. He worked as a printer.
b. He worked as a river-boat pilot.
c. He became a miner.
d. He joined the army.
e. He became a full-time writer.
A. a-b-c-d-e B. a-b-d-c-e
C. a-c-b-d-e D. c-a-b-d-e
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据第三段后几句 “Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time writer. ”内容即可排出顺序。故选B。
4. _______ brought him fame and lots of money.
A. His works B. His investments
C. His printing D. His family
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据第四段中的“In the years that followed he wrote many books including Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune. ”可知, 是他的作品给他带来了声誉和财富, 故选A。
