Question

O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina.

As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank, O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories.

After he got out of prison, he went to New York in 1902 when Porter's most prolific(多产的)writing period started. While there, he wrote 381 short stories. He wrote a story a week for over a year for the New York World Sunday Magazine. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.

Porter traveled with Richard to Austin in 1884, where he met Athol Estes, then seventeen years old and from a wealthy family. On July 1, 1887, Porter married Athol. Athol Estes Porter died on July 25, 1897, from tuberculosis. Porter married again in 1907, to childhood sweetheart Sarah (Sallie) Lindsey Coleman, whom he met again after revisiting his native state of North Carolina.

Porter was a heavy drinker, and his health deteriorated(恶化) markedly in 1908, which affected his writing. In 1909, Sarah left him, and he died on June 5, 1910, of cirrhosis of the liver, complications of diabetes, and an enlarged heart. After funeral services in New York City, he was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina.

1.In which order did O. Henry do the following things?

a. Lived in New York.       b. Worked in a bank.

c. Travelled to Texas.      d. Was put in prison.

e. Had a newspaper Job.    f. Learned to write stories.

A. e. c. f. b. d. a        B. c. e. b. d. f. a

C. e. b. d. c. a. f.        D. c. b. e. d. a f.

2.People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because         .

A. they had surprise endings.

B. they were easy to understand.

C. they showed his love for the poor.

D. they were about New York City.

3.O. Henry went to prison because        .

A. people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper.

B. he broke the law by not using his own name.

C. he wanted to write stories about prisoners.

D. people thought he had taken money that was not his.

4.What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?

A. He was well-educated.

B. He was not serious about his work.

C. He was devoted to the poor.

D. He was very good at learning.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一篇记叙文，文章介绍了美国著名的短篇小说大师欧亨利的一生，他的写作生涯，他的作品的特点等。

1.B；考查文章结构。根据文章4,5,6,7行When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank. When some money went missing from the bank, O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing.可知B项顺序是正确。

2.A；考查细节理解。根据文章最后2行People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.可知他的作品都有一个出人意料的结尾。这正是人们喜欢他的作品的原因，故A正确。

3.

Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison.可知人们怀疑他偷了钱，所以把他送进监狱。故D正确。

4.

考点：考查记叙文阅读