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 in North Carolina in 1862. 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 and continued writing. 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 readers’ surprise.

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

a. Lived in New York.     b. Worked in a bank.      c. Traveled 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, b, e, d, a, f    C. e, b, d, c, a, f    D. c, e, b, d, f, a

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 the 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 very good at learning.

C. He was devoted to the poor.    D. He was not serious about his work.

5.Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories?

A. His life inside the prison.    B. The newspaper articles he wrote.

C. The city and people of New York.    D. His exciting early life as a boy.

Answer

1. D

2. A

3. D

4. B

5. C

【解析】

本文介绍了美国著名短片小说家欧亨利的生平。

1.细节理解题。根据文中When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, ……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. 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O. Henry的事件发生顺序，先去了Texas，然后在报社，银行工作，被怀疑偷钱入狱，在狱中学写短故事，出狱后去New York.故选D.

2.细节理解题。根据文章最后People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the readers’ surprise.可知人们喜欢O. Henry的作品是因为他的作品总是有出人意料的结尾。故选A.

3.细节理解题。根据When some money went missing from the bank, O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. he was sent to prison.可知银行丢钱后，人们怀疑O. Henry偷了，他被送进监狱。故选D.

4.推理判断题。根据He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know.可知虽然O. Henry上学时间不长，但他善于自学。故选B.

5.细节理解题。根据After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there.可知O. Henry出狱后在纽约生活继续写作，他的作品来源于纽约和那里穷人的生活，故选C.