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 reader’s surprise.
【小題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.

【小題2】People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because__________.

A．they had surprise endings	B．they were short
C．they showed his love for the poor	D．they were about New York City

【小題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

【小題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.

【小題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

【小題1】B
【小題2】A
【小題3】D
【小題4】D
【小題5】C

解析試題分析：本文介紹了美國著名的短篇小說大師歐亨利的一生，他的寫作生涯，他的作品的特點等。
【小題1】B 細節題。根據文章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項順序是正確。
【小題2】A 細節題。根據文章最后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個出人意料的結尾。這正是人們喜歡他的作品的原因，故A正確。
【小題3】D 細節題。根據文章5,6行. When some money went missing from the bank, O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison.可知人們懷疑他偷了錢，所以把他送進監獄。故D正確。
【小題4】D 推理題。根據During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories和He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. 可知他善于學習，他自學了很多知識，在監獄里學會了寫短篇小說。故D正確。
【小題5】C 細節題。根據文章倒數第二行He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there.可知紐約普通人的生活是他的寫作材料。故C正確。
考點：考察人物傳記類短文閱讀
點評：本文介紹了美國著名的短篇小說大師歐亨利的一生，他的寫作生涯，他的作品的特點等。這篇文章非常簡單，先看問題，再帶著問題仔細閱讀短文，理解了全文內容，很容易選出正確答案。閱讀短文時，常常會遇到一些生詞。這時，要沉著，冷靜，細心思考。首先要把整段、整篇文章看完。通過對全篇短文的理解，就很有可能猜測出生詞的大意。另外，還可以從含有生詞句子的上下文，以及句子和段落之間的關系來判斷、理解生詞以求獲得其真正含義。