.閱讀理解

　　On Nov. 30, 1835, Samuel Langhorne Clemens was welcomed into the world as the sixth child of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. Little did John and Jane know, their son Samuel would one day be known as Mark Twain—America's most famous literary(文學(xué)) icon(偶像).

　　Samuel's father was a judge, and he built a two­story frame house at 206 Hill Street in 1844. As a child, Samuel was kept indoors because of poor health. However, at the age of nine, he seemed to recover from his ailments and then attended a private school in Hannibal.

　　When Samuel was 12，his father died of pneumonia(肺炎), and at 13，Samuel left school to become a printer's apprentice(學(xué)徒). After two short years, he joined his brother Orion's newspaper as a printer and an editorial assistant. It was there that young Samuel found he enjoyed writing.

　　At 17, he left Hannibal for a printer' s job in St. Louis. While in St. Louis，Samuel became a river pilot' s apprentice. He became a licensed river pilot in 1858. Samuel's pen name, Mark Twain，comes from his days as a river pilot. It is a river term which means, 12 feet when the depth of water for a boat is being measured. “Mark Twain” means that is safe to navigate(航行).

　　In 1861，Samuel began working as a newspaper reporter for several newspapers all over the United States. In 1870, he married Olivia Langdon.

　　Mark Twain began to gain fame when his story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County appeared in The New York Saturday Press on November 18, 1865. Mark Twain's first book, The Innocents Abroad, was published in 1869, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885. He wrote 28 books and numerous short stories, letters and other articles.

　　Mark Twain passed away on April 21, 1910, but has a following still today. His childhood home is open to the public as a museum in Hannibal. Walking tours are given in New York City of places that Mark Twain visited near his birthday every year.

　　文章大意：本文主要介紹了馬克·吐溫的人生經(jīng)歷。

　　1.What does the underlined word “ailments” refer to?

　　A.Injury. B.Pressure.

　　C.Sadness. D.Illness.

　　答案：D　詞義猜測題。從第二段第二、三句推測這里指他的疾病痊愈了，能去上學(xué)了，故選D。

　　2.Which of the following is the correct order according to the passage?

　　a.Samuel Clemens left school to become a printer' s apprentice.

　　b.Samuel Clemens became a licensed river pilot.

　　c.Samuel Clemens attended a private school in Hannibal.

　　d.Samuel Clemens' first book The Innocents Abroad was published.

　　e.Samuel Clemens began working as a newspaper reporter.

　　f.Samuel Clemens married Olivia Langdon.

　　A.a，b，c，d，e，f B.c，a，b，e，d，f

　　C.c，a，b，e，f，d D.a，c，b，e，f，d

　　答案：B　事件排序題。分析全文可知，馬克·吐溫先后經(jīng)歷了：讀小學(xué);輟學(xué)當(dāng)印刷學(xué)徒工;當(dāng)水手;當(dāng)報(bào)社記者;第一本書出版;與Olivia Langdon結(jié)婚。

　　3.What can we know from the passage?

　　A. Samuel Clemens' parents had found his great talent for writing.

　　B.Samuel Clemens had good health in his childhood.

　　C.Before his first book，Mark Twain published his writing.

　　D.Mark Twain wrote 28 short stories in total.

　　答案：C　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段第二句可知A項(xiàng)與原文內(nèi)容不符;馬克·吐溫童年身體不健康，B項(xiàng)與原文內(nèi)容不符;馬克·吐溫在第一本書出版前，就在《紐約周六報(bào)刊》發(fā)表了《卡城名蛙》，C項(xiàng)與原文內(nèi)容相符;馬克·吐溫寫了28本書和許多短篇小說以及其他作品等，D項(xiàng)與原文內(nèi)容不符。

　　4.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

　　A. How “Mark Twain” came about.

　　B.Samuel Clemens' main works during his life.

　　C.What jobs Samuel Clemens ever did.

　　D.The person who encouraged Samuel Clemens to write.

　　答案：D　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。文章第四段第四、五、六句提到馬克·吐溫筆名的來歷;第六段提到他的主要作品;第三、四、五段均提到他做過的工作，只有D項(xiàng)在文中沒有提及。