Visitors can find a small, old house called the O. Henry Museum in central Austin, Texas. William Sydney Porter(1862-1910)----better known as O. Henry, was one of America’s best loved writers of short stories. Beginning in 1893, he lived here. It was saved from destruction, moved, and turned into a museum in 1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of him.
William Porter rented this house and lived with his wife and daughter for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not, but are in the house to recreate the way it looked during their lifetime.
Porter worked at a pharmacy, farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museum has special proof of Porter’s love of language---his dictionary. It’s said that he read every word in it. Porter started a small publication called “The Rolling Stone”. He wasn’t being published early on, so he published himself. His funny stories, poems, and drawings were published in the magazine. But it was too costly to continue for long, so he closed the project after about one year.
Other troubles would lead the Porters to leave Austin. Porter was accused of financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Fearing a trial, he fled the country. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced trial and was found guilty. He served three and a half years in a federal prison in Ohio.
Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time of his release, he had published 14 stories and was becoming well-known as O. Henry.
Porter would later move to New York City and find great success there. He published over 380 stories in the last eight years of his life.
【小题1】What is the author’s purpose of writing paragraph 3?

One day a rabbit ran into an elephant. "Hello," said the rabbit. "Fine day, isn’t it?" The elephant stopped to look down at the tiny(小的) creature and shouted. "Leave me alone. I don’t have the time to waste on someone so small." The rabbit was shocked by the elephant’s words. Then he decided to ask the whale(鲸鱼) what she thought about the elephant’s rudeness. But the whale laughed at this tiny animal. The rabbit said, "You think that I am weak, but in fact, I am strong! I can beat you at Tug-of-War (拔河比赛)." The whale looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Very well, little one. Go and get a rope," she said. The rabbit ran off to find a strong and thick rope. Then he went to the elephant, "Elephant, I will beat you at a game of Tug-of-War." The elephant laughed loudly, but agreed to challenge the tiny animal. He tied the rope around his huge waist. The rabbit took the other end and ran away. He called back to the elephant, "When I say 'pull’, you start pulling. "The rabbit took the other end of the rope to the whale, "Tie this to your tail and when I say 'pull’，you swim." The whale tied the rope to her tail after laughing at the rabbit’s foolishness. Then the rabbit called out "PULL!" The elephant and the whale began pulling. After a while, they were too tired to continue. The elephant and the whale never knew how such a tiny creature could beat them. But from that day on, they said "hello" to the little rabbit with great respect whenever they met.

1.Why did the rabbit want a game of Tug-of-War?

　  A. He wanted to show he was the best.

  　B. He knew that he could do well in this game.

 　 C. He wanted to get respect from the elephant and the whale.

  　D. He wanted to prove he wasn’t the tiniest animal.

2.What do you think of the rabbit according to the story?

  　A. Smart and brave.              B. Tiny and stupid.

  　C. Pride and naughty.             D. Poor and weak.

3.Why did the elephant and the whale lose the game?

　　A. They didn’t prepare for it.

　　B. They were not as strong as the rabbit.

　　C. They were too impolite to the little rabbit.

　　D. They actually fought with each other but not the rabbit.

4.Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

　　A. The elephant was pleased to talk to the rabbit at first.

　　B. It was the whale who suggested having a game of Tug-of-War.

　　C. The rabbit was stronger than both the whale and the elephant.

　　D. The whale and the elephant began to respect the rabbit from then on.

Visitors can find a small, old house called the O. Henry Museum in central Austin, Texas. William Sydney Porter(1862-1910)----better known as O. Henry, was one of America’s best loved writers of short stories. Beginning in 1893, he lived here. It was saved from destruction, moved, and turned into a museum in 1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of him.
William Porter rented this house and lived with his wife and daughter for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not, but are in the house to recreate the way it looked during their lifetime.
Porter worked at a pharmacy, farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museum has special proof of Porter’s love of language---his dictionary. It’s said that he read every word in it. Porter started a small publication called “The Rolling Stone”. He wasn’t being published early on, so he published himself. His funny stories, poems, and drawings were published in the magazine. But it was too costly to continue for long, so he closed the project after about one year.
Other troubles would lead the Porters to leave Austin. Porter was accused of financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Fearing a trial, he fled the country. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced trial and was found guilty. He served three and a half years in a federal prison in Ohio.
Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time of his release, he had published 14 stories and was becoming well-known as O. Henry.
Porter would later move to New York City and find great success there. He published over 380 stories in the last eight years of his life.

1. 1.

   What is the author’s purpose of writing paragraph 3?

   1. A.
      To attract more visitors to the O. Henry Museum.
   2. B.
      To show the jobs O. Henry once did.
   3. C.
      To show O. Henry’s early love of words and writing.
   4. D.
      To introduce O. Henry’s publication called “The Rolling Stone”.
2. 2.

   Which of the following shows the right order of O. Henry?
   a. He was committed to prison.
   b. He settled down in central Austin.
   c. His wife died.
   d. He started a small publication called “The Rolling Stone”.
   e. He moved to New York City.

   1. A.
      bdcae
   2. B.
      bcade
   3. C.
      bdcea
   4. D.
      bacde
3. 3.

   What can be inferred from the passage?

   1. A.
      Most of O. Henry’s short stories were finished in prison.
   2. B.
      O. Henry didn’t start his career as a successful writer when living in central Austin.
   3. C.
      O. Henry was born in a small, old house which is called the O. Henry Museum now.
   4. D.
      O. Henry spent his last life in the small, old house in Texas.
4. 4.

   What does the author want to tell us in the passage?

   1. A.
      O. Henry’s experience in prison.
   2. B.
      The objects in the O. Henry’s Museum
   3. C.
      O. Henry’s achievement in literature.
   4. D.
      A brief account of O. Henry’s life

One day a rabbit ran into an elephant. "Hello," said the rabbit. "Fine day, isn’t it?" The elephant stopped to look down at the tiny(小的) creature and shouted. "Leave me alone. I don’t have the time to waste on someone so small." The rabbit was shocked by the elephant’s words. Then he decided to ask the whale(鲸鱼) what she thought about the elephant’s rudeness. But the whale laughed at this tiny animal. The rabbit said, "You think that I am weak, but in fact, I am strong! I can beat you at Tug-of-War (拔河比赛)."The whale looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Very well, little one. Go and get a rope," she said.The rabbit ran off to find a strong and thick rope. Then he went to the elephant, "Elephant, I will beat you at a game of Tug-of-War." The elephant laughed loudly, but agreed to challenge the tiny animal. He tied the rope around his huge waist. The rabbit took the other end and ran away. He called back to the elephant, "When I say 'pull’, you start pulling. "The rabbit took the other end of the rope to the whale, "Tie this to your tail and when I say 'pull’，you swim." The whale tied the rope to her tail after laughing at the rabbit’s foolishness. Then the rabbit called out "PULL!" The elephant and the whale began pulling. After a while, they were too tired to continue. The elephant and the whale never knew how such a tiny creature could beat them. But from that day on, they said "hello" to the little rabbit with great respect whenever they met.

1. 1.

   Why did the rabbit want a game of Tug-of-War?
     

   1. A.
      He wanted to show he was the best.
   2. B.
      He knew that he could do well in this game.
   3. C.
      He wanted to get respect from the elephant and the whale.
   4. D.
      He wanted to prove he wasn’t the tiniest animal.
2. 2.

   What do you think of the rabbit according to the story?
     

   1. A.
      Smart and brave.
   2. B.
      Tiny and stupid.
   3. C.
      Pride and naughty.
   4. D.
      Poor and weak.
3. 3.

   Why did the elephant and the whale lose the game?

   1. A.
      They didn’t prepare for it.
   2. B.
      They were not as strong as the rabbit.
   3. C.
      They were too impolite to the little rabbit.
   4. D.
      They actually fought with each other but not the rabbit.
4. 4.

   Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

   1. A.
      The elephant was pleased to talk to the rabbit at first.
   2. B.
      It was the whale who suggested having a game of Tug-of-War.
   3. C.
      The rabbit was stronger than both the whale and the elephant.
   4. D.
      The whale and the elephant began to respect the rabbit from then on.