阅读理解
Visitors to central Austin Texas would be easy to miss a small, old house called the O. Henry
Museum. 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 Sydney rented this house and lived with his wife Athol and daughter for about 2
years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others didn't, 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 is 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 the 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 8 years of his life.
1. What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
A. O. Henry's experience in prison
B. The objects in the O. Henry Museum
C. O. Henry's achievement in literature
D. A brief introduction of O. Henry's life
2. What is the author's purpose of writing Paragraph 3?
A. To attract more visitors to the O. Henry Museum
B. To show the jobs O. Henry did
C. To show O. Henry's publication called "The Rolling Stone"
D. To show O. Henry's early love of words and writing
3. Which of the following shows the right order about O. Henry?
① He was committed to prison.
② He settled down in central Austin, Texas.
③ His wife died.
④ He started a small publication called "The Rolling Stone".
⑤ He moved to New York City.
A. ②④③①⑤
B. ②③①④⑤
C. ②④③⑤①
D. ②①③④⑤
4. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Most of O. Henry's short stories were finished in prison.
B. O. Henry didn't start his career as a successful writer when living in Austin.
C. O. Henry was born in a small, old house which is called the O. Henry Museum now.
D. O. Henry spent his last life in the small, old house in Texas.
