Maupassant was born in 1850 in northern France. His early life was not happy. His parents separated when he was 11. Most of his education came informally from Gustave Flaubert-his mother's friend and
his godfather, a journalist and novelist. Often Flaubert would let him take a walk and then ask him to write 100 lines about what he saw. This type of trainning developed in Maupassant a sense of observation,
which he later put to use in his writing. Flaubert also allowed Maupassant to attend his Sunday gatherings with others in his literary circle.
For a few years, Maupassant was connected with the Ministry of Public Instruction. It is interesting to
note that Monsieur Loisel, a poor man character in The Necklace, worked there. He also served in the
French army during the FrancoPrussian War. His favorite writing subjects were peasants, servants in the
city, and the FrancoPrussian War.
At an early age, Maupassant started writing short stories. In 1880, some of his works were published
and he received a wide reputation for Boule de Suif (Ball of Tallow). With this success, he began to
work fulltime on writing. During the next ten years, he wrote over 300 stories, including six novels, three
plays, books of travel, and a book of verse. Through them, he earned a lot of money.
His writing was classical and simple, avoiding social comments and dirty details. His works often
showed a real world and an accurate knowledge of the subject. Although Maupassant wrote in many
forms, he received widest recognition for his short stories. By 1890, Maupassant was suffering from the
latter stages of syphilis(梅毒). He died in 1893 in Paris.
1. We can know that before 1861________.
A. Maupassant left France
B. Maupassant lived with his parents
C. Maupassant served in the French army
D. Maupassant's father left him and his mother
2. Which of the following is TRUE about Gustave Flaubert?
A. He often went out for a walk with Maupassant.
B. He was a journalist and novelist working for a church.
C. He had a great influence on Maupassant's writing.
D. He often helped Maupassant with his writing homework.
3. From the text we know Monsieur Loisel is________.
A. a man selling necklaces
B. a character in one of Maupassant's works
C. a short story written by Maupassant
D. a friend of Maupassant in the Ministry of Public Instruction
4. What is a characteristic of Maupassant's stories?
A. They have few social comments.
B. They are simple and humorous.
C. They only focus on the lives of peasants.
D. They are full of imagination.
5. What can we learn about Maupassant from the text?
A. Only in his 30s did he begin to write stories.
B. He did not receive any formal education.
C. He spent his last years happily.
D. Boule de Suif was his first success.
6. 用30词左右概括文章大意
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