1. Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens 11/30/1835|04/21/1910

2. American short story writer Humorist

3. good at writing about children’s adventures good at writing about children’s adventures

4. born by the Mississippi River born by the Mississippi River at 11, lost father at 11, lost father at 13, stopped schoolingat 13, stopped schooling between 18-22, travelled about, a pilot between 18-22, travelled about, a pilot ever managed stock; wrote fun stories for local newspapers ever managed stock; wrote fun stories for local newspapers

5. began to use the pen name of MARK TWAIN in 1863 began to use the pen name of MARK TWAIN in 1863 Mark Twain means Two-Fathom deep Mark Twain means Two-Fathom deep  the depth of water necessary for the steamer boats to pass safely In 1872, his “writing-only” period began. In 1872, his “writing-only” period began.

6. his masterpieces 1876 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

7. his masterpieces 1881 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

8. his masterpieces 1881 The Prince and the Pauper

9. his short stories The Cop and the Anthem The Cop and the Anthem Running for Governor Running for Governor The £ 1,000,000 Bank-Note The £ 1,000,000 Bank-Note

10. Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.

11. Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's tender care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all of his friends and neighbours. He didn't like to go to school, and he constantly ran away from home.

12. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi ( 密西西比河 ). He was nearly drowned ( 淹死 ) nine times. After his father’s death in 1847, Mark twain began to work for a printer ( 印刷 商 ), who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river － boat pilot ( 领航员 ) and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner ( 矿工 ).

13. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full--time writer. In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him a great fortune.

14. Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments ( 投资 ) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of their children passed away.

15. At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

16. 1. Mark Twain was ____ in his childhood. A. a naughty boy B. a good student C. a handsome boy D. a strong boy

17. 2. Mark Twain began to write short stories when he ____. A. was at school B. was in the army C. worked for a printer D. was a miner

18. 3. Before he became a full time writer Mark Twain had not been ____. A. a printer B. a miner C. a tailor D. a soldier

19. 4. Mark Twain's wife died ____. A. after she gave birth to three children B. after Mark Twain had died C. before three of her children died D. at the same time with her children

20. 5. Before his death, Mark Twain ____. A. became a white man B. was in low spirits C. liked to buy all kinds of clothes D. had nothing on

21. 答案： ADCCB