READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE AND MARK THE LETTER A, B, C, OR D ON YOUR ANSWERSHEET TO INDICATE THE CORRECT ANSWER TO EACH OF THE QUESTIONS

Bài 2. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer

sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), who wrote under the pseudonym of O. Henry, was

born in North Carolina. His only formal education was to attend his Aunt Lina’s school

until the age of fifteen, where he developed his lifelong love of books. By 1881 he was a

licensed pharmacist. However, within a year, on the recommendation of a medical

colleague of his Father’s, Porter moved to La Salle County in Texas for two years

herding sheep. During this time, Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary was his constant

companion, and Porter gained a knowledge of ranch life that he later incorporated into

many of his short stories. He then moved to Austin for three years, and during this time

the first recorded use of his pseudonym appeared, allegedly derived from his habit of

calling “Oh, Henry” to a family cat. In 1887, Porter married Athol Estes. He worked as a

draftsman, then as a bank teller for the First National Bank.

In 1894 Porter founded his own humor weekly, the “Rolling Stone”, a venture that failed

within a year, and later wrote a column for the Houston Daily Post. In the meantime, the

First National Bank was examined, and the subsequent indictment of 1886 stated that

Porter had embezzled funds. Porter then fled to New Orleans, and later to Honduras,

leaving his wife and child in Austin. He returned in 1897 because of his wife’s continued

ill-health, however she died six months later. Then, in 1898 Porter was found guilty and

sentenced to five years imprisonment in Ohio. At the age of thirty five, he entered prison

as a defeated man; he had lost his job, his home, his wife, and finally his freedom. He

emerged from prison three years later, reborn as O. Henry, the pseudonym he now used

to hide his true identity. He wrote at least twelve stories in jail, and after re-gaining his

freedom, went to New York City, where he published more than 300 stories and gained

fame as America’s favorite short Story writer. Porter married again in 1907, but after

months of poor health, he died in New York City at the age of forty-eight in 1910. O.

Henry’s stories have been translated all over the world.

Question 9: According to the passage, Porter’s Father was ______.

A. the person who gave him a life-long love of books

B. a medical doctor

C. a licensed pharmacist

D. responsible for his move to La Salle County in Texas

Question 10: Why did the author write the passage?

A. to outline the career of a famous American

B. because of his fame as America’s favorite short story writer

C. because it is a tragic story of a gifted writer

D. to outline the influences on O. Henry’s writing

Question 11: The word “imprisonment” in paragraph 2 is closet in meaning to _______.

A. captivity

B. escape

C. insult

D. punishment

Question 12: What is the passage primarily about?

A. The life and career of William Sydney Porter.

B. The way to adopt a nickname.

C. O.Henry’s influence on American literature.

D. The adventures of O.Henry.

Question 13: The author implies which of the following is true?

A. Porter’s wife might have lived longer if he had not left her in Austin when he fled.

B. Porter was in poor health throughout his life.

C. O. Henry is as popular in many other countries as he is in America.

D. Porter would probably have written less stories if he had not been in prison for three

years.

Question 14: Which of the following is true, according to the passage?

A. Porter left school at 15 to become a pharmacist

B. Porter wrote a column for the Houston Daily Post called “Rolling Stone”

C. The first recorded use of his pseudonym was in Austin

D. Both of Porter’s wives died before he died

Question 15: The word “pseudonym” in the passage refers to ___________.

A. William Sydney Porter

B. O. Henry

C. Athol Estes

D. the Aunt Lina