O. Henry, born in Greensboro, North Carolina, was the pen name of William Sydney Porter. His father, Algernon Sydney Porter, was a physician. When William was three years old, his mother died, and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt. William was a good reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school, and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm. After that, he moved to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk. After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1882, he married. In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist . In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial dealings. While in prison, William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking(1899), appeared in McClure's Magazine. After serving three years of the five years' sentence,he changed his name to O. Henry, hoping to forget his bitter past. O. Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World, and also published the stories in other magazines. His first collection, Cabbages and Kings, appeared in 1904. Many other works quickly followed, such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room. O. Henry's best- known work is The Ransom of Red Chief. His stories always have surprising endings. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime. O. Henry's last years were shadowed by drinking, ill health, and financial problems. In 1907, he experienced a failed marriage. In 1910, O. Henry died after an illness. O. Henry spent some time in prison because _ . A) he got involved in some problems connected with money B) he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist C) his weekly The Rolling Stone failed D) he couldn't earn enough money to support his daughter
A
A new study has found that the best way to make yourself feel happier is to think of something good that happened to you the day before. Volunteers who were asked to remember a pleasant event from past 24 hours began to feel happier right away.Other activities such as saying "Thank you" and smiling also made volunteers feel happier, but not as much. Professor Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University planned the study.He got 26,000 people to go online to try out a few different activities to make them feel happier.They were told to be nice, remember a pleasant event from the day before, give thanks or smile for 15 seconds twice a day.The volunteers did these activities for one week. The result showed that thinking about one good thing that had happened the day before worked the best for making people happier.(146 words) The best title may probably be _ . A) Thinking about yesterday's happiness to be happy today B) Making a study to make people happier and younger C) Letting out a secret to live a longer life D) Doing experiments to make people happier
A
Q: Are you a dog person or a cat person? With so many photos and videos of cats and dogs doing cute things online, it's easier than ever to answer which of these furry friends you like more. There are many reasons why people prefer one type of pet over the other. So, have you ever wondered what your preference for cats or dogs says about you? In fact, a 2010 study done by Sam Gosling, a psychologist at the University of Texas, US, and his graduate student Carson Sandy found that dog people are more extroverted , agreeable and conscientious than cat people. "Cats will occasionally engage in social activities, but usually after only a few minutes they will give up the game. Dogs, on the other hand, will often engage in play, like fetching a thrown ball, for hours at a time," said Modern Dog magazine. Just on the basis of dogs' nature being more sociable than cats', you may expect that the personalities of dog people also reflect higher sociability. And Gosling's study found that dog people are generally about 15 percent more extroverted and 13 percent more agreeable, both of which are associated with social orientation . In addition, dog people are 11 percent more conscientious than cat people. "Conscientiousness" is a tendency to show self-discipline, to complete tasks and aim for achievement. This trait also shows a preference for planned rather than spontaneous behavior. In comparison, cat people are about 12 percent more anxious, but they are also 11 percent more "open" than dog people, due to a general appreciation for art, emotion, imagination, curiosity, adventure, unusual ideas and variety of experience. And people high on openness are more likely to hold unconventional beliefs. Despite so many differences, there are some things that cat people and dog people have in common. "Both types of people consider themselves close to nature, dislike animal-print clothing and generally look on the better side of life," noted Mother Nature Network. According to the study done by Sam Gosling, dog owners tend to _ than cat owners. A) be more imaginative and creative B) live a more organized life C) love to get close to nature more D) be more easygoing and adventurous
A: B
Mark Twain, the famous American writer, was once traveling in France .He went by train to Dijon. He was very tired and wanted to sleep. He therefore asked the conductor to wake him up when the train came to Dijon But first he explained he was a very heavy sleeper,"I may bossibly protest loudly when you try to wake me up,"he said to the conductor. "But don't take any notice of what I say. Just put me off the train anyway." Then Mark Twain went to sleep. Later, when he woke up it was night time and the train had reached Paris already. He realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at Dijon. He was so angry that he ran to the conductor and began to shout at him. "I have never been so angry in my life,"Mark Twain said. The conductor looked at him calmly ."You are not half so angry as the American whom I put off the train at Dijon,"he said. The conductor didn't wake up Mark Twain at Dijon because_. A) he didn't take Mark Twain's words seriously B) he forgot mark Twain's words when the train came to Dijon C) he did not want to bear his protest D) he mistook another American traveler for Mark Twain
A