Question

Isabel Allende’s novels are enjoyed all over the world. She is famous for her creativity and imagination. And her own personal story is as amazing as any she has ever told in a novel. Born in 1942, Allende’s family moved often during her childhood. She went to school in South America, Europe, and Asia. As a young woman, she became a journalist in Santiago, Chile’s capital city. Then, she got married and had two children. In 1970, everything began to change.

² Leaving home

Isabel Allende’s uncle was a political leader named Salvador Allende. In 1970, her uncle was elected president of Chile. In 1973, President Allende was killed during the fighting. When Isabel Allende began to fear for her life, she and her family decided to move to Venezuela.

² From Newspaper to Novels

It was really a painful experience for Isabel Allende to leave her country. Without this experience, however, Allende said she never would have begun writing novels. Then she got a phone call from Chile. Her grandfather was dying. She knew she could not return home to be with him, but she wanted to respect him in some way. “I decided to write a letter about all the things he told us when we were young,” Allende explained. Later, she wrote a long letter which became Allende’s first novel, The House of the Spirits.

² The Writing Life

“I spent ten, twelve hours a day in a room, writing,” Allende says, “I don’t talk to anybody; I don’t answer the phone.” When she finished the first draft of a new novel, Allende mailed a copy to her strictest critic(評論家).“I send it to my mother. She read it and came here with a red pen. We fight for a month at least.” Allende then went back to work until she felt the book was finished. “The storytelling is the fun part,” she said. “The writing can be a lot of work!”

1.What does the writer think of Isabel Allende’s story?

A. interested B. moving C. painful D. amazing

2.What was Isabel Allende before she got married?

A. She was a journalist. B. She was a teacher.

C. She was a political leader. D. She was a president.

3.According to the last paragraph, the underlined words “strictest critic” refer to__________.

A. Isabel Allende’s father B. Isabel Allende’s mother

C. Isabel Allende’s grandfather D. Isabel Allende’s uncle

4.Why did Isabel Allende start writing her first novel?

A. Because she wanted to make money.

B. Because she liked writing novel.

C. Because she wanted to respect her grandfather.

D. Because she wanted to write against the government.

5. In Paragraph 4, when Allende said “We fight for a month at least”, she meant that “___________”.

A. Isabel Allende and her mother discussed and argued a lot about the draft.

B. Isabel Allende and her mother often fought because of the draft.

C. Isabel Allende and her mother didn’t have a good relationship.

D. Isabel Allende’s mother didn’t like Isabel Allende’s draft at all .

Answer 1