Question

Пожалуйста, прочитайте текст, и ответьте на 9 вопросов! (можно кратко). “MY BIOGRAPHY” I was born on the 30-th of November 1835 in the village of Florida, Missouri. My father was John Marshal Clemens. According to tradition some of my great-great parents were pirates and slave traders — a respectable trade in the 16-th century. In my time I wished to be a pirate myself. Florida contained a hundred people and when I was born I increased the population by one per cent. It had two streets and a lot of lanes. Both the streets and the lanes were paved (мостить) with the same material — black mud in wet times, deep dust in dry. Most of the houses were of wood — there were none of brick and none of stone. Everywhere around were fields and woods. My uncle was a farmer. I have never met a better man than he was. He was a middle-aged man whose head was clear and whose heart was honest and simple. I stayed at his house for three months every year till I was thirteen years old. Nowhere else was I happier than at his house. He had eight children and owned about fourteen Negro slaves whom he had bought from other farmers. My uncle and everyone on the farm treated the slaves kindly. All the Negroes on the farm were friends of ours and with those of our own age we were playmates. Since my childhood I have learned to like the black race and admire some of its fine qualities. In my school days nobody told me that it was wrong to sell and buy people. It is only much later that I realized all the horror of slavery. The country school was three miles from my uncle's farm. It stood in a forest and could take in about twenty five boys and girls. We attended school once or twice a week. I was a sickly (хилый) child and lived mainly on medicine the first seven years of my life. When I was twelve years old my father died. After my father's death our family was left penniless. I was taken from school at once and placed in the office of a local newspaper as printer's apprentice (подмастерье) where I could receive board and clothes but no money. For ten years I worked in printshops of various cities. I started my journalistic life as a reporter on a newspaper in San-Francisco. It was then that I began to sign my publications by my penname Mark Twain. Вопросы(9): 1. In what state was Samuel Clemens born? 2. What were the great-great parents of Mark Twain? 3. What did Mark Twain want to be? 4. What were the streets and lanes of Florida paved with? 5. How does the author describe his uncle? 6. How many slaves did Mark Twain's uncle own? 7. What was the author's attitude toward slavery? 8. Was Mark Twain a healthy boy? 9. When did the author start his career of a writer? Заранее спасибо, вы спасете меня если поможете

Answer 1

1. Samuel Clemens was born in Missouri.
2. Mark Twain's great-great parents were pirates and slave traders.
3. Mark Twain wanted to be a pirate just like his great-great parents.
4. Both streets and lanes were paved with the same material - black mud in wet times, deep dust in dry.
5. His uncle was a farmer. He was a middle-aged man whose head was clear and whose heart was honest and simple.
6. His uncle owned about fourteen slaves.
7. The author considered slavery as horror.
8. No, he was a sicky child and lived mainly on medicine the first seven years if his life.
9. He started writing at the age of 22 working as a reporter on a newspaper in San-Francisco.

Answer 2

1. In what state was Samuel Clemens born?

Samuel Clemens, who is better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was born in the state of Missouri.

2. What were the great-great parents of Mark Twain?

According to tradition, some of Mark Twain's great-great parents were pirates and slave traders. However, it is important to note that this was considered a respectable trade in the 16th century.

3. What did Mark Twain want to be?

Mark Twain wanted to be a pirate himself when he was growing up.

4. What were the streets and lanes of Florida paved with?

The streets and lanes of Florida, the village where Mark Twain was born, were paved with the same material: black mud in wet times and deep dust in dry times.

5. How does the author describe his uncle?

The author, Mark Twain, describes his uncle as a middle-aged man whose head was clear and whose heart was honest and simple. He also mentions that he has never met a better man than his uncle.

6. How many slaves did Mark Twain's uncle own?

Mark Twain's uncle owned about fourteen Negro slaves, whom he had bought from other farmers. It is mentioned that his uncle and everyone on the farm treated the slaves kindly.

7. What was the author's attitude toward slavery?

In his childhood, Mark Twain did not realize the horror of slavery. He mentions that he learned to like the black race and admire some of its fine qualities. However, it is only much later in his life that he realized the horror of slavery.

8. Was Mark Twain a healthy boy?

No, Mark Twain was not a healthy boy. He describes himself as a sickly child who lived mainly on medicine for the first seven years of his life.

9. When did the author start his career as a writer?

Mark Twain started his career as a writer when he worked as a reporter on a newspaper in San Francisco. It was during this time that he began to sign his publications with his pen name, Mark Twain.