(B)
Isabel Allende's novels are enjoyed all over the world. She is famous for her creativity. And her own personal story is like that in her 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 reporter in Santiago, Chile's capital city. Then, she got married and had two children. In 1970, everything began to change.
● Leaving Home
Isabel Allende's uncle was a political leader named Salvador Allende. In 1970, her uncle was chosen president of Chile. In 1973, he was killed during the fighting. When Isabel Allende began to fear for her life, she and her family decided to move to Venezuela.
● From Newspaper to Novels
It was really a painful experience for Isabel Allende to leave her country. Without this experience, however, Allende said she would never 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.
● The Writing Life
"I spend ten to 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. "I sent it to my mother. She read it and came with a red pen.
We fought 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!"
(
D
)5. What does the writer think of Isabel Allende's personal story?
A. Calm. B. Dangerous. C. Terrible. D. Amazing.
(
B
)6. 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
(
C
)7. Why did Isabel Allende start writing her first novel?
A. To make a living. B. Because she liked writing novels.
C. In honour of her grandfather. D. To write against the government.
(
B
)8. In Paragraph 4, when Allende said "We fought for a month at least", she meant "
".
A. her mother didn't like her draft at all
B. she and her mother discussed a lot about the draft
C. she and her mother often fought because of the draft
D. she and her mother didn't have a good relationship