A
Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in 1874, but he spent most of his life moving from place to place, often returning to New England, the place of his later childhood and early adult years.
Robert was the first child born in his family. Frost's early childhood was filled with anxiety, since his father drank and gambled too much. Frost's father died when Frost was 11, leaving his mother with no choice but to move back home with her parents in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Frost's first published poem appeared in the Lawrence High School Bulletin in 1890. While Frost could attend Harvard College, he attended Dartmouth College instead, because his grandparents thought he would find success there. Frost dropped out of Dartmouth before his first year was over and began teaching primary school.
In 1894, Frost received his first payment for the poem My Butterfly: an Elegy. He worked as a reporter while still teaching primary school. Frost married his wife, Elinor White, in 1895. Frost and Elinor had their first child in 1896, a son they named Elliot.
In 1897 Frost continued his education at Harvard College, but by 1899 he had dropped out again. In 1901, Frost's grandfather died, leaving him a farm in New Hampshire, which made it possible for Frost to support his growing family. Robert and Elinor had more children, and Frost wrote more and did several different parttime jobs to make ends meet. He taught English literature, trained other teachers in teaching methods, and taught education and psychology classes.
In 1913, his first book A Boy's Will was published. The success of this book brought him in contact with many important literary people, including William Yeats. Following this success, Frost published many literary works, including short stories, poems and a play. He made a living by lecturing, writing and sometimes teaching.
Frost actively contributed to the literature until his death in 1963. Frost was highly regarded, and he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his poetry four times in his life.
【语篇解读】 本文主要介绍美国大诗人罗伯特·弗罗斯特的生平故事。
1．Robert Frost attended Dartmouth College instead of Harvard College because _____________.
A．he didn't show any interest in Harvard College
B．his grandparents didn't want him to leave the home
C．his family hoped that he could save money for them
D．his grandparents thought he could achieve more in Dartmouth College
解析：选D 细节理解题。从第三段的“because his grandparents thought he would find success there”可知，弗罗斯特去达特茅斯学院上学而没去哈佛大学主要是受到他祖父祖母的影响，他们认为他会在达特茅斯学院取得成功。
2．After his grandfather's death, Robert Frost _____________.
A．lost his family's support for his writing
B．couldn't spend most of his time in writing poems
C．could run the farm to support his growing family
D．didn't want to do parttime jobs anymore
解析：选C 细节理解题。从第五段的“Frost's grandfather died ... which made it possible for Frost to support his growing family.”可知，外祖父的去世留下了一个农场给弗罗斯特，因此他能够维持整个家庭的生活。
3．As his first book was published, Robert Frost _____________.
A．began to get interested in serious literature
B．had to make a living by teaching primary school
C．found it difficult to stop writing and teaching
D．had chances to meet great figures in literature
解析：选D 细节理解题。从倒数第二段的“The success of this book brought him in contact with many important literary people, including William Yeats.”可知，随着第一部诗集的问世，弗罗斯特便开始步入文学圈，接触那些名人了。
4．What is the purpose of this passage?
A．To report Robert Frost's influence on poetry.
B．To introduce Robert Frost's life story.
C．To find out what made Robert Frost a successful writer.
D．To review the influence of Robert Frost's terrible childhood.
解析：选B 写作意图题。从文章的内容可知，本文主要介绍美国大诗人罗伯特·弗罗斯特的生平故事。
