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Since it was first published in 1843, the novella (短篇故事）A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has been loved by millions of people, and perhaps has encouraged them to love more and give more. Dickens is known as the best author of the Victorian times writing on social issues influencing his times.

Charles was no strangers to poverty. His father had been thrown in prison for debt in 1824, and he had to drop school and start working as the second oldest child of eight children. ①

All his hopes and dreams of making something of his life were ended. It seemed not an adult in the world cared for his hopes or his abilities, not even his own parents. He wondered “how he could be so easily thrown away at such a young age”. ②

Eventually, he started writing stories for the papers. With money coming in and then children,Charles had taken a mortgage(抵押贷款）on a big house. His next novel was not as well received and his future payments were cut. Charles needed to make money and he needed to make it fast. Criticism (批评）of his new novel hurt his confidence; it is not easy to write when you are down and struggling. He needed new ideas and inspiration(激励), but he was running out of time.③

As he walked the streets after dark, through what he called the “black streets”of London, he again saw the poor ,who had little food or warmth in the cold weather, and the closed-up houses, like the doors of the hearts of many who do not want to love and give.④

He happened to find the idea of a Christmas story that could show this and warm the hearts of the poor and open the hearts of the selfish. He needed to write fast and that is probably why we only have a novella, but a novella was enough to share his story. He filled the story with character and scenes which he had already written about in his other stories, Scrooge, the main character,is a selfish self-centred man who hates Christmas the tine of giving . His late business partner, also a greedy man, comes back from the dead as a ghost to warn Scrooge.You will need to read the story yourself to see how Scrooge finally changes his ways.

The plan to save himself financially also saved Dickens emotionally. As he wrote about Christmas and the wonderful time of gift giving, family gathering, carol singing and feast sharing, his own heart was cheered and he remembered those things that really mattered to him. He loved writing the book and produced a special story, which is still loved around the world. New inspiration and fresh confidence set Dickens on a new path to success.

1．What difficulties did Dickens face when writing A Christmas Carol?

A．Lack of (缺乏) time and education.	B．Lack of love and confidence.
C．Lack of patience and ideas.	D．Lack of inspiration and confidence.

2．Where should the sentence “It was the loneliest time of his life.”be put in the passage？

A．①

B．②

C．③

D．④

3．Why is A Christmas Carol such an important work according to the last paragraph?

A．It is very popular among readers.	B．It serves as a turning point in Dickens’ writing career.
C．It helped Dickens make a great deal of money.	D．Its theme is about a wonderful time full of love and giving.

4．What is the purpose of this article?

A．To show the greatness of Charles Dickens.	B．To recommend some great works of Charles Dickens.
C．To present how poor Dickens’ life was.	D．To introduce the book A Christmas Carol.