F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, an American novelist, was once a student of
St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton University for a short while. In 1917
he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had
to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary: "My own happiness in the past
often approached such joy that I could not share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk
it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary." F. Scott Fitzgerald
(1896-1940)
This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald
began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel The Beautiful and Damned
(1922), a collection of short stories Tales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923).
But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quick brought him praise
from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published
another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald's problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to
reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During
this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The Love of the Last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his
dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.
1. How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?
A. 5.
B. 6.
C. 7.
D. 8.
2. Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald's life according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
A. f-c-e-a-b-d
B. b-e-a-f-c-d
C. b-f-c-d-e-a
D. f-d-e-c-b-a
3. We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald _____.
A. had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.
B. was well educated and well off before he served in the army
C. helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital
D. would have completed more works if his wife hadn't broken down
4. The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about _____.
A. Zelda's personal life
B. Zelda's illness and treatment
C. Fitzgerald's friendship with Graham
D. Fitzgerald's contributions to the literary world
