C. Because the author wants to show how hard the mother worked.

D. Because the author wants to show how rich the family was.

2．Why was the poor man unhappy after he spoke with the ticket lady?

A. He had lost his money. B. His children were noisy.

C. The tickets were sold out. D. The tickets were too expensive.

3．Who did the $20 note belong to?

A. The poor man. B. The author's father.

C. The poor man's wife. D. The ticket lady.

4．Which of the following statements is probably TRUE according to the passage?

A. The poor family saw the circus that night.

B. The two families became close friends.

C. The author's father earned some money.

D. The author saw the circus that night.

　　Lu Xun is one of the greatest Chinese writers of the 20th century. Besides his famous stories, he also wrote many influential articles about the living conditions of Chinese people.

　　Born in 1881 to a wealthy family, Lu Xun had a happy childhood. In 1893, however, his grandfather, a senior government official, was put into prison for taking money. At the same time, his father became seriously ill. From that time on, his family were no longer accepted by their relatives and friends. These early experiences greatly influenced his writing.

　　By the time Lu Xun arrived in Nanjing to study at university in 1899, he already believed that Chinese society had to change and become modern. In 1902 he went to study in Japan. There, he began writing articles for several Chinese student magazines. He showed a gift for writing and translating and he even wrote several books, although none was popular. He returned to China in 1909 because he was in need of money.

After working for several years as a teacher in Beijing, Lu Xun again returned to writing. In 1918, he wrote his famous short story Diary of a Madman. It was the first Chinese novel published using the everyday language that people spoke, which helped make it a great success. This, together with his novel The True Story of Ah Q(1921), made Lu Xun a leading Chinese writer.