Alex Palmer Haley (1925―1992) became famous for the publication of the novel Roots, whic

Alex Palmer Haley (1925―1992) became famous for the publication of the novel Roots, which traces (追踪) his ancestry (祖先) back to Africa.

Alex Haley was born in Ithaca, New York. His father was a teacher of agriculture and his mother was a music teacher. The family moved to the small town of Henning, Tennessee, when Haley was very young.

Haley did not do very well at school or university. During World War II, Haley enlisted (参军) in the Coast Guard. He started to write adventure stories to keep off the boredom, and thus became Chief Journalist. After 20 years of service, Haley left the Coast Guard to become a full-time writer. He produced his first major work The Autobiography of Malcolm X in 1965. It had great effect on the black power movement in the US.

As a young boy, Alex Haley first learned of his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte, by listening to the family stories of his grandparents. Alex Haley’s quest (寻求) to learn more about his family history resulted in his writing Roots. When Roots appeared in 1976, it gained popular success, although the truth of the book faced criticism. In 1977 Roots won the National Book Award and a special Pulitzer Prize. The book sold in one year more than million copies.

The book showed that the oppressed never became docile: Kunta Kinte suffered amputation (截肢) of a foot for his repeated attempts to run away. He valued his heritage (传统) so much that he never accepted the ways of his slave masters and insisted on being called by his real name Kinte, not by his slave name Toby.                                  

Haley died on February 10, 1992.                                    Roots

56. This text is ______.

A. an introduction to the novel Roots                

B. an introduction to the writer of Roots

C. about how Haley traced his ancestry back to Africa

D. about the history of slaves in America

57. How did Haley start writing?

A. He learned literature in the university and was trained to write

B. He began writing adventure stories because of the boring life in the Coast Guard

C. He was the chief journalist working for a newspaper

D. He began writing the novel without any writing experience before

58. What was the effect of Roots?

A. It had great effect on the black power movement in the US

B. People didn’t believe the book was about a true story

C. It became a bestseller all over the world at once.

D. The book was a great success and won Haley money and prizes

59. The underlined word “docile” is close to the word _____.

A. successful                 B. acceptable                C. obedient                   D. valuable