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MarkTwainSamuelLanghorneClemens(November30,1835–April21,1910),wellknownbyhispennameMarkTwain,wasanAmericanauthorandhumorist.MarkTwainisnotedforhisnovelsAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn(1884),whichhasbeencalled"theGreatAmericanNovel",andTheAdventuresofTomSawyer(1876).MarkTwainwasafriendtopresidents,artists,industrialists,andEuropeanroyalty.MarkTwainwasverypopular,andhiskeenwitandincisivesatireearnedpraisefromcriticsandpeers.Uponhisdeathhewaslaudedasthe"greatestAmericanhumoristofhisage",andWilliamFaulknercalledMarkTwain"thefatherofAmericanliterature".Earlylife:MarkTwainwasborninFlorida,Missouri,onNovember30,1835.Hewasthesixthofsevenchildren.Onlythreeofhissiblingssurvivedchildhood.TwainwasborntwoweeksaftertheclosestapproachtoEarthofHalley'sComet.OnDecember4,1985,theUnitedStatesPostalServiceissuedastampedenvelopefor"MarkTwainandHalley'sComet."www.21-cn-jy.comWhenTwainwasfour,hisfamilymovedtoHannibal,Missouri,aporttownontheMississippiRiverthatservedastheinspirationforthefictionaltownofSt.PetersburginTheAdventuresofTomSawyerandAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn.Atthattime,Missouriwasaslavestate,andyoungTwainbecamefamiliarwiththeinstitutionofslavery,athemehewouldlaterexploreinhiswriting.【来源：21·世纪·教育·网】Twain’sfatherwasanattorneyandalocaljudge.TheHannibalandSt.JosephRailroadwasorganizedinhisofficein1846.TherailroadconnectedthethensecondandthirdlargestcitiesinthestateandwasthefurthermostwestUnitedStatesrailroaduntiltheTranscontinentalRailroadwasconstructed.ItdeliveredthemailtoandfromthePonyExpress.2-1-c-n-j-yInMarch1847,whenTwainwas11,hisfatherdiedofpneumonia.Thenextyear,hebecameaprinter'sapprentice.In1851,hebeganworkingasatypesetterandcontributorofarticlesandhumoroussketchesfortheHannibalJournal,anewspaperownedbyhisbrotherOrion.Whenhewas18,heleftHannibalandworkedasaprinterinNewYorkCity,Philadelphia,St.Louis,andCincinnati.Hejoinedtheunionandeducatedhimselfinpubliclibrariesintheevenings,findingwidersourcesofinformationthanhewouldhaveataconventionalschool.At22,TwainreturnedtoMissouri.21教育名师原创作品OnavoyagetoNewOrleansdowntheMississippi,thesteamboatpilot,HoraceE.Bixby,inspiredTwaintopursueacareerasasteamboatpilot.AsTwainlaterobservedinLifeontheMississippi,thepilotsurpassedasteamboat'scaptaininprestigeandauthority;itwasarichlyrewardingoccupationwithwagessetat$250permonth,roughlyequivalentto$72,400ayeartoday.Asteamboatpilotneededavastknowledgeoftheever-changingrivertobeabletostopatthehundredsofportsandwood-lotsalongtheriverbanks.Twainmeticulouslystudied2,000miles(3,200km)oftheMississippiformorethantwoyearsbeforehereceivedhissteamboatpilotlicensein1859.21教育网Whiletraining,SamuelconvincedhisyoungerbrotherHenrytoworkwithhim.HenrywaskilledonJune21,1858,whenthesteamboatonwhichhewasworking,thePennsylvania,exploded.Twainhadforeseenthisdeathinadetaileddreamamonthearlier,whichinspiredhisinterestinparapsychology;hewasanearlymemberoftheSocietyforPsychicalResearch.Twainwasguilt-strickenandheldhimselfresponsiblefortherestofhislife.HecontinuedtoworkontheriverandservedasariverpilotuntiltheAmericanCivilWarbrokeoutin1861andtrafficalongtheMississippiwascurtailed.21*cnjy*comMissouriwasaslavestate,consideredbymanytobepartoftheSouth,andwasrepresentedinboththeConfederateandFederalgovernmentsduringtheCivilWar.Yearslater,Twainwroteasketch,"ThePrivateHistoryofaCampaignThatFailed",whichclaimedheandhi...