Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, America. He is best known as a scientist and politician (政治家) today. One of his most famous inventions is the lightning rod (避雷针). And he is also regarded as “the Founder of the United States” because of his success in politics. However, he is not just an inventor and politician.

Franklin is a great chess player. He started playing chess in 1733 and this made him the first chess player in the American history. He wrote a book about his story of playing chess in December, 1786. In this book, he hoped to find connections between chess and life. He and his friend even used chess to learn Italian. It was a very interesting experience in his early life.

Not only a great chess player, Franklin is also known to play the violin, the harp (竖琴), and the guitar. He used some glasses to produce a clear and sweet sound just like birds’ singing.

Benjamin Franklin died at his home in the USA at the age of 84. There were about 20,000 people who were present at his funeral (葬礼). People respect him, love him and believe he is one of the four greatest men in the world.

1. Benjamin Franklin was born in ______.

A. Britain B. Italy C. America D. Germany

2. In December 1786, Franklin wrote a book about ______.

A. his story of playing chess B. the way of learning Italian

C. the history of America D. his success in politics

3. Franklin couldn’t be seen as a ______ in his life.

A. scientist B. politician C. dancer D. writer

4. According to the passage, Franklin died in ______.

A. 1706 B. 1733 C. 1786 D. 1790

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Benjamin Franklin was not good at writing.

B. Very few people appeared in Franklin’s funeral.

C. Learning Italian by chess was interesting for Franklin.

D. Benjamin Franklin can play both the piano and the guitar.