单项选择题

C 根据下面短文回答下列问题。 Mark Twin was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835 and moved to Hannibal Missouri with family when he was about four years old. Most people think he was born in Hannibal, but that isn’t true. After his father died when he was about twelve, he worked in Hannibal for a little time and then left, so he could earn more money. He worked for a short time as a typesetter (排字工人) for newspapers, and then got a job as a river pilot (引水员) on the Mississippi River. He loved this job and many of his books show it. The river pilot job didn’t last long however, because of the war.

When his father died, he was almost ______