III. 阅读理解William Shakespeare is the most famo...

III. 阅读理解

William Shakespeare is the most famous playwright (剧作家). Although he died in 1616, people still go to see his plays. Among the most popular are Ｒｏｍｅｏ ａｎｄ Ｊｕｌｉｅｔ, Ａ Ｍｉｄｓｕｍｍｅｒ Ｎｉｇｈｔ’ｓ Ｄｒｅａｍ and Ｈａｍｌｅｔ — the story of a prince who struggles to respond to the crimes around him.

Shakespeare, who was born in 1564, was an actor as well as a writer. Most of his ideas for plays were taken from history, people’s conversation, ancient stories, and also from other writers. He wrote not only about kings and queens and princes, but also about friends and ordinary people. He wrote about the cruelty of war and the bravery of heroes, as well as about jealousy, joy, hate, ambition and love. His stories live on. The tragedy Ｒｏｍｅｏ ａｎｄ Ｊｕｌｉｅｔ was reborn as the musical Ｗｅｓｔ Ｓｉｄｅ Ｓｔｏｒｙ and more recently as the movie Ｒｏｍｅｏ ａｎｄ Ｊｕｌｉｅｔ with the wonderful performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

He invented a number of great characters: powerful magicians, thrilling witches, smart women and both wise and wicked men. He also invented some great phrases. If you’ve ever said, “Oh, for goodness sake!” you can thank Shakespeare for that. Other examples of common phrases adapted from Shakespeare: “as luck would have it”, “your own flesh and blood”, “too much of a good thing”, “good riddance”, “in one fell swoop”, and “in the twinkling of an eye”. “To be, or not to be: that is the question,” Hamlet says. “Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it is morrow,” says Juliet to her Romeo.

Don’t be surprised if you don’t understand everything when reading Shakespeare or watching one of his plays because the meanings of many words have changed over the years. And Shakespeare’s characters speak in poetry, so their speeches can be complicated.

It does help to find out a little bit about the story before reading a Shakespeare play. It’s worth the effort. As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world is a stage.” And in his plays you’ll find that an entire world is waiting for you.

1. Shakespeare created the following characters EXCEPT ________.

A. Juliet             B. Hamlet     C. Claire Danes      D. Romeo

2. From Paragraph 3 we can learn that ________.

A. most of the characters created by Shakespeare were negative ones

B. most of the phrases used today were invented by Shakespeare

C. “Oh, for goodness sake!” is what Juliet says to Romeo

D. Shakespeare contributed greatly to the development of English

3. Which of the following is a reason why it’s difficult to understand some of Shakespeare’s plays?

A. There are many new words in his plays.

B. He wrote his plays using uncommon words.

C. The characters in his plays speak in poetry.

D. Most of the words in his plays are outdated.

4. We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. most of Shakespeare’s plays have been made into films

B. language changes with the development of society

C. Shakespeare made lots of money from his works

D. it is more useful to read Shakespeare’s works than to watch them

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

William Shakespeare is the most famous playwright (剧作家). Although he died in 1616, people still go to see his plays. Among the most popular are Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet—the story of a prince who struggles to respond to the crimes around him.

Shakespeare, who was born in 1564, was an actor as well as a writer. Most of his ideas for plays were taken from history, people’s conversation, ancient stories, and also from other writers. He wrote not only about kings and queens and princes, but also about friends and ordinary people. He wrote about the cruelty of war and the bravery of heroes, as well as about jealousy, joy, hate, ambition and love. His stories live on. The tragedy Romeo and Juliet was reborn as the musical West Side Side Story and more recently as the movie Romeo and Julie with the wonderful performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

He invented a number of great characters: powerful magicians, thrilling witches, smart women and both wise and wicked men. He also invented some great phrases. If you’ve ever said, “Oh, for goodness sake!” you can thank Shakespeare for that. Other examples of common phrases adapted from Shakespeare: “as luck would have it”, “your own flesh and blood”, “too much of a good thing”, “good riddance”, “in one fell swoop”, and “in the twinkling of an eye”. “To be, or not to be: that is the question,” Hamlet says. “Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it is morrow,” says Juliet to her Romeo.

Don’t be surprised if you don’t understand everything when reading Shakespeare or watching one of his plays because the meanings of many words have changed over the years. And Shakespeare’s characters speak in poetry, so their speeches can be complicated.

It does help to find out a little bit about the story before reading a Shakespeare play. It’s worth the effort. As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world is a stage.” And in his plays you’ll find that an entire world is waiting for you.

1.Shakespeare created the following characters EXCEPT ________.

A. Juliet       B. Hamlet     C. Claire Danes   Romeo

2.From Paragraph 3 we can learn that ________.

A. most of the characters created by Shakespeare were negative ones

B. most of the phrases used today were invented by Shakespeare

C. “Oh, for goodness sake!” is what Juliet says to Romeo

Shakespeare contributed greatly to the development of English

3.Which of the following is a reason why it’s difficult to understand some of Shakespeare’s plays?

A. There are many new words in his plays.

B. He wrote his plays using uncommon words.

C. The characters in his plays speak in poetry.

Most of the words in his plays are outdated.

4.We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. most of Shakespeare’s plays have been made into films

B. language changes with the development of society

C. Shakespeare made lots of money from his works

it is more useful to read Shakespeare’s works than to watch them

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

William Shakespeare was a writer of plays and poems. Some of his most famous plays are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth. He wrote thirty-seven plays in all. They are still popular today.

He was born in 1564 in England. At school he liked watching plays. He decided to be an actor when he finished school at the age of fourteen. In 1582, he married a farmer’s daughter. She was eight years older than he was. Their first child was a daughter. Later they had twins. In 1585, Shakespeare left his hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon. His wife and children stayed behind. No one knows why he left or what he did between 1585 and 1592.

At twenty-eight he moved to London and joined a theatre company which opened the Globe Theatre in 1599. He became an actor, and he also wrote plays. He usually acted in his own plays. He earned almost no money from his writing. But he made a lot of money from acting. With the money he bought a large house in his hometown.

At the age of forty-nine, Shakespeare retired (退休) and went to live in Stratford-upon-Avon. He died at the age of fifty-two. He left his money to his family. He left his genius to the world. You still see his plays in English and in many other languages. He is one of the most famous writers in the world.

1.Shakespeare wrote many famous plays except _______.

A．Hamlet                               B．Macbeth

C．Romeo and Juliet                        D．Man and Superman

2.Shakespeare decided to be an actor in _______.

A．1578             B．1582             C．1599             D．1616

3.In 1585, Shakespeare left his hometown Stratford-upon-Avon _______.

A．with his wife                           B．with his daughter

C．with his wife and children                 D．alone

4.Shakespeare got much money from _______.

A．writing           B．plays             C．acting            D．retirement

5.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? ________.

A．Shakespeare had two children

B．Shakespeare wrote both plays and poems

C．Shakespeare left his money to the Globe Theatre

D．Shakespeare wrote plays in English and some other languages

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in l564 and

where he grew up .The property (房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare’s family until 1806 .The House has welcomed visitors travelling from all over the world for over 250 years.

◆Enter through the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare's World，a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.

◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.

◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from

Shakespeare’s period.

◆Enjoy the traditional　 English garden，planted with trees and flower mentioned in the poet’s works.

The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map；nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes’ Walk).

The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre，its exhibition,and the garden are accessible (可进入的)to wheelchair users.

The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).

1.How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children？

A．￡9.80．　　 B．￡12.00．　　 C．￡14.20．　　　 D．￡16.40．

2.Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace？

A．Behind the exhibition hall．

B．Opposite the Visitors’ Centre．

C．At Windsor Street．

D．Near the Coffee House．

3.A wheelchair user may need help to enter　　　　 ．

A．the House　 　　　　　　　　 B．the garden

C．the Visitors’ Centre　 D．the exhibition hall

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, there is major difference between two of the characters, Brutus and Mark Antony, Brutus was very honorable and Antony was very persuasive. When Brutus spoke at Caesar’s funeral, he appealed to the people’s logic and Antony spoke to the emotions of the people. Antony was very smart and used his brain frequently during the play and Brutus was very naive(天真的，率直的) about many of things.

Brutus was very honorable in the way that he always told people the truth. Antony was persuasive in the way that he used people to get whatever he wanted. For example, Antony used Lepidus to seek revenge on all of the conspirators (同谋者，阴谋者) to take the blame for their deaths. Brutus’ speech at Caesar’s funeral was very short and to the point and spoke to the logic of the people in the crowd. For example, Brutus spoke in a detached way about Caesar’s death while Antony spoke to the emotions of the crowd by crying and talking about all the good things that Caesar did for Rome. Antony’s intelligence was very apparent throughout the play and Brutus appeared to be naive about many things. Antony as smart in the way that he controlled people to his own advantage. Brutus appeared to be naive throughout the whole play because he believed everyone was as honorable as he. Brutus did not question what he was told, assuming it was always true.

In conclusion, in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, there is a major difference between the two characters, Brutus and Mark Antony. The strongest contrast between the two characters appears to be their ability and inability to be both honorable and persuasive.

46. The author wrote this passage by _____

A. number             B. contrast                    C. question                   D. narration

47. A lot of difference is mentioned in the passage between _____

A. Shakespeare and Antony                   B. Julius and Antony

C. Brutus and Antony                                D. Julius and Brutus

48. Which of the following adjectives can be used to describe Antony’s character?

A. Honorable and naïve

B. Persuasive and smart

C. Honorable and smart

D. Simple and frank

49. What’s the Chinese meaning of the underlined “to the point”?

A. 离题的                   B. 中肯的             C. 优美的                    D.动听的

50. From the passage, we can conclude that ______

A. Shakespeare was a great scientist

B. Shakespeare was a well-known musician

C. Shakespeare was a famous artist

D. Shakespeare was a famed playwright

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

William Butler Yeats, a most famous Irish writer, was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. His childhood lacked the harmony that was typical of a happy family. Later, Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered "little of childhood but its pain". In fact, he inherited (继承) excellent taste in art from his family — both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally settled on literature, particularly drama and poetry.

Yeats had strong faith in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not received favorably at the beginning. He didn't lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.

Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats's poems attract much admiring notice. The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern sensibility to them. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide recognition.

He had not enjoyed a major public life since winning the Nobel Prize in 1923. Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. After Yeats's Death in 1939, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the following lines:

Earth, receive an honoured guest:

William Yeats is laid to rest.

Let the Irish vessel (船) lie

Emptied of its poetry.

1.Which of the following can describe Yeats's family?

A．It filled Yeats's childhood with laughter.

B．It was shocked by Yeats's choice.

C．It was a typically wealthy family.

D．It had an artistic atmosphere.

2.According to the passage, what do we know about Yeats's life?

A．Yeats founded the first Irish theater.

B．Yeats stuck to modern forms in his poetry.

C．Yeats began to produce his best works from the 1910s.

D．Yeats was not favored by the public until the 1923 Noble Prize.

3.What kind of feeling is expressed in W. H. Auden's lines?

A．Envy             B．Sympathy          C．Emptiness         D．Admiration

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A．Yeats's literary achievements              B．Yeats's historical influence

C．Yeats's artistic ambition                   D．Yeats's national honor

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.

During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare’s play “The Comedy of Errors”, Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play “Macbeth”, Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（强度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.

Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city’s tradesmen. Shakespeare’s knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.

It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare’s works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of “critic”, “mountaineer” and “eyeball”. Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including “pomp and circumstance（装腔作势）” from “Othello”, “full circle（绕圈子地）” from “King Lear”, etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into every major language in the world.

Shakespeare became a well­known writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off.

1. From the passage, we can see that ________.

A. Shakespeare was hard­working when he was a student

B. many of Shakespeare’s works were influenced by earlier writings

C. the experience of living in London had no effect on Shakespeare’s works

D. Shakespeare became rich later because of the popularity of his works

2. Why could Shakespeare’s works survive his time?

A. Because there were so few people writing plays in his time.

B. Because he produced too many works that nobody else could do.

C. Because his works were rich in imagination and language.

D. Because he was a rich and influential person of his time.

3.Shakespeare’s greatest influence should be on 　　　.

A. paintings      B. television

C. the English language           D. music and dance

4.The passage is mainly about 　　　.

A. an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and his works

B. the main features and styles of Shakespeare’s plays

C. Shakespeare’s greatest influence on the world culture.

D. how culture influenced Shakespeare and he influenced culture.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

April 23 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. Organizations in Britain have planned numerous events to honor him.

In Stratford-upon-Avon, his birthplace, the tourism organization has a great number of free events, including performances of Shakespeare’s plays, and a dazzling fireworks display. And the BBC is broadcasting a live show from Stratfore-upon-Avon, celebrating Shakespeare’s widespread influence on the world. In England’s capital, the London Shakespeare Centre is holding a series of public performances, exhibitions and activities. It isn’t just England that honors the anniversary of the death of this extraordinary writer. In Washington, D.C., the Folger Shakespeare Library, which houses the world’s largest collection of documents relating to William Shakespeare, is displaying a series of exhibitions.

Shakespeare is probably one of the most famous authors and is considered a genius. He wrote around 37 plays and 154 sonnets(十四行诗), and his work has been translated into over one hundred languages! He penned beautiful metaphors(暗喻), serious dramas and amusing tales.

Shakespeare also invented many new terms and phrases. If someone’s behavior suggested they were not being honest and should not be trusted, Shakespeare called their actions suspicious. If someone was being silly and perhaps looking like a fool, Shakespeare found their actions laughable. And Shakespeare called people who offered their opinions on the quality of something critics. Today, for instance, food critics and film critics give audiences their opinions of foods and films. The familiar phrase “break the ice” comes from Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew. “The ice is broken” when a difficult conversation or meeting is calmed by some basic introduction, such as a simple game. More common words coined by Shakespeare include road, gossip, lonely, bump and hurry.

Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare surely lives on，in everyday speech, as the most famous writer of all time!

1.The passage is mainly about ______.

A. the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death

B. the influence Shakespeare has on written English

C. the friends of William Shakespeare

D. Shakespeare’s colorful and fruitful life

2.Shakespeare is honored in the following ways except ______.

A. a great number of free events in Stratford-upon-Avon

B. a series of activities in the London Shakespeare Centre

C. a series of exhibitions in the Folger Shakespeare Library

D. a live show of Shakespeare in Washington, D.C.

3.According to the text, a simple game to make a difficult conversation easy is called ______.

A. an ice-breaker　　 B. a suspicious man

C. a critic　　 D. a laughable man

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Stephen Hawking, who is the most famous physicist, was born in Britain on January 8th, 1942. As a child, he was enthusiastic about 1.　　　 (design) complicated toys but　　 2.　 (fortune), in his twenties, he suffered　　 3.　　 a disease that was impossible to be cured, 4.　　　 was a great challenge for him. However, not only was he positive about the misfortunes 　　　 5.　　 eventually he defeated all the obstacles but also he was 　　 6.　　 (absorb) in his research in the universe. In 1988, his best-seller A Brief History of Time was published, 7.　　　 which he put forward the idea 8.　　 time itself has a beginning, and that it will have 9. 　 end. In conclusion, he has made outstanding　 10. (contribute) to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity.

高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Alexander Bell is one of the most famous people in1._______ history of the United States. He is famous for the invention of the first telephone in the world. He is known for the invention of the first telephone in the world, 2.________ changed the way people communicate.

Telegraph lines could no longer meet the needs of the United States as a result of the rapid economic 3._______ (develop). So new lines had to be constructed4._______(improve) the communication. The U.S. turned to inventors for help and asked them to design a line sending several messages at once. Bell went to inventors to get support for his new idea, the telephone, and he got the money 5.______(need) for his work.

On March 10, 1876, Bell’s invention6._________(put) to the test. The first words spoken 7.______ a phone were to his assistant. “ Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” Watson heard Bell’s words8.________(clear) in the next room, and the telephone was born.

Bell’s greatest invention is the telephone, 9._________it is funny that he refused to have a phone in his work area. He felt phones were 10._________(annoy).

高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析