New York Times---( DINITIA SMITH )Tomorrow is the 433d anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. A recent survey shows that more people are watching him, reading him and studying him than ever before.
Consider the recent yearly conference of the Shakespeare Association of America in Washington, where more than 600 people who study or admire Shakespeare from 18 countries took in topics like ‘‘Whither Attribution Studies,’’ ‘‘Unpopular Shakespeare’’ and ‘‘Sex Me Here,’’ a talk on breast-feeding and Lady Macbeth.
‘‘The national media is saying that fewer students’ taking Shakespeare,’’ Barbara Mowat, the editor of The Shakespeare Quarterly, observed in a speech at the conference. ‘‘But Shakespeare is thriving.’’ The association’s membership has increased by a third since 1990.
The Shakespeare business is so good these days that W. W. Norton is introducing a huge new collections of the plays into the already crowded field just in time for tomorrow’s birthday anniversary. Priced at $44.95, ‘‘The Norton Shakespeare: Based on the Oxford Edition’’ runs for 3,420 pages, offering introductions, illustrations and notes and three versions(版本) of ‘‘King Lear.’’
Today, movies and videos have made the plays even more accessible. Last year, ‘‘William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’’ was No. 1 at the box office when it opened, and it grossed nearly $50 million. In New York in January, crowds lined up in the freezing cold to see Kenneth Branagh’s four-hour ‘‘Hamlet.’’ The students select a scene and then have a violent discussion about it.’’ Influenced by films, professors are increasingly teaching students by having them perform the plays. Why people from 18 countries came to Washington this year?
| A．To celebrate Shakespeare’s 433d birth day only. |
| B．To watch some plays by Shakespeare as planned. |
| C．To celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday and study his works. |
| D．To discuss how to teach students using Shakespeare’s plays. |
What does the underlined word “ field” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A. Washington D.C. B. Shakespeare Association.
C. The birthday anniversary. D. The Shakespeare business.Which of the many plays by Shakespeare was most popular the year before?
| A．King Lear. | B．Hamlet. |
| C．Macbeth. | D．Romeo and Juliet. |
What does the author want to prove by using so many examples about Shakespeare?
A. More and more people are becoming interested in Shakespeare.
B. Shakespeare business is being run well in America nowadays.
C. Plays by Shakespeare can be used at school for more studies.
D. Shakespeare belongs not only to Britain but also to the USA.
阅读理解
It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.
“Any old papers, lady？” asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich？”
“Am I rich? Pity, no！”
I looked at my wornout slipcovers(椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer(茶碟)carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred(搅动)the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Lady, are you rich? |
| B．A story of Thanksgiving Day |
| C．Don't forget how rich you are |
| D．Does cups and saucers match well? |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The girl thought the writer was rich just because she wanted to make the writer happy. |
| B．The writer had thought she wasn't rich because her supplies were not expensive. |
| C．If cups and saucers match well, they are a best pair even though cheap. |
| D．After hearing what they said, the writer seemed to understand what a rich life was. |
The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to________.
| A．show that she was a kindhearted lady |
| B．remind her that she shouldn't forget how rich she was |
| C．leave room for readers to think about what being rich is |
| D．prove that she had understood what meant being rich |
It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on________.
| A．how much money you have made |
| B．what attitude you have had towards life |
| C．the way you help others |
| D．your social relationship |
D
Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure (血压) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.
Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress (紧张) levels and blood pressure in people - half of them pet owners –while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic (算术) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it best. Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates. With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems people feel more relaxed (放松)around pets, says Allen, who thinks it may be because pets don't judge.
A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about I1 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Their dogs did even better, losing an average of 12 pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs - and found it worth doing.What does the text mainly discuss?
| A．What pets bring to their owners. |
| B．How pets help people calm down. |
| C．People's opinions of keeping pets. |
| D．Pet's value in medical research. |
We learn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting well if
| A．he has a pet companion |
| B．he has less stress of work |
| C．he often does mental arithmetic |
| D．he is taken care of by his family |
According to Allen, why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressful tasks?
| A．They have lower blood pressure. |
| B．They become more patient. |
| C．They are less nervous. |
| D．They are in higher spirits. |
The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that
| A．people with dogs did more exercise |
| B．dogs lost the same weight as people did |
| C．dogs liked exercise much more than people did |
| D．people without dogs found the program unhelpful |
Malls are popular places for Americans to go. Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called mall rats. Mall rats do not leave the shop until they drop in the hundreds of stores under one roof.
People like malls for many reasons. They feel safe because malls have police stations or private security (安全) guards. Parking is usually free, and the weather inside is always fine. The newest malls have beautiful rest area with waterfalls and large green trees.
The largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America in Minnesota. It covers 4.2 million square feet. It has 350 stores, eight night clubs, and a seven-acre (公顷) park! There are parking spaces for 12,750 cars. About 750,000 people shop every week.
The first indoor mall in the United States was built in 1965 in Edina, Minnesota. People loved doing all their shopping in one place. More malls were built all over the country. Now, malls are like town centers where people come to do many things. They shop, of course. They also eat in food houses that have food from all over the world. They see movies at theatres. Some people even get their daily exercise by doing the new sport of mall walking. Others go to malls to meet friends.
In some malls, people can see a doctor or a dentist (牙医) and even attend church. In other words, people can do just about everything in malls. Now residents (居民) can actually live in their favorite shopping center.
Malls are .
| A．large shopping centers which also act as town centres |
| B．large parks with shops |
| C．the most popular places Americans go to |
| D．town centers |
Why have malls become so popular?
| A．Because people can do everything there |
| B．Because people can do many other things besides shopping for all they need |
| C．Because people feel safe in malls with police stations around |
| D．Because people enjoy the fresh air and can have a good rest there |
Malls have to be large places because
| A．many people drive their cars to go malls |
| B．there have to be some restaurants, clinics and theatres |
| C．many people hope to do sports in the malls |
| D．they have to meet different needs of so many people |
Those are called mall rats.
| A．who are busy stealing in the mall |
| B．who have visited the biggest malls |
| C．who are often found busy shopping in malls |
| D．who live under the roof of the mall |
B
THEATRE
City Varieties
The Headrow, Leeds. Tel. 430808
Oct 10—11 only A Night at the Varieties. All the fun of an old music hall with Barry Cryer, Duggle Brown, 6 dancers, Mystina, Jon Barker, Anne Dural and the Tony Harrison Trio; Laugh again at the old jokes and listen to your favourite songs.
Performances: 8 pm nightly.
Admission: ₤5; under 16 or over 60: ₤4
York Theatre Royal St Leonard's Place, York. Tel. 223568
Sept 23—Oct 17 Groping for Words - a comedy by Sue Townsend. Best known for her Adrian Mole Diaries, Townsend now writes about an evening class, which two men and a woman attend. A gentle comedy.
Admission: First night, Mon: ₤2; Tues—Fri: ₤3.25 - 5.50; Sat: ₤3.50 - 5.75.
Halifax Playhouse King's Cross Street, Halifax. Tel. 365998
Oct 10—17 On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson. This is a magical comedy about real people. A beautifully produced, well-acted play for everyone. Don't miss it.
Performances: 7:30 pm.
Admission: ₤2. Mon: 2 seats for the price of one
Grand Theatre Oxford Street,Leeds. Tel.502116
Oct -17 The Secret Diary of A drian Mole,Aged 13. Sue Townsend’s musical play,based on her best-selling book
Performances: Evernings 7:45. October 10-17,at 2:30 pm.No Monday performances.
Admission:Tues—Thurs &2-5;Fn&Sat:$2-6/
which theatre offers the cheapest seat?
| A．Halifax Playhouse |
| B．City Varieites |
| C．Grand Theatre |
| D．York Theatre Royal |
If you want to see a play with old jokes and songs,which phone number will you ring to book a seat?
| A．502116 | B．223568 | C．365998 | D．430808 |
We may learn from the text that Sue Townsed is
| A．a writer | B．an actress | C．a musician | D．a director |
阅读理解
After a terrible electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.
One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a plough and a wall. When Mrs. Edwards came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread, and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.The reason for Robert’s attempts to kill himself was that _________.
| A．a terrible traffic accident happened to him |
| B．he had to live in a dark and silent world |
| C．he was struck by the lightning once more |
| D．nobody in the world cared about him |
What was Robert doing when he was struck by the lightning?
| A．Sheltering from the rain under a tree. |
| B．Driving a car. |
| C．Taking a walk with a stick. |
| D．Lying on the ground. |
We can infer from the text that ________.
| A．there was no accurate explanation for Robert’s recovery |
| B．many doctors came because Robert was badly injured |
| C．Robert’s wife sent for doctors immediately after the shock |
| D．a sudden injury in the head led to Robert’s recovery |
What’s the best title of the whole passage?
A Terrible Electrical Accident
B. Robert Edwards and His Wife
C. What a Sudden Shock
D. An Unforgettable Experience
粤公网安备 44130202000953号