A. Choose the best answer. Do not refer to the text.

The main idea of the text is that ______. ( C )

(a) Shakespeare worked hard at school and showed his skill as a playwright in London

(b) Shakespeare turned from a naughty boy into a famous writer

(c) Shakespeare spent his early life in Stratford and then went to London where he realised his dream of becoming a writer

(d) Shakespeare was interested in play writing and later became successful

B. Comprehending the text.

    Choose the best answer.

1. The first time when Toby met Will, he saw the latter _______.( C )

(a) working hard with his books

(b) tilling land in the field

(c) picking apples from Farmer Nash's orchard

(d) having a rest in one of the trees

2. During their conversation, Will told Toby that ______. ( D )

(a) he did not have any chance to go to school

(b) he found school life very boring

(c) he had to read modern writers though he liked Latin better

(d) he had to learn Latin writers though he liked modern ones better

3. Will's ambition was to become ______. ( B )

(a) a rich farmer

(b) a good poet 

(c) a teacher

(d) an actor

4. Will liked to read and write poems. When he showed Toby his own poems, the latter ______. ( C )

(a) thought they were very good

(b) thought they were very stupid

(c) couldn't tell whether they were good or not but praised Will nevertheless

(d) could not say for certain which one was better

5. Anne Hathaway, Will's wife, came from a family ______. ( C )

(a) that had a lot of money troubles

(b) that loved fun and games

(c) that went to church regularly

(d) that enjoyed singing and dancing

6. Will was not satisfied with life in Stratford because Stratford was to him ______. ( D )

(a) too noisy and he could not concentrate on his studies

(b) too primitive and he did not like it

(c) a town not exciting enough with no theatres

(d) so small and quiet that he couldn't accomplish anything there

7. Will loved to see plays. When the Queen's Men came to his town in June, Will found that ______. ( C )

(a) their play was poetic

(b) their play was exciting

(c) their play was foolish

(d) their play was clever

8. One evening Will quarreled with his wife because ______. ( C )

(a) they were short of money

(b) he thought his wife was stupid

(c) he was determined to go to London

(d) he did not come home as often as he should

9. Life in London in the early years for Will and Toby was ______. ( B )

(a) unbearably hard and expensive

(b) very hard but wonderful

(c) dull and uninteresting

(d) easy and wonderful

10. When Will worked for the Queen's Men, he did all of the following except ______. ( D )

(a) playing a soldier and a murderer in one play

(b) playing a thief and a lover in the same play

(c) acting quite well, though not necessarily the best

(d) doing costumes and properties

11. An actor in Shakespeare's time could do all of the following except ______ . ( D )

(a) learning his words for five or six different plays at the same time

(b) being able to dance, sing and play music

(c) being able to jump, fall and fight

(d) acting the same play every day

12. While acting in plays, Will ______. ( C )

(a) could not find time to make friends

(b) had no time to read books

(c) was also writing his own plays

(d) was interested in costumes and properties

C. Understanding vocabulary.

    Choose the correct definition according to the context.

1. It was a sunny day in October 1579 when I first met Will, just outside Stratford, near a big orchard. ( B )

(a) farm yard

(b) field of fruit trees

(c) garden

(d) church

2. A few minutes later we saw his enraged red face above the wall on the far side of the field. ( A )

(a) angry

(b) keen

(c) biting

(d) excited

3. He was always diligent in his studies. ( A )

(a) hard working

(b) clever

(c) delighted

(d) concentrated

4. Drake sailed back to Plymouth in 1581, after his three-year expedition round the world. ( D )

(a) fight

(b) research

(c) performance

(d) voyage

5. One day in October 1582 he came to my house with a gloomy face. ( B )

(a) happy

(b) sad

(c) shining

(d) angry

6. "Stratford's too small, Toby," he said. "Too slow. Too quiet. Too monotonous. I've got to get away." ( A )

(a) boring

(b) hard

(c) secular

(d) quiet

7. This was a big, big city, and we were just two insignificant young men from a small town. ( A )

(a) unimportant

(b) small

(c) inexperienced

(d) hard-working

8. "I'm not clever like you," I said. "I am going to do costumes," I said. ( D )

(a) clean the theatre

(b) sell tickets

(c) play the part of clowns

(d) take care of clothes for actors and actresses worn in plays

9. An actor had to be versatile.( A )

(a) possessing various skills

(b) especially quick in understanding

(c) unusually prepared for difficult work

(d) doing many tasks at the same time

10. We had rehearsals in the morning, and by lunch-time people were already coming across the river to get their places for the play. ( A )

(a) practice performances

(b) good discussions

(c) arrangements

(d) good food

D. Discussing the following topics.

1. Can you find anything in Shakespeare's early life in Stratford that might have contributed to his future success as a playwright?

2. His wife was not presented very favorably in the story. How did Shakespeare deal with his family problems?

3. Shakespeare was a man eager to learn and determined to succeed. Find examples to illustrate that from the text.

 

答案 When he was still at school, Shakespeare had the ambition to become a writer, a poet. After he left school, he persisted in reading and writing while making shoes and gloves. In London, he was busy day and night learning, acting, writing his own plays, reading books, meeting other writers, making friends, etc. He slept very little. All these examples show that Shakespeare was a man eager to learn and to succeed.