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.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 |
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. |
Shakespeare’s greatest influence should be on .
| A．paintings | B．television |
| C．the English language | D．music and dance |
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. |
Sometimes teens (十几岁的少年) need to have some time away from their families. They may want to move out of the family or home for a while.
Many parents will say no to this demand. But experts say it might be a good idea to let your teens live with a friend or a relative. “It was the break I needed at the time,” said Richard Lerne. He is talking about the time he spent living with his grandmother when he was 15. “It allowed me to be a more different person than I was with my parents.” Lerne said. He now heads the Institute for Children, Youth and Families at Michigan State University.
Experts say teens living away from their families can test new ways of thinking and getting along with people. They may see new ways to problems. Some teens who want some time away from family attend a structured summer program. Others live for a while with a relative or with the family of a friend.
If there is conflict (冲突) at home, having a teen live elsewhere can benefit other family members. It gives everyone space to develop better relationships.
Joseph Kett teaches history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He says living at home until the late ten years has become the norm (准则) only in recent times. “In the 17th century, children were often sent to live in other people’s home when they were about 10 or 11”, he said.
Peter Sheras teaches education at the University of Virginia. He says parents should listen when a child wants to move out. They should try to find out why the child wants some time away. According to this passage, many parents may think it _____ for their children to live away from them.
| A．right | B．happy | C．unsafe | D．reasonable |
When children seriously disagree with their parents, experts suggest that parents should ______.
| A．punish them |
| B．let them live away from their family |
| C．send for a teacher |
| D．keep them in the house |
In the third paragraph the word “structured” means ______.
| A．built | B．stuck | C．organized | D．drunk |
In history, ______.
| A．teens never left their families |
| B．teens often left their parents |
| C．teens never went to school |
| D．teens never make friends with each other |
When I learned that my 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble—a word game—against herself, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggested we give her a computer to play against. I wasn’t sure my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’ home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of computers.
It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything. She has been the one teaching me all my life; to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back.
It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing(文字处理). This proved to be a bigger challenge(挑战) to her, so I gave her some homework. I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.
“Are you demanding this with your kindergarten pupils?” she said.
“No, of course not,” I said. “They already know how to use a computer.”
My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏反应). For as long as I remember, and time I called, my mother would answer, Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years. What does the author do?
| A．She is a cook. |
| B．She is a teacher. |
| C．She is a housewife |
| D．She is a computer engineer. |
The author decided to give her mother a computer__________.
| A．to let her have more chances to write letters |
| B．to support her in doing her homework |
| C．to help her through the bad times |
| D．to make her life more enjoyable |
The author asked her mother to write her a letter__________.
| A．because her mother had stopped using the telephone |
| B．because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother |
| C．so that her mother could practice what she had learned |
| D．so that her mother could be free from housework |
After the computer was brought home, the author’s father__________.
| A．lost interest in cooking |
| B．took more phone calls |
| C．played more games |
| D．began to use it |
Two brothers, Herbert and James, lived with their mother and a cat named Edgar. James was particularly devoted to the cat, and when he had to leave town for several days, he left Herbert careful instructions about the pet’s care. At the end of his first day away, James telephoned his brother, “How is Edgar?”
“Edgar is dead.” Herbert answered. There was a pause. Then James said, “Herbert, you’re insensitive (漠然的). You know how close I was to Edgar. You should have broken the news to me slowly. When I asked about Edgar tonight, you should have said, ‘Edgar’s on the roof , but I have called the fire department to get him down.’ And tomorrow when I called, you could have said the firemen were having trouble getting Edgar down, but you were hopeful they would succeed. Then when I called the third time, you could have told me that the firemen have done their best, but unfortunately Edgar had fallen off the roof and was at the veterinarian’s (兽医站). Then when I called the last time, you could have said that although everything possible had been done for Edgar, he had died. That’s the way a sensitive man would have told me about Edgar. And, oh, before I forget,” James added, “how is mother?”
“Oh,” Herbert said, pausing for a moment, “She’s on the roof.” James telephoned his brother at the end of his first day away because he wanted to know _____.
| A．what he was doing |
| B．whether he was good |
| C．whether the cat was good |
| D．where his mother was |
Why did James say his brother was insensitive?
| A．Because he told him the news directly. |
| B．Because he killed their pet. |
| C．Because his mother was on the roof. |
| D．Because he missed the truth about the cat. |
From the last paragraph of the passage, we can know that the mother was probably _____.
| A．on the roof | B．ill or even dead |
| C．repairing the house | D．playing games |
The day after news broke of a possible revolution in physics ——particles （粒子） moving faster than light ?a scientist leading the European experiment that made the discovery calmly explained it to a standing-room- only crowd at CERN．
The physicist, Dario Auterio, did not try to explain what the results might mean for the laws of physics, let alone the broader world．After an hour of technical talk, he simply said, "Therefore, we present to you today this difference, this unusualness．"
But what unusualness it may be．From 2009 through 2011, the massive OPERA detector （探测器）buried in a mountain in Gran Sasso, Italy, recorded subatomic particles called neutrinos （ 中微子） arriving faster than light can move in an empty space．The neutrinos generated at CERN are hardly detectably early．If confirmed, the finding would throw more than a century of physics into disorder．
"If it's correct, it's phenomenal．" said Rob Plunkett, a scientist at Fermilab, the Department of Energy physics laboratory in Illinois．"We'd be looking at a whole new set of rules" for how the universe works．Those rules would bend, or possibly break, Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, published in 1905．Basical at the time, the theory tied together space and time, matter and energy, and set a hard limit for the speed of light, later measured to be about 186, 000 miles per second．
No experiment in 106 years had broken that speed limit．Physicists expect strict study to follow, which OPERA and CERN scientists welcomed．
Fermilab operates a similar experiment, called MINOS, that shoots neutrinos from Illinois to an underground detector in Minnesota．In 2007, MINOS discovered a just detectable amount of faster than-light neutrinos, but the permissible difference of error was too big to "mention" , Plunkett said．
Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data, which will take six to eight months．In 2013, the MINOS detector, now offline, will restart after an upgrade．It could then offer confirmation of the results．Why are the European scientists not sure about the results of the experiment?
| A．Because they are so unexpected． |
| B．Because the scientists do not believe them． |
| C．Because the scientists are careful and calm． |
| D．Because they are against the present law of physics． |
The underlined word " phenomenal" in the fourth paragraph has the closest meaning to.
| A．amazing | B．attractive | C．embarrassing | D．sensitive |
The best title for the passage may be _____．
| A．Are the laws of physics in disorder? |
| B．Particles faster than light; Revolution or mistake? |
| C．Faster than light measurement: right or wrong? |
| D．Is Einstein's theory still right today? |
What may be discussed in the paragraphs to follow?
| A．Different opinions about the experiment． |
| B．How Albert Einstein's theory developed． |
| C．The new rules for how the universe works． |
| D．How Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data． |
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub．Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news．
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved．Many of them have become historic sites．The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called " Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem" , which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England．
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society．On a cold night, the pub's landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire．There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drinks available at an affordable price．
That's how things used to be．Things are beginning to change．It is said that the credit crunch （信贷紧缩） is causing 39 British pubs in a week to go out of business．People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer．Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs．
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 11 p．m．．Previously, with 11 p．m．as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly．The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as "binge drinking" , and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities．
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market．British pubs now offer something for everyone．A lot of pubs used to be "Working Men's Clubs" , meaning that women could not usually enter．Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems．Perhaps things are changing for the better after all．British people have the habit of gathering in the pubs to _____．
| A．have the hearty food |
| B．enjoy the historic sites |
| C．make themselves known |
| D．communicate with each other |
The British pubs are allowed to stay open after 11p．m．to ______．
| A．urge customers to drink quickly |
| B．affect the number of customers |
| C．help reduce social problems |
| D．give pub owners better income |
We can learn from the last paragraph that the author _____．
| A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs |
| B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the future of the British pubs |
| C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems |
| D．holds the view that British pubs should offer everything you need |
The passage mainly tells us ______．
| A．the long history of British pubs |
| B．the present situation of British pubs |
| C．the reason why British people go to pubs |
| D．the disadvantages of running pubs in Britain |