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 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 made 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 in 1616. He left his money to his family. He left the genius(天才)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.
Shakespeare wrote many famous plays except .
A.Hamlet | B.Macbeth |
C.Romeo and Juliet | D.Man and Superman |
Shakespeare decided to be an actor in .
A.1578 | B.1582 | C.1599 | D.1616 |
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 |
Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new.
When I was a teenager I volunteered to pass out water at a local race. I was so excited to see all the different runners who passed by and quickly took a cup of water. Some ran past,some walked past and a few wheeled past.
I saw so many types of people doing it. I thought maybe I could do it too! The next year I decided to run for the race,but I had little running practice. I just wanted to finish.
On the day of the race,it was terribly hot. After running for about 5 miles,I was thinking,“I must be crazy. Why did I do this? What was I thinking?” And at one moment,I said to myself,“I am never doing this again!”
That first 10 km race was quite an experience. I jogged (慢跑),I walked,I jogged and walked. At times,I didn’t know if I could finish.
Near the end,a 70yearold man ran past me,very fast,and I felt a little embarrassed (尴尬的) that I was more than 50 years younger than he and I couldn’t even keep up with him. But then I realized something. He was running his race and I was running mine. How often in life do we compare(比较) ourselves to others when we really shouldn’t? I decided that I would not give up on running races,and that one day I would be one of those 70yearolds who were still running.
As I crossed the finishing line,I was proud of myself. I didn’t regret (后悔) having such an experience.What did the writer do at a local race as a volunteer?
A.He helped old runners. |
B.He cheered up the runners. |
C.He passed out water to the runners. |
D.He took back the cups from the runners. |
Why did the writer join the race?
A.He just wanted to experience. | B.He was crazy about running. |
C.He had practiced running very hard. | D.He wanted very much to win a prize. |
How did the writer’s feeling change after running about 5 miles?
①He regretted.
②He encouraged himself.
③He felt a little embarrassed.
A.①—②—③ | B.②—①—③ | C.①—③—② | D.②—③—① |
What is the best title (标题) of the passage?
A.To be No.1. | B.Let’s compare. |
C.A volunteering job. | D.Running your own race. |
In many high schools,there are strict rules about using mobile phones. If your phone rings in class,for example,the teacher will be very angry.
Every mobile phone has a ringtone (铃声). It tells you that someone is calling you. Now,there is a ringtone called “mosquitotone (蚊子铃声)”. Using it,students can receive calls and text messages (短信) in class but the teacher will not realize what is happening. How?
Mosquitotone has a special sound. Only children and teenagers can hear it. As we get older,we are unable to hear some sounds with high frequencies (频率). As a result,a child or teenager can hear the mosquitotone ringtone, but it’s_inaudible_to someone 20 or older.
But sometimes,people over 20 can hear the ringtone. One British student’s phone uses mosquitotone. In class,the student’s phone rang. The 32yearold teacher looked at the student and became unhappy. “I heard that. You know the rule:no mobile phone in class.”
Not all the students are interested in mosquitotone. Jerry Jones,a high school student of 17,says,“Using mosquitotone too often is bad for our hearing. I may use it for pleasure,but not in class. It’s unfair to the teachers!”
What do parents think of mosquitotone?“I think it is perfect for places like movie theaters,” says Connie Neeson,44.“Think about it. Yon’re watching a film and someone’s mobile phone rings. Mosquitotone is good because many people don’t hear it. However,it also has a bad influence on their study if students use it in class.”Mosquitotone works because ________.
A.it is very loud | B.it has no sound |
C.it has a beautiful sound | D.it uses high frequencies |
The under lined part “it’s_inaudible_to” means “________”.
A.it can’t be seen by | B.it can’t be heard by |
C.it isn’t popular with | D.it isn’t healthy for |
The 32yearold teacher felt unhappy because the student ________.
A.was late for class | B.didn’t do his homework |
C.couldn’t answer her question | D.was using a mobile phone in class |
Connie Neeson thinks that mosquitotone ________.
A.has no bad influence | B.is unfair to the teachers |
C.has its advantage and disadvantage | D.can’t be used in any public place |
When you visit Taiwan,Green Island is a wonderful place not to be missed.
Green Island,with clear blue water around it,is an island in the Pacific Ocean,33 kilometers east of Taitung. The old name for Green Island was Huoshandao,meaning “fireburning island”. The island got its name because people on the island used to set up fires at night to help people who went fishing home. Another story goes that in the Qing Dynasty there was a fire and most of the island’s trees and grass died. The coastline(海岸) of the island is only 20 kilometers long,the tallest mountain is only 281 meters high and the island is only 15 km2,but it is attracting(吸引) a growing number of tourists.
Green Island has a lot of interests that make it a place where people like to go:seaside,a clean white beach,green grasslands,seawater,hot springs,beautiful undersea sights,and a great many plants and animals. Another thing of Green Island that people are interested in is its rocks in different shapes. “Sleeping Beauty” and “Pekinese Dog” are the two most strangely shaped ones. There are also other interests which one cannot miss. The green hills,blue sea,clear sky,and ocean gentle winds make a “must” for you.From the article we know Green Island is ________.
A.very large | B.281 meters long |
C.in the Indian Ocean | D.33 kilometers from Taitung |
According to the two stories,people on Green Island used to ________.
A.meet a lot of visitors | B.set fires to get warm |
C.make a living by fishing | D.cut down too many trees and grass |
The sight “Pekinese Dog” is ________ on Green Island.
A.a cute living dog | B.a rock like a dog |
C.a dogshaped plant | D.a dog of “Sleeping Beauty” |
The last passage is mainly about the ________ of Green Island.
A.sights | B.history | C.people | D.culture |
Sailing
Welcome to our TV show On the Go. Today we are going to talk about an exciting sport—sailing. First let’s talk to Sue,an 18yearold girl who loves sailing.
Host: When did you start sailing,Sue?
Sue: I started sailing when I was 15 years old.
Host: Is it a difficult sport to learn?
Sue: Yes,it is more difficult than any other sport. For example,you need to learn about the wind directions(方向) and how to move the sails in the right way.
Host: How often do you go sailing?
Sue: I go sailing with my father every weekend.
Host: How far do you go sailing?
Sue: It depends on the wind.
Host:OK. Thank you,Sue. Good luck with your sailing.
Are you interested in sailing after hearing the interview?
If you want to learn sailing,here is a chance for you .The Water Sports Center will organize sailing lessons. Each lesson will cost you ¥20 and there are 5 lessons altogether(总共).What does Sue think of learning sailing?
A.Easy. | B.Boring. | C.Difficult. | D.Dangerous. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Sue always sails very far. |
B.Sue goes sailing every weekend. |
C.Sue goes sailing with her friends. |
D.Sue started sailing at the age of 18. |
If you want to learn sailing at the Water Sports Center,how much will you pay?
A.¥15. | B.¥20. | C.¥50. | D.¥100. |
Shopping is not as simple as you may think! Much has to be done for the producers before putting the products on the shelf.
Color, for example, changes a lot according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packed in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors.
When some kind of medicine was brought out recently, researchers found that the color of the package(包装) caused the shoppers to lose interest because they made the product look ineffective(无效的). At last, it came on the market in dark blue and white—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a package can also attract(吸引) a shopper, although quite often a bottle doesn’t hold as much as it appears to.
It is said that the better-known companies spend about 40 percent of the cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The head of Pears Soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to sell their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a talent to sell it.” Health foods are usually packed in colors Except ________.
A.green | B.black | C.yellow | D.brown |
Why did the shoppers lose interest in the medicine?
A.Because of the size of the product. | B.Because of the color of the product. |
C.Because of the color of the package. | D.Because of the cost of the product. |
If a new product costs $ 60, how much money may be spent on packaging?
A.$ 24 | B.$ 36 | C.$ 40 | D.$ 60 |
Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?
A.The way to sell goods. | B.A good product. |
C.The one who makes a product. | D.A nice color. |
The passage is mainly about ___________on shopping.
A.advantages of products | B.the importance of packaging |
C.choices of products | D.the cost of packaging |