Question

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.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.C

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：这篇文章讲的是文化对莎士比亚的影响和莎士比亚对文化，特别是英语语言的影响。

1.细节题：从第二段的句子：Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（强度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. 可知莎士比亚的很多作品是受早先的文章影响。选B

2.细节题：从第二段的句子：Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（强度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. 可知莎士比亚的作品受欢迎是因为他的想象力和语言很丰富。选C

3.细节题：从第四段的句子：But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language.可知莎士比亚对英语的影响是最大的，选 C

4.主旨题：从文章前面三段是文化对莎士比亚的影响，第四五段的句子：The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. 可知讲的是莎士比亚对文化的影响。选D

考点：考查人物传记类短文