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（強度）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（裝腔作勢）” from “Othello”, “full circle（繞圈子地）” 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.
【小題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

【小題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.

【小題3】Shakespeare’s greatest influence should be on 　　　　.

A．paintings	B．television
C．the English language	D．music and dance

【小題4】The passage is mainly about 　　　　.

A．a(chǎn)n 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.

Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted. O’Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome（唐氏綜合癥）and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored! Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five（致禮）salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.”
【小題1】Which is the most correct description of the author’s son? He was _________.

A．brave

B．sympathetic

C．honest

D．proud

【小題2】The underlined word “hush” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “_________”.

A．cheer

B．laughter

C．silence

D．cry

【小題3】Why did the author hold his breath when Mickey scored and hugged his son?

A．Because his son might get angry with Mike	B．Because Mickey cheated everyone
C．Because his son would accept the fact	D．Because the score was out of his expectation

【小題4】We can infer from the passage that Mickey          .

A．was hated by his own team

B．was excited when he realized the fault

C．was warm-hearted and played soccer for both teams

D．was cared about by his teammates

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator (美洲鱷) was swimming toward the shore.
His father working in the yard saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could.
Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U – turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug – of – war (拔河) between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father’s fingernails dug into his fresh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy asked if he would show his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my dad wouldn’t let go.”
You and I can identify with that boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because someone has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, someone has been there holding on to you.
If you have the scars of someone’s love on your arms, be very, very grateful. Someone in your life did not and will not ever let you go.
Never judge another person’s scars, because you don’t know how they got them.
【小題1】Which of the following is the most closely related to the underlined word “passionate”?

A．determined

B．a(chǎn)nxious

C．frightened

D．courageous

【小題2】When the boy told the newspaper reporter about the scars on his arms, he felt     .

A．painful and fearful	B．regretful and panic
C．proud and grateful	D．excited and thankful

Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”
In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.
Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.
Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “l(fā)ost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.
【小題1】The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.

A．loss

B．wonder

C．lucky thing

D．terrible thing

【小題2】 Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.

A．he was a man difficult to please

B．she never knew when he was coming

C．she was too busy looking after her children

D．he never stayed long enough for a meal

【小題3】What do we know about James’ behavior?

A．He was a kind man, with love for the family.

B．He was generous, especially towards his brother.

C．He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids.

D．He was rude to his sister-in-law.

【小題4】Maggie felt pleased when _______.

A．she paid James the money that she owed him

B．James gave some money to the children

C．she had to wake James up to catch his train

D．James thanked her for the nice supper

As far back as he could remember，Larry had longed to go to Hollywood and become a film star．The young man’s hopes for success were broken again and again，however．Hollywood just did not seem interesting．When he first came to California，Larry had decided never to give up and return home without success．Therefore，he kept on trying．Someday，he told himself，his big opportunity would come．
Larry found a job parking cars for one of Hollywood’s big restaurants．His pay was elementary，but since the guests were kind enough to give him more money，he managed to make a living．One day he recognized an important film director driving into the parking lot （停車場） and getting out of his car．Larry had recently heard that the man was ready to make a new picture．
Larry got into the car and prepared to drive it on into the lot and park it．Then he stopped，jumped out，and ran over to the director．“Excuse me，sir，but I think it’s only fair to tell you that it’s now or never if you want me in your next picture．A lot of big companies are after me．”
Instead of pushing away the boy，the director laughed，then wrote something on a card and handed it to the young man．“Come and see me tomorrow．”
Larry got a small part in the director’s next film．He was on his way！
【小題1】Which of the following was Larry interested in?

A．Working as a waiter．	B．Becoming a film star
C．Parking cars for film stars．	D．Owing a big company

【小題2】Why did Larry find a job parking cars?

A．Because he liked the job．

B．Because the parking lot was near Hollywood．

C．To make a living and wait for the opportunity．

D．To see a lot of film stars and work for them．

【小題3】After reading the story what can we infer （推斷） about the film director ?

A．He wanted to laugh at Larry．

B．He recognized Larry at first sight．

C．He was kind and gave Larry a try．

D．He thought Larry would become a star．

【小題4】what does the word “elementary” mean in this passage?

A．基本的

B．充足的

C．較高的

D．不達標的

【小題5】“He was on his way”refers to the fact that ________．

A．he gave up and returned home

B．he began to work towards success

C．he took a journey to Hollywood

D．he had difficulty in playing the small part

On the first day of class, Mr. Whiteson gave us a lecture about a creature(生物) called cattytiger, a kind of cat-like animal that completely disappeared during the Ice Age. He passed round a skull (頭骨) as he talked, and we all felt interested and took notes while listening. Later, we had a test about that.
When he returned my paper, I was very, very surprised. There was a very large cross through each of my answers. And so it was with everyone else's in our class.
What had happened? Everyone was wondering and couldn't wait to get the answer.
Very simple, Mr. Whiteson explained. He had made up all that story about the cattytiger. There had never been such an animal. So why none of us noticed that and how could we expect good marks for the incorrect answers?
Needless to say, we got very angry. What kind of teacher was this?
We should have guessed it out, Mr. Whiteson said. After all, at the very moment he was passing around the cattytiger skull (in fact, a cat's), hadn't he been telling us that it completely disappeared during the Ice Age? Clearly he was telling a lie. But we just kept busy making notes and none used his head. We should learn something from this. Teachers and textbooks are not always correct.
【小題1】We failed in the test because we didn't ______.

A．take notes while listening

B．show interest in what Mr. Whiteson said

C．listen to the teacher carefully

D．think carefully

【小題2】We got angry because ______.

A．Mr. Whiteson didn't tell us the truth about cattytiger

B．we failed in the test

C．we didn't know why he played the joke on us

D．there was no cattytiger

【小題3】We didn't find out it was a lie for ______.

A．we simply believed our teacher very much

B．we took notes carelessly

C．we hadn't watched the skull carefully enough

D．Mr. Whiteson spoke too fast

【小題4】Mr. Whiteson meant that ______.

A．teachers couldn't make any mistakes

B．textbooks might be wrong sometimes

C．we should speak up if we thought our teacher or the textbook was wrong

D．we shouldn't believe our teachers because sometimes they might tell lies

Son’s Help
Mr. Smith worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling(賭博) and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife told him not to do it but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup, he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.
It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Smith didn’t go to work. He felt lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his six-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen.
“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”
【小題1】Mr. Smith was paid much because _______.

A．his wife helped him a lot

B．he worked in a factory

C．he was busy and had a lot of work to do

D．he had worked there for a long time

【小題2】Mrs. Smith did all housework because _______.

A．she couldn’t find any work

B．she thought her husband was tired

C．her husband spent all time in gambling

D．she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling

【小題3】_____, so he was put into lockup.

A．Mr. Smith often gambled

B．Mr. Smith was late for work

C．Mr. Smith didn’t help his wife at home

D．Mr. Smith wasn’t polite to the police

【小題4】The woman had to leave Mr. Smith because _______.

A．he didn’t love her any longer

B．he wouldn’t stop gambling

C．he had been put into lockup

D．he was hardly sent away by the factory

【小題5】What is the meaning of the underlined word in the first paragraph?

A．clinic

B．office

C．prison

D．restaurant

One day an out of work mimic(滑稽演員) is visiting the zoo and attempts to earn some money as a street performer. As soon as he starts to draw the crowd，a zoo keeper grabs him and drags him into his office. The zoo keeper explains to the mimic that the zoo's most popular attraction，a gorilla(大猩猩)，has died suddenly and the keeper fears that attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mimic a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mimic accepts.
So the next morning the mimic puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before the crowd comes. He discovers that it's a great job. He can sleep all he wants，play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mimic. However，eventually the crowds tire of him and he tires of just swinging on wires. He begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience，he climbs to the top of his cage，crawls across a partition(隔離物)，and dangles from the top to the lion's cage. Of course，this makes the lion very angry，but the crowd loves it.
At the end of the day the zoo keeper comes and gives the mimic a raise for being such a good attraction. Well，this goes on for some time－the mimic keeps taunting the lion，the crowds grow larger，and his salary keeps going up. Then one terrible day when he is dangling over the angry lion he slips and falls. The mimic is terrified.
The lion gathers itself and prepares to attack. The mimic is so scared that he begins to run round and round the cage with the lion close behind. Finally，the mimic starts screaming and yelling，“Help me，help me！”But the lion is quick and attacks. The mimic soon finds himself flat on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says，“Shut up，you idiot！Do you want to get us both fired？”
【小題1】The mimic visits the zoo to________.

A．take care of the dying gorilla	B．beg some money from the zoo keeper
C．a(chǎn)sk for a job there	D．perform and earn some money there

【小題2】The zoo keeper offers the mimic a job to act as the gorilla because________.

A．it is more expensive to hire a real gorilla

B．the real gorilla died but the keeper does not want to lose its visitors

C．he likes the mimic's performance

D．he wants to help the mimic who is out of work

【小題3】What does the mimic feel about the new job at first?

A．He likes it because he has enough freedom in the job.

B．He likes it but he prefers to working as a mimic.

C．He doesn't like it for people do not respect him.

D．He doesn't like it because he gets little pay.

【小題4】The mimic climbs to the lion's cage because________.

A．he finds it more interesting to climb the cage

B．he wants to play with the lion

C．he wants to attract the attention of his audience

D．he has never seen a lion before

【小題5】What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．The mimic and his job	B．The mimic and his success
C．The actor and the mimic	D．The mimic and his animals

One day, Mary asked her mother, “Mum, what do people mean by saying they have a skeleton(骨架）in the closet(衣櫥)?” Her mother paused thoughtfully and said, “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be a skeleton in his family’s closet. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick my family?” Mary’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?”  “Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.” “Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now.” Mary cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was quiet. Mary’s parents were quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Mary’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Mary’s mother sank into a faint(暈倒), waking only when Mary put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Mary. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Mary looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re crazy,” she thought.  
【小題1】According to Mary’s mother, “a skeleton in a closet” means _______.

A．a(chǎn) family honor	B．a(chǎn) family wealth
C．a(chǎn) family story	D．a(chǎn) family secret

【小題2】What can we learn about some Australians’ ancestors from Paragraph 2?

A．They were brought to Australia as prisoners.

B．They were the earliest people living in Australia.

C．They were involved in some crimes in Australia.

D．They were not regarded as criminals in their days.

【小題3】Mary’s mother fell down into a faint because she was_________.

A．knocked

B．terrified

C．injured

D．surprised

【小題4】Why did Mary bring a skeleton home?

A．She was curious about it.	B．She planned to keep it for fun.
C．She needed it for her school task.	D．She intended to scare her parents.

【小題5】Mary’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because________.

A．They were mentally ill.

B．They were over happy.

C．They understood what had really happened.

D．They both thought they had won the quarrel.

When John Weston awoke that morning, he remembered that his mother was going into hospital. He hadn’t worked out quite what was wrong with her. He knew, though that she hadn’t been well for some time now, and it had become almost familiar to him to see her eyes narrowed in a sudden attack of pain, and her hand pressing against her heart. Their own doctor, who she had finally gone to for advice, had sent her to an expert who knew all about these things. He had told her that just as soon as there was a bed for her, she would have to come into his hospital where he could look after her himself.
During the weeks since then the pains had come even more frequently, and the narrowed eyes became an almost permanent part of her expression. Always rather sharp, she began losing her temper over little things so that John’s father kept his thoughts to himself more and more. John, as ready as possible to make allowances, tried to think what it would be like to have toothache all the time and how bad-tempered that would make you.
So his mother would go into hospital for a few days. He was going to stay with his Aunt Daisy till she came back, and his father would stay on at home by himself. John’s cousin, Mona, was to come in and make the bed and wash the pots and dust round now and again. That was the arrangement, and John didn’t care much for it. Apart from missing his mother(and he was glad she was going away because they would make her better), he wasn’t very fond of his Aunt Daisy because she was even more bad-tempered than his mother.
【小題1】Mrs Weston went to see her doctor_________.

A．a(chǎn)s soon as she realized that something was wrong

B．only after her husband advised her to

C．a(chǎn) long time after the trouble began

D．when John asked what was wrong with her

【小題2】what did Mrs Weston’s own doctor decide to do?

A．he decided to send her to hospital

B．he decided to get an expert to examine her

C．He decided to treat her himself

D．He advised her to wait for a few weeks.

【小題3】how did John react to his mother’s bad temper?

A．he tried to imagine himself in her place.

B．He tried not to notice it.

C．He pretended that he had toothache.

D．He behaved himself as well as possible.

【小題4】John regarded ______as most bad-tempered.

A．his father

B．his mother

C．his cousin Mona

D．his aunt Daisy