2．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．
54．From the passage，we can see thatB．
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
55．Why could Shakespeare's works survive his time？C
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．
56．Shakespeare's greatest influence should be onC．
A．paintings B．television C．the English language D．music and dance
57．The passage is mainly aboutD．
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．
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．
解答 54．B 细节理解题：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．所以选B
55．C 细节理解题：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．所以选C
56．C 细节理解题：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
57．D 主旨大意题：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．所以选D
点评 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．本文所设试题主要考察细节查找，对于文章中的细节题，要注意文本内容的理解．关键是找出原文的根据，认真核查题支和原文的异同，常犯错误有：绝对化语言，范围扩大或缩小，以偏概全，张冠李戴等．带着问题，再读全文，找出答题所需要的依据，完成阅读．
