KING LEAR

Part 3

NARRATOR: As soon as Goneril has got all she can from her father, she begins treating him disrespectfully. When Lear wants to speak to her, Goneril tells her servant, Oswald, to say she is sick. She encourages her staff to be disrespectful towards Lear and begins complaining about the hundred soldiers Lear has brought with him. However, King Lear soon has a friend by his side. The Duke of Kent, who Lear ordered to leave Britain, cannot abandon his king. He therefore comes to Lear disguised as a servant called Caius and asks for a job.

(Enter Lear, several of Lear's soldiers and Kent disguised as a servant.)

LEAR:      OK, Caius. I'll give you a trial. And if you prove to be good at your job, I'll keep you on as my servant. (Oswald enters.) Hey, you there. Where's my daughter? (Oswald ignores the king and hurries out of the room.) Hey. What's going on? Call him back. Is he deaf? (A Soldier rushes out after Oswald.) It's as though the whole world has gone to sleep. (Soldier reenters.) Where's that servant? Why didn’t he come back when I called?

SOLDIER:   Sir, he answered me very rudely and said he would not come back.

LEAR:      I don’t believe it!

SOLDIER:   Sir, I am sorry, to tell you this, but it seems to me that you are not being treated with the respect due to a king. Everyone here, including your daughter, is behaving very coldly towards you.

LEAR:      Mmm. I suspected the same, but I kept telling myself it was my imagination. Please tell my daughter I wish to speak with her. (Soldier bows and leaves. Oswald enters.) Ah, come here my man and answer me. Who am I?

OSWALD:   My lady's father.

LEAR:      Your lady's father? Is that all I am to you, you dog, you slave! (Lear raises his arm as though to strike Oswald.)

OSWALD:   I'll not be hit, my Lord.

KENT:      (Kent kicks Oswald's feet out from under him.) And you won't be laid flat on your back either, I suppose. Now get up and get out of here. (Oswald leaves.)

LEAR:      My thanks, Caius. I can see you will be a most valuable servant.

              (Enter Goneril.) What's up, daughter? You always seem to be frowning lately.

GONERIL:   Is it any wonder that I frown when your soldiers are continually drinking and fighting? I thought when I told you about their behaviour you would make them behave, but now I hear you have insulted Oswald. I do believe you are encouraging your soldiers in their bad behaviour.

LEAR:      Is this my daughter scolding me?

GONERIL:   I have had enough of your soldiers. They are expensive to keep and you don't need them. Besides, their drunken behaviour and bad manners are disgusting. You will send half of them away. And unless you want me to get rid of the rest of them too, I suggest you teach them how to behave properly.

LEAR:      That's a lie. My soldiers are good men who know how to behave properly. I won't stay here to be insulted. I still have one more daughter. She'll scratch out your eyes when she hears how you've treated me. Men! Get my horses ready and collect my baggage. I'll leave immediately. I won't stay where I'm not welcome. (Lear and companions leave.)

NARRATOR: Lear sends Kent on ahead to the castle of his other daughter, Regan, to tell her that he will soon be arriving. Goneril sends her servant Oswald to Regan to tell her side of the story.

67. Who does the underlined “him” probably refer to?

    A. Kent.                 B. Oswald.                 C. Lear.                         D. Soldier.

68. Why did the Duke of Kent disguise himself as a servant?

    A. To find a chance to meet Goneril.          B. To share some of the king’s wealth.

    C. To find a job in the court.                      D. To serve and help his king— Lear.

69. From the passage, what is the relationship between Goneril and Regan?

    A. Sisters.              B. Couple.                  C. Sister and Brother.      D. Brothers.

70. Which of the following best describe the character of King Lear in this passage?

    A. A wise king and father.                          B. A cold-hearted father.

    C. A cruel and selfish king.                        D. A stupid and a bit stubborn man.

— What great trouble I have solving this problem now！   

  —_____ my advice, you ________less trouble.

   A. If you had taken, would have had     B. If you took, would have 

   C. If you had taken, would have        D .If you take, will have

——Did you know any French before you arrived in Washington?

——Never ____ it, actually.

A. had I learned                                         B. have I learned

C. I have learned                                        D. I had learned

对话填空

M: Well, Stella? Why do you look (44) u_________? W: Oh, Bill, I have just had a quarrel with Mr. Philips. M: Mr. Philips! What on earth was it (45) a_____? W: Well, I have made three bad (46) m_____ so far this week. Today I (47) f_________ to give him an important message, so he got really angry with me. M: But I don’t understand. You are usually very careful and (48) n_____ make mistakes. W: I’m just so tired, I don’t know (49) w______ I am doing. M: Why? Have you been going to bed late these days? W: No, I’m usually in bed by about eleven. But I keep being (50) w______ up by half past four every morning. And then I cannot go back to sleep. M: Why? W: It’s my (51) n_____, the milkman next door. He has to get up at half past four and he always turns the radio on (52) l_____. M: Ask him to turn it down then. W: It’s difficult. I don’t know him yet. M: If you don’t want to see him, write him a letter. W: Do you think it’s a good idea? M: Yes, I do. I’ll help you (53) w______ the letter. W: OK, let’s try.

(44) ________ (45) ________ (46) ________ (47) ________ (48) ________ (49) _______ (50) _______ (51) ________ (52) ________ (53) _______

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family．Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, "Mom, I can't peel potatoes．I have only one hand．"

Mom never looked up from sewing．"You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes," she told me．"And don't ever use that as an excuse for anything again!"

In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel bar to the next．When it was my turn, I shook my head．Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying．

That night I told Mom about it．She hugged me, and I saw her "we'll see about that" look． The next afternoon, she took me back to school．At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars．

"Now, pull up with your right arm," she advised．She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other arm．Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung （横档） I reached．I'd never forget the next time, crossing the rungs．I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open．

One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing．I could hear Mom come into my room．"Mom," I said, weeping, "none of the girls would dance with me．"

For a long time, I didn't hear anything．Then she said, "Oh, honey, someday you'll be beating those boys off with a bat．" Her voice was soft and weak．I glanced at her to see tears running down her cheeks．Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf．She had never let me see her tears．

Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom's attitude

when she made the child peel potatoes?

    A．Cruel．          B．Serious．   C．Strict．        D．Cold．

From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child train ____．

    A．the skill to circle round a bar

    B．the skill to throw and catch things

    C．the speed of one's hand movement

    D．the strength and skill to hang and swing

What does the sentence "I saw her 'we'll see about that' look" imply?

    A．Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it．

    B．What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity．

    C．Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher．

    D．The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up．

The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ____．

    A．the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep

    B．the child's experience reminded Mom of that of her own

    C．Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph

    D．in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child's growth