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 1564 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 earned 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. He left his money to his family. He left his genius 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.

1.Shakespeare wrote many famous plays except _______.

A．Hamlet                               B．Macbeth

C．Romeo and Juliet                        D．Man and Superman

2.Shakespeare decided to be an actor in _______.

A．1578             B．1582             C．1599             D．1616

3.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

4.Shakespeare got much money from _______.

A．writing           B．plays             C．acting            D．retirement

5.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? ________.

A．Shakespeare had two children

B．Shakespeare wrote both plays and poems

C．Shakespeare left his money to the Globe Theatre

D．Shakespeare wrote plays in English and some other languages

As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me. I was used to tidy living rooms that seemed to whisper, "Not to be touched!"

I can still remember one afternoon when I was eight years old. Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never approve. The walls were old; some stones were missing, others loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally, one spring afternoon, I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.

"I, uh-I want to climb the stone walls," I said. Everyone looked up. "Can I climb the stone walls? "Immediately voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room. "Heavens, no!" You'll hurt yourself!" I wasn't too disappointed; the response was just as I'd expected. But before I could leave the room, I was stopped by my grandfather's loud voice. "Now hold on just a minute," I heard him say. "Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself."

Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. "There's only one person in this whole world like you," the kids can count on hearing me say, "and people can like you exactly as you are.”

1.When the writer was small, he lived        .

A．in the city                             B．on the farm

C．with his grandparents                    D．away from his parents

2.The writer enjoyed his visits to the farm because        .

A．there were old stone walls.                B．it was an exciting place for him.

C．he liked his grandfather.                  D．the living room there was clean

3.The underlined word “approve” in paragraph 2 means        .

A．prove            B．suppose           C．allow             D．mind

4.We can learn from the passage that the writer was        .

A．adventurous       B．funny             C．smart             D．talkative

Daniel stays home on workdays. He starts his personal computer in order to connect with the office which is about three hundred miles away in another city. After work, he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder, or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Daniel doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Daniel is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings.

The world of business is one area in which technology is separating us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals (终端) in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. In addition, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts, making paper checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts. Many companies and consumers have already changed the way they sell or buy products. E-commerce, or business done on the Internet, is becoming more and more popular. This, therefore, makes it possible for people to do shopping without going out of their homes.

Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for example, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living-rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing as well. Movies used to be social events. Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living-rooms.

After work, Daniel likes to ______.

A. listen to music at the concert hall                B. watch a movie in his living-room

C. chat with his friends on the net                D. play baseball with his workmates

The underlined sentence “Daniel is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible” means ______.

A. Daniel is a person full of imagination and he can make his life colorful.

B. Daniel is not a real person but the lifestyle of his kind does exist.

C. Daniel is only an ordinary person but he has his own way of living.

D. Daniel is a model who makes full use of modern technology in life.

What will the writer most probably discuss after the last paragraph?

A. Games and sports                    B. Personal banking

C. Music and films                      D. International business

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. We may no longer need to communicate with other human beings.

B. Modern technology seems to be separating human beings.

C. We may no longer need to work in the office.

D. Modern technology makes it possible for us to work and entertain ourselves at home.

Down-to-earth means being honest, open, and easy to deal with. It is a pleasure to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to. He or she accepts others as equals. A down-to-earth person may be an important member of society, of course, but they do not let their importance go to their heads, and they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. Someone who is filled with self-importance and pride, often without cause, is said to have his nose in the air. There is no way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.

Americans use another expression that is similar in some way to down-to-earth. The expression is both feet on the ground. Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality. He has what is called common sense. He may have dreams but he does not allow them to block his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds. A man with his head in the clouds is a dreamer whose mind is not in the world. Sometimes such a dreamer can be brought back to reality; sharp words from the teacher, for example, can usually get a daydreaming student to put both feet back on the ground.

The person who is down-to-earth usually has both feet on the ground. But the opposite is not always true. Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down-to-earth. When we have both our feet firmly on the ground, we are realistic and we act honestly and openly toward others, and our lives are like the ground below us, solid and strong.

1.If a person has his nose in the air, he ____. 

2.If a person has both feet on the ground, he ____. 

3.From the second paragraph, we know that sharp words from a teacher can usually ________.

4.The underlined sentence “But the opposite is not always true.” most probably means that ______.

5.From the passage, we can infer the person who is _______ is the most popular kind of person.

Down-to-earth means being honest, open, and easy to deal with. It is a pleasure to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to. He or she accepts others as equals. A down-to-earth person may be an important member of society, of course, but they do not let their importance go to their heads, and they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. Someone who is filled with self-importance and pride, often without cause, is said to have his nose in the air. There is no way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.

Americans use another expression that is similar in some way to down-to-earth. The expression is both feet on the ground. Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality. He has what is called common sense. He may have dreams but he does not allow them to block his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds. A man with his head in the clouds is a dreamer whose mind is not in the world. Sometimes such a dreamer can be brought back to reality; sharp words from the teacher, for example, can usually get a daydreaming student to put both feet back on the ground.

The person who is down-to-earth usually has both feet on the ground. But the opposite is not always true. Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down-to-earth. When we have both our feet firmly on the ground, we are realistic and we act honestly and openly toward others, and our lives are like the ground below us, solid and strong.

1.If a person has his nose in the air, he ____.

A．is down to the earth                     B．is easy to deal with

C．always thinks he is more important than others D．is confident

2.From the second paragraph, we know that sharp words from a teacher can usually ________.

A．help a student get down to the earth

B．wake a student up

C．help a daydreaming student come down to the ground

D．help a daydreaming student to become more realistic

3.The underlined sentence “But the opposite is not always true.” most probably means that ______.

A．the person who has his nose in the air is not true

B．a man with his head in the clouds is often not intelligent

C．the opposite direction is always wrong

D．a person who has both feet on the ground may not be down-to-earth

4.From the passage, we can infer the person who is _______ is the most popular kind of person.

A．down-to-earth                         B．standing on the ground

C．with his nose in the air                   D．with his head in the clouds