The Banquet has been described as a loose adaptation(节选)of "Hamlet", featuring royal conflicts(冲突) and revenge(复仇)which is set in 10th century China. The new Emperor (Ge You) has usurped(篡夺) the throne(帝位)by murdering the previous Emperor. He marries the Empress (Zhang Ziyi), wife of the previous Emperor and stepmother to the Crown Prince (Daniel Wu).

At first, the Empress seeks only to protect herself, but as the new Emperor grows suspicious(疑心) of all those around him, she realizes that only by helping the Crown Prince kill him can she hope to survive. Together with the Chief Minister (Ma Jingwu),she tries to carry out this plot, but when the Prince is destroyed by hesitation, she thinks out a new plan and seeks the throne for herself. As the plot move towards its climax(高潮), the Emperor calls for a plentiful royal banquet, where each will seek the end of their enemies.

The Banquet differs from Hamlet in that it does not focus on the prince, but examines the feelings of each character. According to director Feng Xiaogang: "If Hamlet is about a prince who must make a choice involving life and death, then The Banquet is about how each character must face a choice of life or death... All are motivated by desire, but as soon as they have begun their plans must grow more extreme, and they move step-by-step towards the abyss(深渊)... They do not intend evil, but turn to it out of self-preservation and ever-growing ambition(野心)."

1. As far as we can tell from the text, the Empress ________.

  A. She is just the wife of the new Emperor.    

B. She is the later mother of the Crown Prince.

  C. She helps her own son to kill the Emperor.   

D. She takes the place of the Emperor finally.

2. The author wants to tell us the following EXCEPT that _______.

  A. The new Emperor feels doubt about the affairs around him.

  B. The Empress does all she could to survive herself.

  C. The Crown Prince shows uncertainty in action.

  D. The new Emperor owns the authority all the way.

3. Feng Xiaogang’s words imply(暗示)that ___________.

  A. The Banquet is about royal conflicts.    

B. The Banquet’s characters are full of desire.

  C. The Banquet involves life and death.     

D. The Banquet is different from the Hamlet.

4. Which of the following is the best title for this text?

  A. The Banquet differs from the Hamlet.    

B. The main characters in the play.

  C. The plot(情节)of the Banquet.    

D. The ambition of each character.

Eight-year-old Bethany and seven-year-old Eliza are having a great time jumping around in the orchard of their home in a village near Penrith. They can play any time they like because they don't go to school. Instead, they are educated at home by their parents, Paul and Veronika Robinson. But they don't have lessons, have never used a timetable and learn only what and when they want to learn. .www..com

“I want my kids to have freedom in their childhood, not spend it in an institution," says 37-year-old Veronika, "School is all about control and following the rules." Veronika and her 56-year-old husband Paul have never experienced the daily rush to get dressed and out of the door that is common in most households with school-aged children. "We get up at our leisure - usually around 8:30," says Veronika. "We might visit a friend, or go to the library, and on Tuesdays we shop at the market. In summer, we spend most of our time outside and the girls entertain themselves a lot.” .www..com

New research due to be published this spring reveals a very different picture of Britain's home educators. "Out of 297 families, 184 said that they never use a timetable,” says Mike Fortune-Wood of Home Education UK. "Ninety per cent never or rarely use textbooks, and nearly all said that happiness, contentment and self-fulfillment were more important than academic achievement. Only 15% felt that planning what to learn was very important.” .www..com

So far, so good. But what, you might ask, are the children actually learning?

"It wasn't important to me that the girls could read by a certain age, but they both picked it up for themselves at around seven," says Robinson. "Weighing cooking ingredients uses maths, and making a shopping list teaches them to write. Observing five hens has taught the girls about survival of the fittest. "

But what about when the children grow up? Can they go to university? The home educators' answer is they can if they want to. There are a variety of routes into higher education, but probably the most common is to join a local college. This is what Gus Harris-Reid has done. "I was educated at home all my life. I'd never had a lesson or been inside a classroom until I started GCSEs," says the 18-year-old. "I'm now studying for 4 A-levels at Exeter Colle ge. I've had no problem with the work or with fitting in." When asked to reflect on his experience of home education, his considered response is, "Like a permanent holiday, really!" Not a bad start for someone who plans to take a mechanical engineering degree next year. .www..com

What is the topic of this article?

  A. New ways of learning to read and write   B. Problems with UK schools

  C. Home education in the UK                    D. Wild, undisciplined children

According to the article, in homes with school-going children, ______.

  A. mornings are rushed and stressful.

  B. the children hardly ever go outside.

  C. the family wakes up around 8:30am.

  D. the children must ask permission to go to the toilet.

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

  A. Most home educators believe that happiness is more important than good grades.

  B. Most home educators believe that planning is important.

  C. Most home educators do not follow a timetable or use textbooks.

  D. Most home educators are not worried about when their children learn to read and write.

What does the article say about home-educated children getting into university?

  A. They learn so many useful skills at home that universities are happy to accept them.

  B. They can get into university if they have 4 A-levels.

  C. They can go to school later and get the qualifications they need in order to enter university.

D. Home education is so relaxed that they are likely to experience problems when faced with the pressures of a degree course.

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