Happy Shakespeare Day!

The 23rd April is World Book Day, but did you know that it is also Shakespeare Day? Everybody has heard of Shakespeare, but do you know many plays he wrote? Have you heard of many of his poetry?

Shakespeare’s plays fit into three categories: tragedies, comedies and histories. Perhaps his most famous play is the tragedy story of Romeo and Juliet, which deals with two young lovers who are forbidden to marry by their parents. Other tragedies include Hamlet, a play about a vengeful ghost Othello, about an army general who is manipulated(操纵) into killing his wife, and Macbeth(麦克白). If you’ve seen Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban written which is sung in the Great Hall after the Sorting Ceremony. These words come from the Witches in Macbeth!

Shakespeare’s comedies include Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night is a play about confusing identities. Two twins are shipwrecked and the sister, Viola, dresses up as her brother, Sebastian, who she thinks is dead. It’s hilarious, because the brother reappears without Viola realizing and there’s a big love triangle going on: Viola is in love with the Duke Osino, who is in love with Olivia, who falls in love with Sebastian, except she doesn’t realize that Sebastian is actually Viola dressed up! Everybody falls in love with the wrong person, but it is all made right in the end.

The history plays, such as Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III and Henry V are based on the lives of real historical people. Antony and Cleopatra is a story about a doomed romance in ancient Egypt. Cleopatra becomes Antony’s mistress and Antony becomes so obsessed with her that he loses his military might. Cleopatra kills self by letting a snake bite her after Egypt’s army has been defeated by Octavius and Antony kills himself too.

Shakespeare’s plays can be very heavy going sometimes. Some of the themes they deal with are heavy and complex, so they almost always contain a lighter subplot with characters who aren’t closely linked to the characters in the main plot. They are often used in tragedies to lighten the mood of the play and to keep the audience interested in the main plot.

1.What can we learn about Shakespeare’s tragedies?

A. Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most famous play of all time.

B. Hamlet tells us a story of two young lovers dead in the end.

C. The army general Othello kills his wife in person purposely.

D. Macbeth gives J.K. Rowling some inspiration in her writing.

2.What is not a probable ending in Twelfth Night?

A. Viola and Sebastian reunited. B. Osino and Viola got marred.

C. Osino and Olivia got married. D. Sebastian and Olivia got married.

3.Characters in the lighter subplot of Shakespeare’s plays are often used to_____.

A. deal with the heavy and complex themes

B. distinguish the characters in the main plot

C. make the mood of the play softer than before

D. interest the audience in the subplot to the great extent

Handwriting is quickly becoming a dying art. Few businesses can run nowadays without computers, giving keyboard shortcuts an unprecedented importance. Elementary and high schools across the country now view typing courses as essential to their curricula. But what are we losing as handwriting loses its significance in society?

Brain power, according to science. Researchers from Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles conducted a series of studies to demonstrate the differences between students who wrote out their notes and those who typed notes. Participants took notes on a lecture using one of the two methods and were tested on the material 30 minutes after the lecture and again a week later. The results showed that both types of notetakers did well on the first test, though longhand notetakers had a stronger grasp of the overall concept, but students with handwritten notes were able to remember and still understand the concepts of the lecture after a week had passed. These participants were also more open to understanding new ideas.

At the University of Nebraska, educational psychologist Kenneth Kiewra held a similar study, where some students were tested immediately following a PowerPoint lecture and others had a chance to review their notes before being tested. Those who took notes on a laptop had a slight advantage on the test right after the lecture, but students with written notes performed significantly better when given the chance to review. Kiewra told the Wall Street Journal that the reason is likely because written notes are briefer, more organized, and better captured information from graphs and charts than typed notes.

Computers aren’t going away anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean paper notebooks need to become obsolete(过时). In fact, it’s best to start using them at an early age. University of Indiana researchers compared brain scans of five year olds, some of whom practiced printing letters and some who just looked at the letters. Those who wrote out the letters had more enhanced and “adult-like” neural activity.

Take this as a parenting hack for the digital era: Don’t let your kids go completely digital.

1.It can be inferred from the second paragraph that ________.

A. Not both types of notetakers did well on the material test 30 minutes after the lecture.

B. It’s easy for both types of notetakers to welcome new ideas.

C. Students who wrote notes out could only remember the lecture in a week.

D. Students who typed notes could have a better understanding of the material.

2.Why students with written notes performed much better when given the chance to review according to Kiewar?

A. Because the written notes are much more convenient and accessible.

B. Because they have a higher level of intelligence than those with typed notes.

C. Because they are born adapting themselves to new ideas easily.

D. Because the typed notes are always without any references.

3.The passage mainly provides suggestions for ________.

A. students B. parents

C. schools D. enterprises

I was born and raised in Minnesota,the USA,but us an adult I have mostly lived in Europe and Africa.I teach cross-cultural management at the International Business School near Paris.For the last 15 years,I’ve studied how people in different parts of the world build trust,communicate,and make decisions especially in the workplace.

While traveling in Tokyo recently with Japanese colleague,I gave a short talk to a group of 20 managers.At the end,I asked whether there were any questions or comments.No hands went up,so I went to sit down.My colleague whispered to me,“I think there actually were some comments,Erin.Do you mind if I try?”I agreed,but I guessed it a waste of breath.He asked the group again,“Any comments or questions?”

Still,no one raised a hand,but this time he looked very carefully at each person in the silent audience.Gesturing to one of them,he said,“Do you have something to add?”To my amazement,she responded “Yes,thank you.” and asked me a very interesting question.My colleague repeated this several times,looking directly at the audience and asking for more questions or comments.

After the session,I asked my colleague,“How do you know that those people had questions?”He hesitated,not sure how to explain it,and then said,“It has to do with how bright their eyes are.”

He continued,“In Japan,we don’t make as much direct eye contact as you do in the West.So when you asked if there were any comments,most people were not looking directly at you.But a few people in the group were looking right at you,and their eyes were bright.That indicates that they would be happy to have you call on them.”

I thought to myself I would never have learned from my upbringing in Minnesota.Since then,I try to focus on understanding behavior in other cultures I encounter,and keep finding the bright eyes in the room.

1.What can we conclude from the first paragraph?

A. Life in Minnesota has made the author worn out.

B. The author enjoys traveling around the world.

C. Different cultures are kind of familiar to the author.

D. The author may start his own business in the future.

2.Hearing the colleague whispering,the author______.

A. went back to his seat and got seated

B. knew his colleague had some questions

C. owed a big debt of gratitude to his colleague

D. thought his colleague would get nowhere

3.Where does the author’s colleague probably come from?

A. Japan. B. America.

C. Africa. D. France

4.Which is the proper title for the passage?

A. Focusing on Behavior in Cultures.

B. Looking at Another Culture in the Eye.

C. Sharing Different Cultures in Tokyo.

D. Admiring the Beauty in the Eye.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网