William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in English literature. His plays can be divided into three categories: histories, tragedies(悲剧) and comedies. Shakespeare wrote eighteen comedies, although two were lost. These comedies usually have happy endings and a light-hearted tone and style that are quite different from his tragedies.

All of Shakespeare’s comedies have five acts and the most important or exciting point always takes place in the third act. The hero does not appear until after other characters have talked about him. Shakespeare had some themes that he usually wrote about: the fight between good and bad, love’s great effect on people, and the difference between first appearance and a person’s true personality or face. Shakespeare also wrote his play in a certain style. For example, Shakespeare used words in such a clever and humorous way that they had more than one meaning. Some of the characters changed their appearances so that people didn’t know who they were.

Even though the tone is lighter in these plays. Comedies in Shakespeare’s day were quite different from modern-day comedies because their purpose was not to make people laugh. Shakespeare’s comedies are very emotional(有感染力的) and often include serious topics to think about.

1.How many Shakespeare’s comedies can people enjoy now?

A. 18 B. 16 C. 5 D. 2

2.Which word has the same meaning as the underlined word “categories” in Paragraph 1?

A. type B. parts C. copies D. pages

3.When does the hero in Shakespeare’s comedies appear?

A. At the beginning of the play.

B. In the middle of the play.

C. Near the end of the play.

D. Not until other characters have mentioned him.

4.Which sentence is WRONG according to the passage?

A. All Shakespeare’s comedies have five acts.

B. Shakespeare’s plays are written in a certain style.

C. The purpose of Shakespeare’s comedies is to make people laugh.

D. The fight between good and bad is one of the themes Shakespeare wrote about.

In summer, it's common on the street to see many Chinese women holding parasols1 to protect themselves from the sun. But when Amy, an exchange student in Beijing from the US, first saw this, she found it strange, even impossible to understand. She wrote on her blog, "Unlike Chinese women, American women like to put on their tank tops and sunglasses during summer. If you walk around an American college campus2, you will probably see girls out on the grassy fields reading, but they really hope to get a head start on their summer tan3. "

This may be caused by the different standards of beauty between the US and China. Many Americans don't want white skin. They would rather be tanned3. Amy also wrote, "Having darker skin is so popular that many women and men will pay for fake4 tans so that they can keep their sun-kissed appearance during the winter months, too. "

Why do they like tanned skin? Michelle Louis reported in her research, "The process of tanning can help make people's skin smooth and hide marks. " She further explained, "Tans make people's skin appear healthier and make them appear thinner than when they have pale skin. "

Perhaps there is no real ideal standard of beauty. In different cultures and at different times of history, the standards change. On Amy's blog, she also gave two examples: Some women carried parasols around trying to keep their white skin in the US 150 years ago; During the Tang Dynasty in China, heavy women were thought attractive. But now, Chinese women prefer to be slim.

In a word, different standards of beauty should be respected. People may grow up with only one idea of what beauty is, but it doesn't mean that it's necessarily the correct or the best idea.

New words:

1. parasol n. umbrella used to protect people from the sun 阳伞

2. campus n. grounds of school, college or university校园

3. tan n. the brown colour of sun-kissed skin 晒成的棕褐

v. become brown by the sun 晒成棕褐色,晒黑

4. fake adj. not real 假的

1.What did Michelle Louis report in her research?

A. Many Chinese prefer white skin to tanned skin.

B. Darker skin is popular among American women and men.

C. Tans make people's skin appear healthier and make them look thinner.

D. Some women would like to keep their skin white in the US 150 years ago.

2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. People in the US like to have tanned skin only in hot summer.

B. American college girls read on the grass because they want to be tanned.

C. Many Chinese women carry parasols to protect themselves from the sun.

D. Amy thought trying to keep white skin with parasols seemed strange at first.

3.The writer really wants to tell us .

A. we should respect different standards of beauty

B. the standards of beauty change at different times

C. different countries have different standards of beauty

D. it's common for people to have only one idea of beauty

What do you like? Different people like different things. Some people like loud music, while other people don’t. They say it is too noisy. They like soft music. Many people like sports, but they do not all like the same sport.

In some countries, cricket(板球) is a very popular sport. In others it is not popular at all. No one plays it and few people watch it on TV. The World Cup is very popular. Millions of people watch the games on TV. But some people don’t like sports. They just like to watch other people playing.

Different people like different foods. Some people don’t like meat. They eat most kinds of fruits and vegetables. Some people don’t like potatoes or bread. They prefer(喜欢) rice and corn.

No one likes the same colour. Most people have a favourite colour. Some people like bright colours. Others prefer pale colours.

The world is an interesting place because we all like different things.

1.What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. People all like the same thing.

B. Different people like the same thing.

C. People all like different sports.

D. Different people like different things.

2.Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Everyone likes sports.

B. Not many people like sports.

C. Most people don’t like sports.

D. Lots of people like sports.

3.How many people watch the World Cup on TV?

A. Most people.

B. Hundreds of different people.

C. Millions of people.

D. No one at all.

4.What do people eat if they don’t like meat?

A. Mostly potatoes and bread.

B. Mostly fruits and vegetables.

C. Mostly rice and corn.

D. Mostly potatoes and corn.

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Most people have a favourite colour.

B. No one likes bright colours.

C. Everyone likes bright colours.

D. Most people prefer pale colours.

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