Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end. In many ways, this is 36 for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the sane 37 night after night. One would
38 them to know their parts by heart and 39 have cause to falter(结巴).Yet 40 is not always the case.
A famous actor in a 41 successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat 42 had been imprisoned in Bastille for twenty years. In the last act,a gaoler(监狱长,看守)would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner. 43 the noble was expected to read the letter at each 44 ,he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke 45 his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the 46 of the letter by heart. The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed(使显露)the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell. Just then,the gaoler 47 with the precious letter in his hands. He entered the 48 and presented the letter to the aristocrat. But the copy he gave him had not been written out in
49 as usual. It was simply a blank sheet of paper. The gaoler looked on eagerly, 50 to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines. The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds. Then,squinting(眯着眼看)his eves,he said,“The light is 51 .Read the letter to me.”And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler. 52 that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied,“The light is indeed dim,sir. I must get my 53 ”With this, he hurried off the stage. Much to the aristocrat’s 54 ,the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the 55 copy of the letter which he proceeded(继续进行)to read to the prisoner.
36.A. fortunate | B. unfortunate | C. happy | D. unhappy |
37.A. lines | B. words | C. plays | D. roles |
38.A. want | B. ask | C. expect | D. wish |
39.A. always | B. never | C. sometimes | D. often |
40.A. such | B. the thing | C. one | D. this |
41.A. highly | B. high | C. poorly | D. poor |
42.A. where | B. what | C. which | D. who |
43.A. Because | B. Even though | C. When | D. Though |
44.A. play | B. performance | C. role | D. case |
45.A. with | B. in | C. on | D. to |
46.A. pages | B. joke | C. lines | D. contents |
47.A. appeared | B. disappeared | C. came out | D. came in |
48.A. room | B. cell | C. stage | D. office |
49.A. English | B. French | C. order | D. full |
50.A. worded | B. surprised | C. anxious | D. afraid |
51.A. bright | B. dim | C. dark | D. out |
52.A. To see | B. To find | C. Seeing | D. Finding |
53.A. glasses | B. lines | C. light | D. letters |
54.A. surprise | B. satisfaction | C. anger | D. amusement |
55.A. usual | B. old | C. unusual | D. new |