綜合類B級：閱讀理解Shakespeare
When talking about the worlds greatest poet and greatest dramatist， only one name can possible suggest itself;that of William Shakespeare. Nearly every Englishman has some knowledge， however slight， of the work of this greatest writer. We use words， phrases and quotations form Shakespeares writings that have become part of the common property of English-speaking people. Most of the time we are probably unaware of the source of the words we use. For example， and old lady， after seeing a performance of Hamlet complained， “It was full of well-known proverbs and quotations！”
Shakespeare made full use of the great resources of the English language. Most of us use about five thousand words in our normal employment of English;Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand！ There is probably no better way for a foreigner (or an Englishman) to appreciate the richness and variety of the english language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare used it. Such a study is well worth the effort， even thought some aspects of English and the meaning of many words， have changed since Shakespeare’s day. It is a pity that we know so little about the life of the greatest English author. We only know that he was born in 1564 in Stratford on-Avon， and that then died there in 1616. He almost certainly attended the Grammar School in the town， but of this we cannot be sure. We know he was married there in 1582 and had three children. We know that he spent much of his life in London， writing his masterpieces. But this is almost all that we do know.
However， what is important about Shakespeares life is not its incidental details but its products， the plays and the poems. For many years scholars have been trying to add a few facts about Shakespeares life to the small number we already posses and for an equally long time critics have been theorizing about the plays. Sometimes indeed， it seems that the poetry of Shakespeare will disappear beneath the great mass of comment that has been written upon it.
Fortunately this is not likely to happen. Shakespeares poetry and Shakespeares characters(Macbeth， Othello， Hamlet and all the others) have long delighted not just the English but lovers of literature everywhere， and will continue to do so after the scholars and commentators and all their works have been forgotten.
31 How can we best describe the popularity of Shakespeares works among the English speaking people?
A Most of the people have taken courses in Shakespeares works.
B The English-speaking people like to mention the names of Shakespeares works.
C Most of the people know clearly how to use the words and phrases from Shakespeares works.
D Many of the words and phrases used by the English-speaking people are taken from Shakespeares works. 32 What is so funny about the old ladys comment on Hamlet?
A She did not understand those proverbs and quotations at all.
B It shows that it was her first time to watch Hamlet.
C She did not know that the well-known proverbs had been created by Shakespeare.
D It shows that common people no longer watch Shakespeares plays.
33 What is the most striking feature of Shakespeares works mentioned by the author?
A Shakespeare used an enormous number of words of the English language.
B Shakespeare expressed his appreciation of the richness of the English language.
C Shakespeare studied the various usages of the English language.
D Shakespeare tried to maintain the original meaning of many English words.
34 What can we conclude from the brief account of Shakespeares life?
A Famous as his plays are， Shakespeare was not personally well known.
B So little is known about his schooling that some people doubt his creativity.
C People nowadays know more about Shakespeares life than his works.
D The ill match between his simple life and his rich writings gives rise to suspicion.
35 What is the authors attitude towards the great mass of comment on Shakespeares works?
A Indifferent.
B Critical.
C Suspicious.
D Appreciative.