题型:阅读选择 题类: 难易度:普通
江苏省连云港市赣榆初级中学等2024年联考中考三模英语试题
The end of the year is drawing near, and winter is in full activity. The season brings along with its strong winds and snow — an environment that's never comfortable to be in.
This unpleasant and even frightening part of winter can be often seen in literature. In Shakespeare's King Lear (1606), the king has given away his kingdom and been driven out by his two ungrateful daughters. He is out in the winter cold, suffering (遭受痛苦) things that are usually saved for the poorest and most unlucky human beings.
The winter is bad enough for Lear, but being driven out by his family is worse. A song from another Shakespeare's play, As You Like It(1599), is fitting for this poor old man's situation: "Blow, blow, thou winter wind/Thou art not so unkind/As man's ingratitude (忘恩负义)". Here, winter is used to bring out the ugliness of inhumanity (无人性). There aren't many things that are worse than winter, according to Shakespeare.
Once winter became less of a danger to human beings, it became more positive in literary works. Since Charles Dickens, the representation of the season in literature often has something to do with happy Christmas celebrations.
The cold of the winter weather provides a contrast (对比) to the fun going on indoors.
Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843) was the start of this, but Christmas is still a common, cheery element (元素) in stories that feature winter scenes today. Consider the joy felt by Harry Potter and his friends in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) as they sit down for their festive meal:
"Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce."
It is almost as much a pleasure to read about the meal as it might have been to eat it.
Although winter still isn't the most cheerful season in novels and poems, it's safe to say that writers have surely "warmed up" since Shakespeare's days.
William Shakespeare was a poet and a playwright in England. He has been a popular writer for more than four hundred years. People like his plays because the plays make people feel happy, sad, shocked, or scared. His stories are exciting, and they also make people think about great ideas such as good and evil (善与恶).
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. A sonnet is a special type of poem with fourteen lines. His sonnets were mostly about love. One of his most famous sonnets began with the line, "Shall I compare thee* to a summer's day?"
Today, William Shakespeare is thought to be one of the greatest writers who ever lived. Shakespeare's plays are exciting and fun, and they also touch people. The characters in his plays show how difficult and beautiful life can be.
Important Dates in Shakespeare's Life | |
1564 William Shakespeare was born in Stratford, England. 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. 1585 A son named Hamnet Shakespeare was born. 1585-1592 At some point during these years, Shakespeare moved to London. 1594 Shakespeare was the owner of a theater group. 1599 Shakespeare and others opened the Globe Theater. 1616 Shakespeare died. |
*The word "thee" is a word meaning "you", used when talking to only one person who is the object of the verb.
Activities | How often |
do homework | two hours a day |
watch TV | hardly ever |
use the Internet | twice a day |
read English books | every day |
exercise | three or four times a week |
go to the movies | once a month |
……
试题篮