Shakespeare's life can be divided into three periods: the first 20 years in Stratford, which includes his schooling，early marriage, and fatherhood；the next 25 years as an actor and playwright (剧作家) in London; and the last five in retirement back in Stratford where he enjoyed the wealth gained from his theatrical (戏剧的) successes. The years linking the first two periods are marked by a lack of information about Shakespeare, and are often referred to as the “dark years”.
Shakespeare probably left school at 15, and took some sorts of jobs, especially since this was the period of his father’s financial difficulty. A great number of references in his plays suggest that William may have in fact worked for his father, thus gaining specialized knowledge.
At some point during the “dark years”, Shakespeare began his career with a London theatrical company — perhaps in 1589 — for he was already an actor and playwright in 1592. Shakespeare apparently wrote and acted for Pembroke’s Men, as well as a lot of others, in particular Strange’s Men, which later became the Chamberlain’s Men.
When, in 1592, the theaters were closed for about two years, due to a terrible disease. Shakespeare turned to writing book-length poetry. Most notable were Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, both of which have been translated into many languages and even been included in students’ textbooks. During this same period, Shakespeare was writing his sonnets (十四行诗), which are more likely signs of the time’s fashion rather than actual love poems detailing any particular relationship. He returned to play writing when theater reopened in 1594, and published no more poetry. His sonnets were published without his permission in 1609, shortly before his retirement. His final play was Henry VIII, two years before his death in 1616.
小题1:Why did Shakespeare take some sorts of jobs at the age of 15 and didn’t go on studying?
A．Because his family was badly off at that time.
B．Because he liked his job more than studying.
C．Because he wanted to be an actor in London.
D．Because he wanted to open his own company.小题2:Which of the following words can take the place of the underlined word “notable” in the last paragraph?
A．long
B．fashionable
C．famous
D．educational小题3:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A．Shakespeare didn’t write any plays between 1592 and 1594.
B．Shakespeare’s sonnets were written between 1592 and 1594.
C．After writing Henry VIII, Shakespeare wrote nothing.
D．Shakespeare published his sonnets in 1609.
