阅读下面的短文并回答问题(请注意问题后的词数要求) 。
A poet is in his words
The writings of William Shakespeare are today little read by young people in Britain. His young readership
is limited to those who choose to study literature at university.
Still, in British schools, _____ to study the poet, and when something is made compulsory, usually the
result is boredom, resentment or both. Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen-for many of the young,
reading them can seem like being forced to eat medicine, especially when people are at an age when they are
beginning to discover themselves and wanting to claim their independence.
This was my experience of the classics at school. But when I reached my late teenage years, I had a change
of heart. Like every other young person since the dawn of time, the world confused me. I wanted answers,
so I turned to books to find them.
I went on to take a PhD in literature and have taught the subject in universities in Britain and China. I have
never regretted it. There is something in literature that people want, even if they don't read books.
You see this in the popularity of TV and movie adaptations of great works, the recent film version of Jane
Austen's Pride and Prejudice being a case in point. These popular adaptations may help increase people's interest
in the classic.
Reading a simplified Romeo and Juliet may perhaps lead to a reading of Shakespeare's actual play. If that is
the case then I welcome the trend. But do not make the mistake of thinking that it is the same thing. Shakespeare
is a poet and his greatness is in his language. Reading someone else's rewriting of his work is like peeling (剥皮)
a banana, throwing away the fruit, and eating the skin. Take on the original. It really is worth the effort.
1. Find a sentence from the text which can explain the title.
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2. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words to complete the sentence. (within 5 words)
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3. Why are the adaptations of great works popular?
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4. Do you think it necessary to read the original? Why? (within 30 words)
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5. Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese.
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