阅读理解
A poet is in his words
The writings of William Shakespeare are today little read by young people in Britian.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 warning 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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