单选题 Passage One
What makes a person famous? This is a mystery that many people have pondered. All kinds of myths surround the lives of well-known people.
Most people are familiar with the works of William Shakespeare, one of the greatest English writers of the sixteenth century. Yet how many know Shakespeare the person, the man behind the works?
After centuries of research, scholars are still trying to discover Shakespeare's personal history. It is not easily found in his writings. Authors of the time could not protect their works. An acting company, for example, could change a play if they wanted to. Nowadays writers have copyrights that protect their work.
Many myths arose about Shakespeare. Some said he had no formal education. There are rumors that he left home when accused of stealing a horse. Others believe that he began his career by tending the horses of wealthy men.
All of these myths are interesting, but are they true? Probably not. Shakespeare's father was a respected man in Stratford, a member of the town council, He sent young William to grammar school. Most people of Elizabethan times did not continue beyond grammar school; so, Shakespeare did have, at least, an average education.
Some parts of Shakespeare's life will always remain unknown. The Great London Fire of 1666 burned many important documents that could have been a source of clues. We will always be left with many questions and few facts,

单选题 This passage deals with ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】短文的第二段和第三段的第一句点明了主题:这篇文章涉及的是莎士比亚的个人经历。随后的段落从谣传和教育等几个方面估计他的个人经历会是怎样的。选项D是正确的。选项A和B提及的伦敦大火及丢失的文件只是莎士比亚身世之谜的一个原因,并不是通篇的主题。选项C提及的莎士比亚学者应该是希望弄清楚莎士比亚身世的人,而不是本文的主题。
单选题 Parts of Shakespeare's life continue to remain a mystery because ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】最后一段。第一句就点明莎士比亚的部分身世恐怕将永远成为一个谜。随后的句子是说明原因:伦敦的大火烧毁了重要文件。选项D是对的。选项A与文章提及的事实相反。人们不是对莎士比亚的身世不感兴趣,而是很感兴趣。选项B认为研究者没有专门的技术发现事实。选项C说,作者们不在自己的作品中提及自己的身世。第三段提及要想在莎士比亚的作品中找到有关他身世的蛛丝马迹并不容易,因为他那个时代,演艺公司可以任意修改作者们的作品。由此可见,文章要说的是,作者很有可能会在自己的作品中提及自己的身世,不是不提及。
单选题 From this passage we can infer that Shakespeare ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】选项A在第四段提及,但那只是谣传,并不能证明。选项B在第五段提及,莎士比亚至少念完了中等学校,而不是没受过任何教育。选项C是正确的。通篇都讲的是谜一样的莎士比亚的身世。各种谣传,各种猜测。选项D点明是在莎士比亚的出生地,他很受欢迎。根据文章的第二段,受公众喜爱的应该是他的父亲。
单选题 The first sentence arouses interest by presenting ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】比较明显,选项B是正确的。文章的第一句以问句开头,吸引读者。