My name is Toby. I’m eighty-three years old now. I once knew the greatest man in England. William Shakespeare was his name. I first met William near a big field of apple trees in the town named Stratford in October, 1579. He told me he was 15 years old. He was two years older than me. He had a sister, Joan, and two younger brothers, Gilbert and Richard. And the next year he had another brother, Edmund. After William’s parents died, he and his sister lived with his mother’s brother. I became his friend from that day until he died. We met nearly every day. We were friends for thirty years.

　　I once worked with him in the theatre, through the good times and the bad times. William was good at acting. He could make all kinds of people pleased. By 1592, he became very famous. He was always busy day and night. I don’t know when he slept. He not only acted in plays, but also wrote his own plays. In his whole life, William wrote 37 plays in all. He was the best playwright in England.

　　He wrote a play about love in 1595. It was Romeo and Juliet. He once used my name, Toby, in his play—Twelfth Night. In this play, Sir Toby Belch was a big fat man, who liked drinking too much and having a good time. Queen Elizabeth the First watched this play on the 6th of January, 1601. She liked it.

　　William Shakespeare is dead now, of course. He has been dead for more than thirty years. There’s no singing, no dancing, no plays. It isn’t like that in my young days. But I can still think—and remember when William and I were young, we had a good time in London, William and I…

　　1. Toby and William first met in ______.

　　A. 1601 B. 1595 C.1592 D. 1579

　　2. Who was William’s youngest brother?

　　A. Gilbert B. Edmund C. Richard D. Joan

　　3. In the second paragraph, the underlined word “playwright” means “a person who ______”.

　　A. writes plays B. performs in plays

　　C. watches plays D. works in a theatre

　　4. Romeo and Juliet is a play about _______.

　　A. war B. peace C. love D. friendship

　　Wild animals are our friends, but many of them are getting fewer and fewer. We should try to protect them. The four animals below are now in danger.

　　Tibetan Antelopes

Tibetan antelopes (藏羚羊) are medium-sized animals. They mainly feed on grass. They are usually found in groups of about 20. They are killed for their wool, which is warm, soft and fine and can be made into expensive clothes. Although people can get the wool without killing the animals, people simply kill them before taking the wool. The number of them is dropping year by year. There are less than 75,000 Tibetan antelopes left in the world, down f rom a million 50 years ago.

　　Golden Monkeys

　　Golden monkeys are mainly found in Sichuan, Gansu, Shanxi provinces and Shengnongjia mountainous area of Hubei Province. Golden monkeys have golden-orange fur. They move around in the daytime, usually in groups of as many as 100 to 200 heads, or 20 to 30 heads. They feed on fruits and young leaves of bamboos. But people are destroying the environment where they live. Trees and bamboos are disappearing, so golden monkeys have less and less to eat.

　　Elephans

　　Elephants are very big and strong. They are bigger than any other animals on land. They are grey and have long trunks and tusks. They have poor eyesight, but very good hearing and smell. They can lift heavy things and break down branches with their trunks. Elephants are very friendly towards each other and towards their neighbours. Normally, they live in a group for many years. Young male elephants do not leave the group until they are about 12 years old. Now, there are very few elephants in the world. The number of them is becoming smaller and smaller because their living areas are used for farming. Also, people hunt them for their tusks.

　　Wolves

　　Wolves are not very big. They have grey fur. Wolves have very good eyesight, hearing and smell. Wolves’ food is vavious. They eat animals, insects and snails. They are friendly to each other and never attack people. They do not kill for fun. Wolves are in danger, too. They are losing their living areas because people cut down forests. Soon they will have no home or food.

　　5. Tibetan antelopes usually live in groups of about _______.

　　A. 20 B. 30 C. 100 D. 200

　　6. Which of the following animals are the biggest on land?

　　A. Tibetan antelopes. B. Golden monkeys.

　　C. Elephants. D. Wolves

　　7. Which of the following sentences is right?

　　A. There are less than 7,500 Tibetan antelopes left in the world now.

　　B. Golden monkeys usually move around during the night.

　　C. Elephants have good eyesight, but very poor hearing and smell.

　　D. Wolves are friendly to each other and they never attack people.

　　8. What can be the best title of the passage?

　　A. Wild animals in danger B. How to hunt wild animals

　　C. Animals in the zoo D. How to train the animals

　　参考答案：

　　1—5 DBACA 6—8 CDA

　　 热点推荐：

　　备考有问题？加入公共英语考试群535346739 有专业的老师提供备考指导，助你通关拿证，还可以和考友一起交流！

　　取证热点：：2021年公共英语不用盲目备考，网校教研团队精心打造高通关套餐班，密训锁分，保障快捷通关!2021年公共英语锁分套餐班强势推出，精锐老师分题型专项辅导，听说读写稳步质变>>课程试听！