Question

【题目】 The Merchant of Venice is a play written by British author William Shakespeare. In the play a young man named Bassanio falls in love with a girl named Portia. He needs some money. So he turns to his friend Antonio for help. But Antonio doesn’t have enough money, either. He plans to borrow some money from a moneylender named Shylock. Shylock, who is heartless and greedy, agrees to lend the money, but only on one condition. What condition is it? Let’s read the following story together.

“Shylock!” yelled Antonio. “Are you going to lend us the money or not? Answer me!”

Shylock answered him slowly. “Do you remember all of those times that you insulted(侮辱) me in a loud voice that everyone could hear? You once spat on me and called me a dog. And now you want to borrow money from me, a dog!”

“Look! I’m not asking you a favor. You can charge me any interest(利息) you want. I don’t mind. My ships will arrive any day now.”

“All right, Antonio. I’m willing to lend you the money. I won’t even charge you any interest. Just pay me back on time.”

Antonio couldn’t believe his ears. “What did you say?”

“I said you didn’t know me. You always call me a cheapskate(守财奴), but I am not. I will help you. I won’t even charge you a single ducat. However, there’s something I’m worried about. What if you don’t pay me back?”

“Don’t worry, Shylock. I’ll pay you back.”

“Well, I need some kind of a promise, don’t I? Three thousand ducats is a lot of money. If you don’t pay me back on time, I want a pound of flesh. I’ll take a pound of flesh from any part of your body.”

Antonio didn’t like what Shylock said. “No. I’d rather pay some interest if I’m late on the payment.”

“I’m afraid that’s no good,” said Shylock as he laughed. “Do you think I’d take money from another moneylender? Besides, this agreement is only a joke! Do you think that any lawyer or judge (法官) would believe me? Would they really believe that I want a pound of your flesh? You don’t have to worry about anything!”

Antonio agreed to the condition. The three men went to a lawyer and signed an agreement.

(To be continued ...)

【1】Which country does the author of The Merchant of Venice come from?

A.America.B.Britain.C.France.D.Italy.

【2】Who is heartless and greedy according to the passage?

A.Bassanio.B.Portia.C.Antonio.D.Shylock.

【3】What does the underlined word “condition” in the passage refer to?

A.Some interest.B.A pound of flesh.C.A single ducat.D.An agreement.

【4】Which is the right order of what happened in the story?

a. Shylock wants some kind of a promise.

b. The three men went to sign an agreement.

c. Bassanio needs some money.

d. Antonio plans to borrow money from Shylock.

A.a b d cB.b a c dC.c d a bD.d c b a

【5】The writer’s main purpose of writing the passage is________.

A.to show us the love of Bassanio with Portia

B.to introduce the friendship between Bassanio and Antonio

C.to let us know why and how Antonio reached an agreement with Shylock

D.to tell us how helpful the lawyer is

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】D

【3】B

【4】C

【5】C

【解析】

本文主要讲解了英国作家威廉·莎士比亚（William Shakespeare）创作的戏剧——《威尼斯商人》的部分情节，宽厚为怀的富商安东尼奥的一位好朋友巴萨尼奥因向鲍西娅求婚而需要向他借钱。而他此时没有钱，故不计利息的向无情贪婪的夏洛克借钱，但夏洛克不要利息，答应借钱但基于一个条件——若不能按时还款，需要安东尼奥割下身上的一磅肉。

【1】

细节理解题。根据文章第一段第一句话可知，《威尼斯商人》是由英国作家莎士比亚创作。故《威尼斯商人》的作家来自英国，故选B。

【2】

细节理解题。根据文章第一段倒数第三句话可知，夏洛克是无情贪婪的。故无情贪婪的人是夏洛克，故选D。

【3】

细节理解题。根据文章第九段第三句话可知，如果不按时还钱的话，夏洛克想要安东尼奥的一磅肉，故选B。

【4】

排序题。根据文章可知此题的顺序为：1. 巴萨尼奥需要一些钱（第一段第三句话），2. 安东尼奥打算向夏洛克借钱（第一段第六句话），3.夏洛克想要一个承诺（第九段第一句话），4.三个人去签协议（最后一段，最后一句话），故选C。

【5】

主旨大意题。根据阅读整篇文章可知：本文介绍了安东尼奥为什么以及如何与夏洛克达成协议的故事，故选C。