短文点评

Passage One

16. What does the speaker say about William Shakespeare?

答案：B) His personal history is little known.

【点评】本题考查事实细节。文章中作者先提出“有多少人了解莎士比亚本人”的问题，接着指出各学者经过几个世纪的研究之后，仍然在不断探索发现他的个人史。由此可知，莎士比亚的个人史很少有人知道。

17. What do we learn about Shakespeare's father?

答案：D) He was a member of the town council.

【点评】本题考查事实细节。文章中提到莎士比亚的父亲受人尊敬，是Stratford-on-Avon镇议会的一名成员。选项a member of the town council与原文完全对应。

18. Why does the speaker say parts of Shakespeare's life will remain a mystery?

答案：C) Possible sources of clues about him were lost in a fire.

【点评】本题考查事实细节。文章中提到莎士比亚一部分的生活将永远不为人所知。因为1666年伦敦的一场大火把很多重要文件烧毁了，而这些本来可能是了解莎士比亚的重要线索。所以答案选择Possible sources of clues about him were lost in a fire。

Passage Two

19. What is mentioned as a most common danger when people go travelling abroad?

答案：A) Theft.

【点评】本题考查事实细节。原文开篇就提到人们在外出旅游时会遇到很多危险，而其中最为常见的就是盗窃。根据所听即所得，可选出正确答案。

20. What is the most important thing to do when you prepare for your trip abroad?

答案：B) Have the right documents.

【点评】本题考查事实细节。原文中提到在准备出国旅游时，一定要确保文件正确，避免出现签证错误、过期护照等情况。因此答案应选正确的文件。选项中的documents与文中的paperwork对应。

21. What does the speaker suggest you do when you arrive at your destination?

答案：B) Use official transport.

【点评】文章最后提到，到达目的地后要选择乘坐正式的交通工具，不要搭乘陌生人的车。选项use official transport和文中完全一致，所听即所得可得出答案。

Passage 3

The British are supposed to be famous for laughing at themselves, but even their sense of humour has a limit, as the British retailer Gerald Ratner found out to his cost. When Ratner took over his father's chain of 130 jewelry shops in 1984, he introduced a very clear company policy. He decided that his shops should sell down market products at the lowest possible prices. It was a great success. The British public loved his cheap gold earrings and his tasteless silver ornaments. By 1991, Ratner's company had 2,400 shops and it was worth over 680 million pounds. But in April of that year, Gerald Ratner made a big mistake. At a big meeting of top British businesspeople, he suited up and explained the secret of his success. People say "How can we sell our goods for such a low price?" I say "Because they are absolute rubbish." His audience roared with laughter. But the British newspapers and the British public were not so amused. People felt insulted and stayed away from Ratner's shops. Sales fell and 6 months after his speech, Ratner's share price had fallen by 42%. The following year, things got worse and Gerald Ratner was forced to resign. By the end of 1992, he lost his company, his career and his house. Even worse, 25,000 of his employees had lost their jobs. It had been a very expensive joke.

Question 22 What did Gerald Ratner decide to do when he took over his father's shops?

Question 23 On what occasion did Gerald Ratner explained the secret of his success?

Question 24 How did people feel when they leaned of Gerald Ratner's remarks?

Question 25 What does the story of Gerald Ratner suggest?

参考答案：

22. C) Sell inexpensive products.

23. A) At a meeting of top British businesspeople.

24. D) Insulted.

25. B) There should be a limit to one's sense of humour.