William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England.His father，John，was a glove-maker.His mother，Mary，was a farmer's daughter.He had two older sisters，two younger sisters and three younger brothers.
Shakespeare probably studied Latin，Greek and history，and left school when he was 14 or 15.Three years later he married Anne Hathaway.They had a daughter called Susanna and twins named Judith and Hamnet.Sometime before 1590 he left Stratford and went to London，the capital city of England.
London's first theatre opened in 1576.Shakespeare worked in London as an actor and then started writing plays，too.In 1593 the plague，a terrible disease，killed thousands of people and theatres were closed.During this time Shakespeare started to write poems instead of plays.His short poems are called sonnets.
Shakespeare helped build a new theatre called The Globe.It opened in 1599.It was round and had space for 3，000 people.No women acted in Shakespeare's time：men and boys played all the parts.
Shakespeare wrote comedies with happy endings，like A Midsummer Night's Dream.He wrote tragedies which had sad endings，such as Romeo and Juliet.His history plays are about kings and queens，such as Henry V.Shakespeare wrote around 39 plays，maybe more.He loved language and invented new words and expressions that we still use today.
Shakespeare became rich and famous.He had houses in London and in Stratford.He died when he was 52 on 23 April，1616.His plays and poetry were very popular 400 years ago and they are still popular today.People all over the world love his works because he wrote wonderful stories about very interesting people. （288 words）
（1）What is the author's purpose in writing this article？
C
C
A．To introduce Shakespeare's sonnets.
B．To document the success of Shakespeare's plays.
C．To describe the life of Shakespeare.
D．To describe the early life of Shakespeare.
（2）When did Shakespeare start to write poems？
D
D
A．Sometime before 1590.
B．When he was 14 or 15.
C．When he was 35 years old.
D．During the plague in 1593.
（3）In what order did the following things take place in Shakespeare's life？
B
B
a.Left school b.Worked as an actor c.Married Anne Hathaway
d.Helped build The Globe e.Died in 1616 f.Born in Stratford-upon-Avon
A．f-b-a-d-c-e
B．f-a-c-b-d-e
C．f-a-c-d-b-e
D．f-b-a-d-c-e
（4）Which of the following statements is true？
A
A
A．Shakespeare invented new words and expressions that we still use today.
B．Shakespeare was born in a rich and famous family.
C．Only a few women could act in Shakespeare's time.
D．Shakespeare was known for his plays，sonnets and novels.
