William Shakespeare (1564 -1616) wrote many plays and poems which are known the world over. If you think the works of an Elizabethan playwright are not important today, well, think a-gain. Shakespeare’s works have survived the years and then some For example, Romeo and Juliet has not only been performed again and again in theaters around the world, but it has also been made into a very popular movie, twice! [*] How did this famous writer start out in the theater? During the late 1500s, Shakespeare’s plays were often performed at the Globe Theater in London. The Globe was a large open-air theater that used only natural lighting. Shows at the Globe used very few props, but performances were always interesting and exciting partly because the audience yelled at, cheered, and talked with the performers. The Globe was a great success. However, in 1613 during a performance of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, a cannon was fired on stage, setting off a fire. The fire completely destroyed the theater. The Globe was rebuilt a year later, but it did not stay open long. The theater was closed by the Puritans , who did not approve of entertainment. The Globe never opened again and the building was finally torn down in 1644. Theater lovers in England never forgot the Globe, and in 1970 a decision was made to rebuild it as closely to the original design as possible. Imagine how people felt when, in 1989, those working on the new Globe came across part of the original building only about 100 meters from the new theater. They were building the new theater almost in the original Globe’s location! The new Globe opened in 1999 and has since won many awards as one of the best tourist attractions in Europe. Since the new theater opened, hundreds of thousands of people have attended Shakespearean performances such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Henry V. Shakespeare, where are you now? At the Globe, of course. Summary: Although Shakespeare wrote his plays in the late 1500s, they are still【46】today. In fact, audiences all over the world enjoy both plays and films based on Shakespeare’s works. Maybe the best place to see one of Shakespeare’s【47】is in the Globe Theater. The original Globe Theater was【48】about 100 meters from the present site and it was here that Shakespeare’s plays were first performed. After the theater was【49】in the 1990s, it became an award-winning tourist【50】.

Have you ever thought about inventing something? Were you worried that your idea was too strange or unrealistic? Well, maybe you should think again. Strange and unrealistic ideas never stopped Arthur Pedrick. Pedrick was a British inventor. Originally a government clerk, he spent his retirement in the 1960s and 1970s developing new and unusual ideas. Some of these ideas contradicted basic physics, but that didn’t stop Pedrick. One of his strangest ideas was a plan to connect Australia and Antarctica using large tubes, a distance of 10, 000 km! These tubes were designed to carry giant ice balls from Antarctica to Australia. The ice would then melt in the Australian desert, and the water would be used for irrigation. Another of Pedrick’s inventions was a radio-controlled golf ball. A golfer could change the speed and direction of the golf ball using small flaps attached to the ball, which could be controlled by computer chips. Using radio waves, golfers could also find their lost golf balls. Arthur Pedrick had thousands of bizarre ideas for inventions, most of which were never constructed. Though many of Pedrick’s inventions were never developed, a lot of other strange ideas have been. In 1989, a company designed and sold a theft-prevention device for expensive cars. As part of this device, several tubes were attached to the bottom of a car. If someone tried to steal the car, super hot flames were emitted from the tubes and burned the car thief. Some people who were not thieves, however, were seriously injured by this device which they accidentally set off by walking past the car. Other strange inventions include underwear for dogs and pens with drinkable ink. The underwear keeps dogs from making a mess when they go out for a walk. Also if you were ever thirsty during a test, a pen with drinkable ink would be very handy! If you have an idea that seems a little out in left field, don’t let that stop you from trying it. You’ 11 be in good company. Summary: Most inventions are for useful things that help people in everyday life. Some inventions, however , are just【46】Some of the world’s weirdest ideas for inventions came from a man named Arthur Pedrick. Pedrick’s inventions included irrigation【47】that would carry ice from Antarctica to Australia and【48】golf balls. Not all weird inventions came from Pedrick, however. Every year many people【49】products that could be【50】unusual. Things like underwear for dogs and pens with drinkable ink are good examples.

A few years ago, people in England voted for the greatest person of all time from their country. They were not just voting for the most famous person ever. They were voting for the people who had an impact on history. During this vote, anyone could add a person’s name to the list, so the final list of names was quite long. It included people who were famous and unknown, rich and poor, loved and hated. [*] Before the final deadline, about one million people filled out this survey. The Brits (英国人) on the final list included many people famous not only from England, but around the world as well. For example, Princess Diana, Tony Blair, John Lennon, and Shakespeare were four famous people on the list. Although three of these people ranked high on the list, none was chosen as the greatest Brit. In the end, the winner was Winston Churchill, who received more than 400, 000 votes. Why did so many people think Churchill was great? He led England as Prime Minister during World War II. During the war, Germany sent planes to bomb England, and at the time, many people were afraid Germany would win the war. But Churchill gave the people in England hope through his speeches. He also worked with Roosevelt in the United States and Stalin in Russia to win the war against Hitler, so he became an important man in world history as well. Churchill is quite famous for things that he said and wrote. In fact, he won the Nobel Prize in literature for his writing. Some things Churchill said were humorous while other things were serious. Also some things he said have become common sayings in English. For example, he was the first person to use the words “the Iron Curtain“ to talk about Russia’s control of Eastern Europe. Some of Churchill’s most famous quotes are “ It is no use saying, ’ We’ re doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary, “ and “Never, never, never give up. “ Many quotes from Winston Churchill can be found in books like the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Read the passage carefully and then complete each space in the summary, using a maximum of three words from the passage. Summary: There was s survey in England to find the greatest Brit【41】. Some of the famous names on the list included Princess Diana and Shakespeare, but more than 400, 000 people【42】for Winston Churchill as the greatest Brit. Churchill【43】England during World War II. He is also famous not only for what he did but also for what he【44】In fact, many【45】by Churchill can be found in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.