PassageFourQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage:ForanyEnglishman,therecanneverbeanydiscussionastowhoistheworld’sgreatestdramatist(剧作家).Onlyonenamecanpossiblysuggestitselftohim:thatofWilliamShakespeare.EveryEnglishmanhassomeknowledge,howeverslight,oftheworkofourgreatestwriter.Allofususewords,phrasesandquotationsfromShakespeare’swritingsthathavebecomepartofthecommonproperty(公共财产)oftheEnglish-speakingpeople.Mostofthetimeweareprobablyunawareofthesourceofthewordsweused,ratherliketheoldladywhowastakentoseeaperformanceofHamletandcomplainedthatitwasfullofwell-knownproverbs(箴言)andquotations.Shakespeare,moreperhapsthananyotherwriter,makesfulluseofthegreatresourcesoftheEnglishlanguage.MostofususeaboutfivethousandwordsinournormaluseofEnglish;Shakespeareinhisworksusedabouttwenty-fivethousand.ThereisprobablynobetterwayforaforeignertoappreciatetherichnessandvarietyoftheEnglishlanguagethanbystudyingthevariouswaysinwhichShakespeareusedit.Suchastudyiswellworththeeffort(itisnot,ofcourse,recommendedtobeginners)eventhoughsomeaspectsofEnglishusage,andthemeaningofmanywords,havechangedsinceShakespeare’sday.46.Englishpeople().
Perhapsyouhavebeentoldaboutsomehabitswhichkeepapersonfromreadingfastandhavebeenstronglyaskedtobreakthosehabitswhichyoumighthave.Doyoustillhaveanyofthesebadhabits?Checkyourselfbyanswering“yes”or“no”tothesequestions:1.Doyoumoveyourlipswhenreadingsilently?2.Doyoupointtowordswithyourfingerasyouread?3.Doyoumoveyourheadfromsidetosideasyouread?Ifyouanswer“yes”toanyofthesequestions,startatoncetobreakthehabit.Ifyoumoveyourlips,holdyourfingersoverthem,orholdapieceofpaperbetweenyourlipswhileyouarereading.Thenifyoupointtowords,holdthetwosidesofyourbook,onesidewithyourlefthand,theothersidewithyourrighthand.Thenyouwillnothaveafreefingertouseinpointingwhilereading.Ifyoumoveyourhead,placeyourchininonehand,andholdyourheadstill.Ifyoureadnomorethanoneortwoorthreewordsatatime,youneedtoworkveryhardinlearningtotakeinmorewordsateachglanceasyoureyestravelacrossthelinesofwords.46.You______thosehabitsthatwearetalkingaboutinthispassage.