Question

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 c B.b a c d C.c d a b D.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