阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
A
World Book Day falls on April 23rd every year，but do you know that it is also Shakespeare Day? Everybody may have heard of Shakespeare，but do you know how many plays he wrote?
Shakespeare’s plays have three kinds：tragedies，comedies and histories. His most famous play is the tragic story of RomeoandJuliet，which deals with two young lovers who are not allowed to marry by their parents. Other tragedies include Hamlet，Othello and Macbeth.
Shakespeare’s comedies include MuchAdoAboutNothing，AMidsummerNight’sDream and TwelfthNight. TwelfthNight is a play about unclear identities. Two twins are shipwrecked(遭遇海难) and the sister，Viola，dresses up as her brother，Sebastian，who she thinks is dead. It’s funny，because the brother reappears and there’s a big love problem going on: Viola is in love with the Duke，who is in love with Olivia，who falls in love with Sebastian except that she doesn’t realize that Sebastian is actually Viola dressed up！Everybody falls in love with the wrong person，but it is all made right in the end.
Some of his history plays，such as AntonyandCleopatra，RichardⅢ and HenryV，are based on the lives of real historical people. In AntonyandCleopatra，Cleopatra becomes Antony’s girlfriend and Antony becomes so crazy about her that he loses control of the army. Cleopatra kills herself in the end and Antony kills himself too.
Shakespeare’s plays can be very difficult sometimes. Some of the themes they deal with are heavy，so they almost always include a lighter subplot with characters that are not so important. They are often used in tragedies to lighten the mood of the play and to keep the audience interested in the main plot.
1．Which is a comedy character according to the text?
A．Othello. B．Sebastian.
C．Antony. D．Hamlet.
2．What can we know about Shakespeare’s history plays?
A．Some of them are developed from real historical people.
B．There are only three famous history plays.
C．They are more difficult than tragedies and comedies.
D．Real historical events can be found in every history play.
3．What is the purpose of the subplot in Shakespeare’s plays?
A．To lead the development of the main plot.
B．To help the audience understand the plays.
C．To make the difficult plot of the plays simple.
D．To relax the audience and make them follow the main theme.
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了莎士比亚的悲剧、喜剧和历史剧的代表作品。
1．B 细节理解题。根据第三段首句及“TwelfthNight is a play about unclear identities. Two twins are shipwrecked (遭遇海难)and the sister，Viola，dresses up as her brother，Sebastian...”可知，塞巴斯蒂安是莎士比亚的喜剧《第十二夜》中的人物。故选B项。
2．A 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的“Some of his history plays，such as AntonyandCleopatra，RichardⅢ and HenryV，are based on the lives of real historical people.”可知，莎士比亚一些历史剧中的人物是由真实的历史人物发展而来的。故选A项。
3．D 目的意图题。根据最后一段中的“They are often used in tragedies to lighten the mood of the play and to keep the audience interested in the main plot.”可知，它们常被用于悲剧中，以活跃戏剧中的气氛，并保持观众对主要情节的兴趣。由此可知，莎士比亚戏剧中主要情节的目的是让观众放松，让他们跟着主题走。故选D项。
