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IF only one person deserves (值得) the name of the greatest English writer of all time, that person should be William Shakespeare. His popular quoted phrases, like “to be or not to be, that is a question”, and his stories such as the tragic (悲剧的) romance of Romeo and Juliet are almost known in every corner of the world. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small town in England, in 1564. In his youth, he moved to London and began a career as a playwright. By 1594, he had become a key playwright of a popular acting company in the city. Whether comedy or tragedy, Shakespeare’s plays catch people’s hearts with complicated (复杂的) characters and plots (情节) that reflect truths about human nature. His comedies make fun of human weakness and always have a happy ending. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream (《仲夏夜之梦》), fairies play magical tricks on people lost in the woods. His tragedies, however, can be very dark. Macbeth (《麦克白》) tells the story about a Scottish man who becomes king by killing all his rivals (对手). Shakespeare’s work also has a big influence on the English language. He is a master of words. He coined about 1,700 English words, including everyday ones like “lonely”, “hurry” and “critical”, according to the New York Post. Of course, Shakespeare wrote 400 years ago and his English was very different from that of today. But it doesn’t affect his popularity. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than any other playwright. There are over 400 films and TV dramas adapted (改编) from his work. Shakespeare is not of an age, but for all time. Fun facts about the great writer No one knows what Shakespeare did from the time he moved to London to 1592. Therefore, these years are called “the lost years”. Although Shakespeare is famous as a playwright, he once was an actor and poet. Shakespeare was said to have had a huge vocabulary. His works contained more than 30,000 different words. Enjoy some of Shakespeare’s works Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet fall in love with each other when they meet at a ball (舞会). But unfortunately, their families are long-standing enemies and try to prevent the young lovers from being together. In order to stay with Romeo, Juliet takes medicine and pretends (假装) to be dead. But Romeo doesn’t know and thinks Juliet has truly died. He kills himself. When Juliet wakes up, it is too late. Hamlet Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is so sad when his father died. A month later, his mother marries his uncle. At this moment, Hamlet knows that his uncle killed his father. All of this makes Hamlet angry and hopeless. The only thing he wants is revenge (复仇). Although he finally kills his uncle, he is trapped (陷害) by bad guys and loses his life. The Merchant of Venice Antonio, a Venetian merchant, borrows money from the moneylender Shylock. Shylock said that if Antonio cannot pay back the money, he will get a pound of flesh (肉) from Antonio. Antonio loses all his business and must pay this terrible price. In order to help Antonio, his friend Portia dresses up as a lawyer. Her wisdom not only saves Antonio but also punishes (惩罚) Shylock. IN English, when someone is very angry we say this person “sees red”, like a bull goes wild after seeing a red cloth. Now it turns out that “seeing red” is not just an expression for angry people, but also a scientific fact. Researchers at North Dakota State University in the US found that there is a connection between the color red and anger. Angry people really do “see red” where others don’t. And a preference for red over blue may even suggest a more hostile (怀有敌意的) personality. The study includes a number of experiments. In the first, researchers asked a group of people which color they preferred, red or blue. Participants (参加者) then did personality tests. Results showed that those who chose red tended to be more hostile. During a second test, participants looked at faded images that could be regarded either red or blue. Those who saw red scored 25 percent higher on hostility in the personality test. “Hostile people have hostile thoughts; hostile thoughts are connected with the color red, and therefore hostile people see this color more frequently,” the researchers told The Independent. Finally, the participants were told about imaginary situations in which they could take different actions. Results showed that in these situations, red-preferring people were more likely to show that they would harm another person than those who preferred blue. “An important message from this research is that color can send psychological (心理的) meaning,” the researchers said. Where does this connection between the color red and anger come from? Scientists said it might be a matter of evolution (进化). In ancient times, poisonous plants and insects could cause wounds and bleeding. So it may have become instinctive (本能的) for our ancestors (祖先) to link the color red with danger and threats. IT’S part of our daily routine, and most of us barely give it a second thought: taking out the garbage. But have you ever wondered where your trash goes after you drop it in the garbage can? Wang Jiuliang, a freelance (自由记者) photographer in Beijing, found out the answer by following a garbage truck on a cold morning in 2008. It led him to a big dump (垃圾场) in a rural area. “It was more than 10,000 square meters in size,” he said. “It’s shocking to know that the outskirts (郊区) of our city are garbage mountains.” The huge amount of garbage produced every day has become a pressing issue in many Chinese cities. In 2013, nearly 10,000 tons of waste were produced each day in the city center area of Guangzhou. Of that, about 7,000 tons went into landfills (填埋场). The local landfill sites will be full by the end of 2015, according to Xinhua. The same problem haunts (困扰) Beijing, where 17,000 tons of household waste are produced each day. The major landfill sites on the outskirts will be full in two to three years, said The Mirror (《法制晚报》). While looking for other dump sites is a short-term strategy, addressing the issue seriously means addressing daily waste. By sorting out garbage that can be recycled and incinerated (焚化), we could greatly reduce the pressure on landfills. The US, for instance, generated (产生) 251 million tons of waste in 2012. But thanks to garbage classification (分类), only 54 percent ended up in landfill sites, while 34 percent was recycled and 12 percent was incinerated, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Sweden does a better job. Swedes are effective at separating recyclables (可循环物) in their homes and dropping them off at recycling stations. Thus, a mere 4 percent of household waste in the country ends up in landfills each year. Sweden also burns more than 2 million tons of waste annually, providing heat to 810,000 homes and electricity to 250,000 homes, said the US’ Public Radio International. However, to ease the pressure that garbage brings, recycling is not enough. Generating less waste in the first place is another idea. In other words, consumers have the power to fix things, said Edward Humes, author of Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, in an interview with CNN. “We need to use less disposable items, things that last longer, [and] make purchasing decisions that are more studied and less wasteful,” Humes added. As Adam Minter, author of Junkyard Planet, told Time Out magazine, “The best thing to do is just keep using your stuff for as long as you can.” 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/386596caa0116c175e0e4803.html