A. shamed B. consequently C. criticism D. scarce E. authorities F. struggled G. original H. practical I. luxury J. blanketed K. assume William Shakespeare came from a modest start, but finished life living in a(n)① house in Stratford-upon-Avon, with a coat of arms and a series of business investments to his name.
So was William Shakespeare a businessman, as well as a writer?
Researchers have uncovered information from historical documents that point to Shakespeare being a greedy businessman, anxious to grab every penny whose practices caused ② in his lifetime. The academics believe that many of Shakespeare’s doubtful business dealings have been ③ by people’s romantic view of him as a creative genius who made his money through acting and writing plays. The idea that Shakespeare gave the world such wonderful narratives, language and entertainment makes it
uncomfortable to even ④ that he was simply motivated by his own thirst for financial interest.
Shakespeare was a grain businessman almost for his life time. He bought and stored grain and then sold it on to his neighbors at high prices.
In the late 16th and early 17th Century a bad weather grippedEngland. The cold and rain resulted in poor harvests and ⑤ severe lack of food. Referred to as the ‘Little Ice Age’, the period was the time when thousands of people ⑥ for survival. At that time, Shakespeare was under
investigation for tax evasion(逃避) and later charged with storing grain when food was ⑦ .
One could argue that he did not do this without a conscience and that perhaps this is demonstrated in the way he portrayed one of his famous character Shylock in his play the Merchant of Venice. Many people claim Shylock personifies
Shakespeare’s own self-hatred, who is eventually⑧ for his greed as a money lender and all that he owns is seized from him. Perhaps with the ⑨ pursuing Shakespeare for his evil dealings during Little Ice Age, Shylock’s tragic fate was a real fear for Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s ⑩ funeral monument at Holy Trinity Church was a bag of grain which implied that he prided himself on his role as a grain businessman as well as on his writing. It was not until the 18th century that the bag of grain was replaced by a pillow. 13
A.accommodation B.annual C.decline D.destination E.diners F.hoste G.ingredients H.precisely I.ranked J.remote K.talented World’s Best Restaurant
The Black Swan, a rural pub in England has been named “the world’s best restaurant” by TripAdvisor. After scoring up positive feedback, the review
website① the pub over fine dining establishments from New York to Paris in its② Travelers' Choice awards. So what’s it got going for it?
Firstly, this isn’t some backwater pub enjoying in insignificance. Tommy Banks, a(n)
③ young cook, is already a TV regular in the UK and has had a Michelin star to his name since becoming the youngest receiver ever in 2013 at the age of 24. Secondly, it's not really a pub anymore. Like many rural UK pubs, the Black Swan had been in④ for many years before 2006, when Banks' family took over. After their attempts to run it as a pub struggled, they decided to make it a dining ⑤ .
It now operates as both restaurant and fashionable ⑥ , offering food-and-stay packages that help draw customers to its truly ⑦ location. It's usually booked up well in advance with
⑧ coming from near and far. During CNN's visit, neighboring tables included a couple on an overnight break from their kids.
Another⑨ two of the Banks brothers' old school teachers, on a trip up from York—⑩ the kind of crowd that have helped lift the Black Swan to TripAdvisor glory.
14 Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. account B. adjustable C. appliances D. capture E. decorations F. direct G. experiment H. intended I. operated J. soulless K. squeeze Golden Rules of Good Design
What makes good design? Over the years, designers and artists have been trying to① the essentials of good design. They have found that some sayings can help people understand the ideas of good design. There are four as follows.
Less is more. This saying is associated with the German-born architect Mies van der Rohe. In his Modernist view, beauty lies in simplicity and elegance, and the aim of the designer is to create solutions to problems through the most efficient means. Design should avoid unnecessary② .
More is not a bore. The American-born architect Robert Venturi concluded that if simplicity is done badly, the result is ③ design. Post-Modernist designers began to ④ with decoration and color again. Product design was heavily influenced by this view and can be seen in kitchen ⑤ such as ovens and kettles.
Fitness for purpose. Successful product design takes into consideration a product’s function, purpose, shape, form, color, and so on. The most important result for the user is that the product does what is⑥ . For example, think of a(n) ⑦ desk lamp. It needs to be constructed from
materials that will stand the heat of the lamp and regular adjustments by the user. It also needs to be stable. Most importantly, it needs to ⑧ light