C

William Shakespeare died on April the 23rd in 1616．This year's 400th anniversary of his death is not just a chance to remember one of the greatest writers of all time．It is a moment to celebrate his ongoing influence．Just as Ben Jonson，another great English writer of his times，said，"he is not of an age，but for all time．"

People like Shakespeare's plays because the characters show real human feelings．Romeo and Juliet，who are young lovers，they don't quite know how to get ahead with their lives．And they disagree with their parents．Their story has a sad ending．When we take the characters out of his period，they really speak to almost any time and place．

The language of Shakespeare is alive and well in modern，everyday English．Even if an English﹣speaker knows nothing about Shakespeare，they will surely know some sayings that come from his plays．When we have problems making up our mind，we say"to be or not to be：that is the question"（Hamlet）．When a friend eats all the food in the house，we say he's"eating me out of house and home"（Henry IV）．

But Shakespeare's influence is felt far beyond his language and his culture．"Cowards die many times before their death，the valiant （英勇的） never taste of death but once．"This saying from Shakespeare's historical play Julius Caesar encouraged Nelson Mandela to fight on when he was a prisoner．Shakespeare's influence is everywhere，from Goethe （a German writer） to Tchaikovsky．

As Shakespeare himself put it in his comedy As You Like It，"all the world's a stage．"More than 400 years later，stages around the world still show his plays．Through his works，Shakespeare lives on．Perhaps we'll still be attracted by his works 400years from now．

38．What is the writer's main purpose in writing the article？　　

A．To introduce the life story of William Shakespeare．

B．To explain why Shakespeare's writing lives on．

C．To recommend some of Shakespeare's best﹣known works．

D．To explore the influences of Shakespeare's comedies．

39．Which of these sayings can be used to express the main idea of Paragraph 2？　　

A．All the world's a stage．

B．To be or not to be：that is the question．

C．The valiant never taste of death but once．

D．He is not of an age，but for all time．

40．Paragraph 4 is mainly about　　．

A．some famous Shakespearian sayings

B．some Shakespearian historical stories

C．Shakespeare's influence on modern English

D．Shakespeare's influence on wider society

41．By the last sentence"Perhaps we'll still be attracted by his works 400years from now"，the writer means　　．

A．Shakespeare's influence will last for a long time

B．Britain will remember William Shakespeare forever

C．Shakespeare's works will be gone and forgotten some day

D．Shakespeare's works will have a stronger influence than ever before．