With nearly 40 plays and over 150 sonnets to his credit,William Shakespeare is considered one of the world's greatest writers.But should Shakespeare get the credit？That is the question that some historians and scholars have posed since the mid-19th century.
Some people believe that Shakespeare didn't write the plays that bear his name.Shakespeare's critics（评论家）include several famous people,such as Orson Welles,Sigmund Freud,Mark Twain and Charlie Chaplin.
Historical documents of Shakespeare's life are quite hard to find.Despite searches by historians over the years,no one has ever found any handwritten notes by Shakespeare.
Shakespeare was born in 1564 as a commoner（平民）who was educated at a free school.With such a humble（卑微的）background and without an advanced education,some people believe Shakespeare couldn't have written so well about complex political and legal matters.
The first time it was suggested that Shakespeare might not be the author of his works was in 1848.Over the last century,over 70 other people have been suggested as the "true" author of Shakespeare's works,including Francis Bacon and Christopher Marlowe.However,the favorite candidate（候选人）as the "true" Shakespeare has been Edward de Vere,the 17th Earl（伯爵）of Oxford.His position as the Earl of Oxford would have given him the necessary knowledge of life in the English court that some people believe the "real" Shakespeare must have had.
William Shakespeare's supporters,however,point out that some of Shakespeare's most famous works were published after Edward de Vere's death in 1604.They also note that Shakespeare's name is on all of his works.And some writers at that time wrote reviews of his works and mentioned him by name as one of the best writers of his era.
Without a breakthrough discovery of historical documentation,the Shakespeare authorship debate will likely continue into the future.No matter which side of the debate you fall on,you can still enjoy the many fantastic works of Shakespeare…whoever he may be!



What makes some people believe others wrote Shakespeare's plays？ ______

A. Shakespeare was too busy to write so many works.
B. Shakespeare did not receive a very good education.
C. There are few historical documents of Shakespeare's life.
D. Some of the plays were published before Shakespeare was born.

Who was believed to be the most likely author of Shakespeare's works？ ______

A. Orson Welles.
B. Christopher Marlowe.
C. Sigmund Freud.
D. Edward de Vere.

What evidence is there that Shakespeare wrote his own plays？ ______

A. There is the name of Shakespeare on these plays.
B. Shakespeare was well-known for these plays in his lifetime.
C. Shakespeare had a good knowledge of life in the English court.
D. Lots of famous people at the time spoke highly of Shakespeare's plays.

What's the author's attitude towards the argument？ ______

A. He firmly believes that Shakespeare wrote his own plays.
B. He thinks that the plays were not written by Shakespeare.
C. He is uncertain whether Shakespeare wrote his own plays.
D. He cares about who really wrote Shakespeare's plays.