考研英语阅读命题思路透析和真题揭秘(59)

Stratford-on-Avon, as we all know, has only one industry-William Shakespeare-but there are two distinctly separate and increasingly hostile branches. There is the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), which presents superb productions of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come, not to see the plays, but to look at Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Shakespeare's birthplace and the other sights.

The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their revenue. They frankly dislike the RSC's actors, them with their long hair and beards and sandals and noisiness. It's all deliciously ironic when you consider that Shakespeare, who earns their living, was himself an actor (with a beard) and did his share of noise - making.

The tourist streams are not entirely separate. The sightseers who come by bus- and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side - don't usually see the plays, and some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford. However, the playgoers do manage a little sight - seeing along with their playgoing. It is the playgoers, the RSC contends, who bring in much of the town's revenue because they spend the night (some of them four or five nights) pouring cash into the hotels and restaurants. The sightseers can take in everything and get out of town by nightfall.

  The townsfolk don't see it this way and local council does not contribute directly to the subsidy of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stratford cries poor traditionally. Nevertheless every hotel in town seems to be adding a new wing or cocktail lounge. Hilton is building its own hotel there, which you may be sure will be decorated with Hamlet Hamburger Bars, the Lear Lounge, the Banquo Banqueting Room, and so forth, and will be very expensive.

Anyway, the townsfolk can't understand why the Royal Shakespeare Company needs a subsidy. (The theatre has broken attendance records for three years in a row. Last year its 1,431 seats were 94 per cent occupied all year long and this year they'll do better.) The reason, of course, is that costs have rocketed and ticket prices have stayed low.

It would be a shame to raise prices too much because it would drive away the young people who are Stratford's most attractive clientele. They come entirely for the plays, not the sights. They all seem to look alike (though they come from all over) -lean, pointed, dedicated faces, wearing jeans and sandals, eating their buns and bedding down for the night on the flagstones outside the theatre to buy the 20 seats and 80 standing-room tickets held for the sleepers and sold to them when the box office opens at 10:30 a.m.

众所周知Stratford-on-Avon（艾冯河畔斯特拉特福德）只有一个产业，那就是威廉•莎士比亚。但这儿却有两个相互独立的分支，他们之间日益变得对立。这两个分支中一个是皇家莎士比亚公司（简称RSC），它在艾冯河畔的莎士比亚纪念剧院里上演很多制作优良的莎剧作品。而另一个分支就是小镇上的居民，他们大部分是靠挣游客的钱来维持生计，这些游客并不是来这里看戏剧的，他们是来看安妮·哈瑟维的小屋、莎士比亚的出生地以及其他景点。

斯特拉特福德的本地乡绅们都质疑剧院有没有为当地的收入贡献一点力量。他们直言讨厌RSC的演员，不喜欢他们的长头发，大胡子，拖着凉鞋，吵吵嚷嚷。但当你想到作为他们摇钱树的莎士比亚本人也是个演员，且留着大胡子，同时也会大吵大闹时，这无疑是一种绝妙的讽刺。

游客群并不是完全一分为二的。他们乘公车而来，经常会去游览Warwick城堡和Blenheim宫殿，但一般不会去观看莎剧演出，甚至有些人会对在斯特拉特福德这样的地方居然能找到剧院感到惊讶。但是，那些来看演出的人也在欣赏戏剧演出的同时顺便会看看景点。RSC认为，正是看演出的游客给小镇带来大量的收入，因为他们通常花整晚时间（有些是四到五个晚上）在旅馆或饭店里大量消费。然而游览者在当天天黑前就能把所有事情做完了而一走了之。

但是当地居民可不这么认为，地方的政务委员会也直接没有给予RSC补贴。斯特拉特福德一向都会哭穷。然而城镇上每一家旅馆似乎都在增加新的客房和酒吧。希尔顿也在这里修建了一座自己的酒店，在这里你肯定可以看到装饰一新的哈姆雷特汉堡酒吧、李尔休息室、班科宴会厅等等。这些地方都将极尽奢华。

总之，居民就是不能理解为什么RSC需要补贴（剧院已经连续三年打破了上座率纪录。去年一整年剧院1431个座位的上坐率达到了94%，今年还会更高）。当然，剧院的理由是，演戏成本提高了，然而票价仍然很低。

    票价的大幅度涨价是一件很为难的事情，因为这样会把年轻人们赶走，而他们是斯特拉特福德的最有魅力的顾客。他们完全是为了莎剧而来，并不是为了观光。他们看起来全都一个样（虽然他们来自四面八方）--消瘦、率直、神情专注，穿着牛仔裤和拖鞋，吃着小圆面包，在剧场外的石板上过夜，为的是等着售票处上午10点半开门出售专门为这些睡石板路的年轻人们预留的20张坐票和80张站票。