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Lively music, singing and the sound of beating drums fill the room. As an orchestra（管弦乐队）plays, performers dressed in colorful costumes move across the stage（舞台）. Welcome to Chinese opera.
Chinese opera is an important element（元素）of Chinese culture. Most operas are based on stories from long ago. The amazing stage performances are often set against grand backgrounds. Beautiful paintings, hand movements and martial arts（武术）help tell these famous stories.
There are more than 300 forms of Chinese opera, including Beijing Opera, Yue Opera, Yu Opera, Ge Zai Xi and many other forms. Of all of them, Beijing Opera is the most famous. Beijing Opera combines（合并）singing, dancing and acrobatics. Instruments such as drums, bells and cymbals accompany（伴奏）the performances.
Facial design
Traditionally, performers used masks（面具）for their facial design. Today, however, performers use makeup. They paint colorful designs on their faces. These colors and designs help to create each character. For example, a brave character has a red face, while a black face means bold. A yellow and white face represents（代表）someone who is dishonest.
Costumes
Costumes give clues（线索）to the performers’ characters and roles. Audiences（观众）that are familiar with opera will get to know a story by the masks and costumes. Costumes usually have many designs and colors. The same costume can be used in different shows, however, it will represent a different character.
Promoting the arts
Many colleges and schools in China desire（渴望）to keep the art of Chinese opera alive. They provide an education system for talented students. Applicants（应试者）must pass a written test, an audition（试镜）and an interview and only the most promising students are accepted to study at these colleges and schools. Once accepted into the program, students begin a seven-to-twelve-year journey through the school. After graduation, many go on to work as professional actors on stage or in the movies.
1.Of all forms of Chinese opera, which is the most famous?
A.Beijing Opera B.Ge Zai Xi C.Yu Opera
2.The character with a yellow and white face is________.
A.brave B.dishonest C.bold
3.What does the word promising mean in the passage?
A.诚信的 B.热情的 C.有前途的
4.Which of the statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.Anyone who likes Chinese opera can be accepted into the program.
B.If a person knows opera well, masks and costumes will help know the story.
C.Once in the program, you have to study for 7 to 12 year at school.
5.What is the passage mainly talking about?
A.Chinese culture B.Beijing Opera C.Costumes and facial design
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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I remember…
Mary Chan asked her grandfather what he could remember about his secondary school. This is part of what he told her...
I’ll never forget Mr. Tan. We called him Tiger Tan. He was our math teacher when I was in Sec 1. He was a wiry（筋骨强壮的）,muscular man and he was very strict. I never saw him smile while I was at school.
Mr. Tan was an excellent math teacher. He explained everything slowly and clearly on the blackboard. When he looked at the class, you had to be looking at his hawk-like eyes. He stared at us like a tiger facing a group of rabbits. If you weren't looking directly at him, he summoned（命令）you to the front of the class. Then he took "Joey" from his cupboard. "Joey" was a length of garden hose about half a metre long. After few painful wallops（猛）from "Joey" you paid attention all the time!
Sometimes Mr. Tan felt that the class was getting sleepy. Then he suddenly said, "Outside everybody! Round the school! RUN!" He stood at the door of the classroom, waiting for us to return. He had a slipper（拖鞋）and hit the last one or two pupils. I was usually the first back.
We were all scared of Tiger Tan. We didn't like him but we respected（敬重）him. He was a good teacher and was always fair.
We had a very different math teacher in Sec 3. He was Mr. Hu. He was cheerful and friendly. When he entered the room, somebody would ask him how a camera worked. Then he spent the rest of the lesson explaining how something worked. He drew diagrams on the board and sometimes one of us asked another question to keep him talking. Most of the class sat and day-dreamed about food or sport. We weren't really interested in cameras. We just wanted to avoid doing any work.
We liked Mr. Hu but we didn't respect him. We knew that we didn't learn much in his lessons.
1.In Mr. Tan's class, ________.
A.his students had to pay attention all the time
B.he drew diagrams and explained everything fast
C.he taught his students how to run around the school
2.The underlined word "Joey" probably refers to ________.
A.a boy who wasn't' looking directly at Mr. Tan
B.something Mr. Tan used to punish his students
C.a rabbit that was facing a tiger
3.Mr. Tan asked his students to run outside to make them ________.
A.strong and healthy B.refilled with energy C.scared of him
4.In Mr. Hu's class, his students asked him about cameras because ________.
A.they wanted to avoid doing any work
B.they were really interested in cameras
C.Mr. Hu was good at explaining how cameras worked
5.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The grandfather was often hit by Mr. Tan with a slipper.
B.Mr. Hu always explained everything slowly and clearly.
C.The grandfather didn't' learn much in Mr. Hu's class.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
