These days,American children usually can receive about$800 each year in tips,according to the American Institute of Public Accountants. Most of American parents tie the tips to the completion of certain daily work.
“Kids are tipped for two main purposes,”says Steven Mintz,a historian at the University of Texas at Austin.“First,to give them a sense of independence—to buy candies,cheap toys,and other inexpensive products for themselves—and second,to teach them the value of money.”
However,many experts expressed concern that tying payments too closely to daily work can send kids wrong messages about family and personal responsibility. Suniya Luthar,a psychologist at Arizona State University,is doubtful of the idea of paying kids on a per-work basis.“Should we pay a child when he picks up his clothes off the floor?”she asks.
Luthar is not opposed to(反对) giving tips, but she thinks it’s important to let children know that certain work has to be done not because it’ll lead to payment,but because it’s part of what you have to do for yourself or as a family member. “In a family, no one’s going to pay you to put your clothes away or tidy up the house,” Luthar says.
Other researchers disagree.Heather Beth Johnson,a sociologist at Lehigh University,says,“When we pay kids to do things that humans have always had to do,”she says,“it sends them a message that they have to work for returns.”
Johnson adds that upper-middle-class families are usually ready to pay children for things like doing well in school or taking care of the younger children.She says that this sort of tips can make kids happier to carry out more basic responsibilities.“This isn’t happening in poor families,”she adds.
1. Suniya Luthar would probably agree to tip the children______.| A．when they pick up their clothes off the floor. | B．every time they take care of their brothers |
| C．once they have made big progress in school. | D．each time they help clean up the house |
| A．Rich children will be more successful. |
| B．Rich parents are too generous with tips. |
| C．Poor parents should not be misled by rich parents. |
| D．Poor kids are less inspired to take on responsibilities. |
| A．Ways to tip the children. | B．Views on tipping children. |
| C．The main purposes of tips. | D．The value of tipping. |
| A．An education report. | B．A government guideline. |
| C．A history book. | D．An official survey. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
1. It can be learned from the passage that stars today ________.| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
| A．Availability of modern media. | B．Lack of social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. | D．Huge population of fans. |
| A．Sincere. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
【推荐2】If a woman has an extra piece of cake, don’t blame it on greed, blame it on her brain.
Scientists have found that women’s brains react to food very differently — and much more strongly — than men’s. Academics found that decades of dieting pressure on women and advertising have programmed certain parts of the female brain to react strongly when faced with any kind of food. Men, on the other hand, are not usually as obsessive (着迷的) about what they eat.
Dr. Rudolf Uher and his colleagues at the Institute of Psychiatry in King’s College London used brain scanning technology, known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), to look at the brains of eighteen men and women.
The volunteers were given images of food to look at, as well as food to taste. Their brain reactions were observed by the scientists.
They found that the female brains reacted much more strongly than those of males.
The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images. The team believe this means women think more about food than men tend to do.
Dr. Uher said, “This could be related to biological differences between men and women. But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure.
Professor Carey Cooper, psychology and health professor at Lancaster University, said, “For centuries women have had a providing role — preparing and cooking food for their families. And it is part of that rule to make sure the food is safe. They will therefore be much more sensitive to food than men are, and I would not be surprised if that was now built into their DNA. If the female brain reacts to food because it historically has developed neural (神经的) pathways to do this, then food will be the way they express their stress. Food actually, is a comfort for women.”
But other experts have said that more research must be done before the results can be proved. American scientist Angelo del Parigi of the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, said, “Looking at an FMRI alone cannot make sure whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate (天生的) differences or a learned process.”
1. Dr. Uher and his colleagues carried out the research by comparing ____| A．FMRI’s effectiveness on women and men |
| B．volunteers’ reaction to different kinds of food |
| C．volunteers’ reaction to food before and after meals |
| D．women’s and men’s reaction to different images |
| A．told to do so for a long time |
| B．influenced by advertisements |
| C．forced by powerful social influences |
| D．born to do so due to biological reasons |
| A．turn to food when they feel sad |
| B．are stressed because of food safety |
| C．accept their social role from the heart |
| D．are satisfied with preparing food for their families |
| A．Surprised. | B．Uninterested. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Curious. |
【推荐3】The number of devices you can talk to is multiplying—first it was your phone, then your car, and now you can boss around your appliances. Children are likely to grow up thinking everything is alive, or at least interactive. One app developer told The Washington that his son started talking to cup mats. But even without chatty devices, research suggests that under certain circumstances, people personify everyday products.
Sometimes we see things as human because we’re lonely. In one experiment, people who reported feeling isolated were more likely than others to attribute free will and consciousness to various devices. In turn, feeling being related to objects can reduce loneliness. When college students were reminded of a time they’d been excluded socially, they made it up by exaggerating their number of friends on social media - unless they were first given tasks that caused them to interact with their phone as if it had human qualities. The phone apparently stood in for real friends.
At other times, we personify products in an effort to understand them. One study found that three in four respondents shouted at their computer and the more their computer gave them problems, the more likely they were to report that it had “its own beliefs and desires”.
When we personify products, they become harder to cast off. After being asked to evaluate their car’s personality, people were less likely to say they intended to replace it soon. And personifying objects is associated with a tendency to hoard.
So how do people assign characteristics to an object? In part, we rely on looks. On humans, wide faces are associated with dominance. Similarly, people rated cars, clocks, and watches with wide faces as more dominant looking than narrow-faced ones and preferred them. An analysis of car sales in Germany found that cars with grilles that were upturned like smiles and headlights like narrowed eyes sold best. The purchasers saw these features as increasing a car’s friendliness and aggressiveness, respectively.
It’s little wonder so many companies use mascots to bring brands to life. A classification of 1,151 brand characters found symbols that were human or humanlike to be widespread: People were most popular, accounting for 21 percent of mascots, followed by birds, domesticated animals, wild animals, and various plants.
Personifying products and brands can backfire, however. When a coffee maker was personified in an ad (“I am Aroma” versus just “Aroma”), men, but not women, felt betrayed by increases in its price. Now that speech- enabled coffee makers are on the market, maybe the machines can sweet-talk their way back into men’s hearts.
1. Why would the son of an app developer in Paragraph 1 try to talk to cup mats?| A．Because he recognizes everything as being interactive. |
| B．Because he believes the cup mats have talked to him, |
| C．Because he wants to repeat the experience with Alexa. |
| D．Because he has strong interests in making conversation. |
| A．they lack real life friends and are not able to make any |
| B．they find it hard to understand other people around them |
| C．they feel lonely and are aware of a desire for interaction |
| D．they become extremely angry with a certain product |
| A．Dominant-looking cars sell best because we find them friendlier. |
| B．We find it harder to get rid of the things that we once personified. |
| C．Products with certain features are more likely to be personified. |
| D．We prefer good-looking products and are more likely to buy them. |
| A．A good-looking dog. |
| B．Sunflowers. |
| C．Hello Kitty, |
| D．Super Mario Brothers. |
Recently, people in US education have gotten extremely worried because a new report has shown that American students have a math problem.
The 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (评估) (PISA) shows math scores in the US getting lower and no improvement in science or reading. PISA tests 15-year-olds from different countries and regions in their math, science and reading skills. About 540, 000 students from 72 countries and regions took part in the assessment in 2015.
US scores in reading and science were about the same as three years ago, leaving Americans near the middle of the bigger group. But the situation in math is much more worrying. The US average score was 470, below the OECD (经合组织) test average of 490, meaning the US was No. 40 among the 72 countries and areas. It was 12 points lower than in 2012 and 18 points lower than in 2009. So, what is going on with American students’ math skills?
One reason may be that the US does not teach math in enough depth. “Students are often good at answering the first part of a problem in the United States,” said Andreas Schleicher, director of education and skills at OECD. “But as soon as students have to go deeper and answer the more complicated part of a problem, they have difficulties.” In comparison, many high-performing countries and regions in math teach a lot less but focus in much greater depth, especially when you look at East Asia, Japan and Singapore, according to Schleicher.
Another reason may be the fact that many people in the US are unwilling to travel to foreign countries to learn better teaching practices. “One of our biggest challenges in the US is that the teachers are not going out and seeing what high-performing countries do differently,” said Wendy Kopp, who started Teach for America, in a news program.
1. When it comes to the 2015 PISA results, people in US education are more concerned about .| A．the US average score |
| B．the differences from the previous PISA |
| C．American students’ performance in math |
| D．American students’ situation in science and reading skills |
| A．American students are not interested in simple math problems. |
| B．American students are unwilling to go abroad for further study. |
| C．American math teachers envy high-performing countries better teaching skills. |
| D．American math teachers seldom teach students how to solve complicated problems. |
| A．To inform people of American students’ 2015 PISA results. |
| B．To analyze the causes of American students’ problems with math. |
| C．To stress the importance of learning math well to America students. |
| D．To give American math teachers some advice on how to teach math. |
【推荐2】A young father was visiting an old neighbour. They were standing in the old man's garden, and talking about children. The young man said, "How strict should parents be with their children?"
The old man pointed to a string(细绳索) between a big strong tree and a thin young one.
"Please untie that string," he said. The young man untied it, and the young tree bent over to one side.
"Now tie it again, please, " said the old man. "But first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again."
The young man did so. Then the old man said, "There, it is the same with children. You must be strict with them, tie the string tight again. But when you find that they are ready to stand alone, you can take the string away."
1. The story is about _____.| A．how to take care of young trees |
| B．how strict parents should be with their children |
| C．how the young father should get on with his old neighbour |
| D．how to help children to study |
| A．in order to throw it away |
| B．so that both of the trees would grow straight |
| C．in order to see if the young tree grew taller |
| D．to see if the young tree can stand straight |
| A．When the old man left. |
| B．When the young man untied it next time. |
| C．When the young tree grew strong enough. |
| D．When the young tree grew older. |
| A．that he should be strict with his children if they could not stand alone |
| B．that he should always be strict with his children |
| C．that he should be hard on his children |
| D．that he should put a string to his children |
| A．the young father and the old neighbour |
| B．parents and their children |
| C．the young and the old |
| D．the old neighbour and the children of the young man |
【推荐3】My 11-year-old daughter has been awarded an academic scholarship to a private school. It's only a small discount, but the scholarship means she’ll skip the waiting list—provided my husband and I can cover $ 20,000 a year. Should we pay the private school fees, or choose free education instead?
I always assumed my children would go to a private school, like I did. Not because my family is wealthy, but because I believe that the best education is private. It took years for me to make peace with the fact that my two children attended our local public primary school. They'll go to a private high school, I told myself. Yet here we are. My eldest is now in her last year of primary school, and my husband and I will struggle to afford private school. If so, I could increase my work hours. My law degree was supposed to be my ticket to a good job and a solid income, but that's not quite how it turned out.
During many sleepless nights, I felt troubled by the decision. Although I want the best for my daughter, I have my own dreams too. I can't sacrifice everything for my precious girl. I explain that I want to be a positive role model for my daughter, and an unhappy parent is a terrible strain on a family. I point out that not even the privilege of private school will protect my children from disappointment or struggle. And finally, it's decided. My daughter is going to the public school behind our home. She couldn't be more pleased.
It's taken me a little longer, but now I’m content. More than my fancy private school education, it's my family that shaped me. With high school now 25 years in the past, I can no longer remember the mathematical problems and Shakespearean quotes I once knew so perfectly. The lessons from my childhood home, however, have proved impossible to forget.
1. Why did the writer want her daughter to go to a private school at first?| A．Because she wanted her daughter to receive the best education |
| B．Because her daughters potential was wasted at the public primary school |
| C．Because her daughter earned an academic scholarship |
| D．Because she wanted her daughter to skip the waiting list |
| A．content | B．disappointing | C．encouraging | D．stressful |
| A．her two children attended their local private primary school |
| B．it took a long time for her to make the final decision |
| C．the scholarship her daughter won could cover most of her school fees |
| D．the writer had a good job and a solid income |
| A．Private school education is not as good as public school education |
| B．Rather than school education, family influences a person most |
| C．Finance should be taken into account when it comes to education |
| D．Parents should make every sacrifice for their children |
【推荐1】It happens to all of us. You’re struggling with a problem that feels unsolvable and then somewhere between shampoo and conditioner, you find the answer in the shower. For some reason, when we step away from an issue, and especially when we’re doing something like showering, we can find a creative solution. Researchers at the University of Virginia call it the “shower effect”.
In a recent study, researchers found that mildly engaging tasks like showering or walking can produce the most creativity. The balance between focus and mind wandering seems to produce the best results. “Constraining (限定) your thoughts through minor stimulation seems to promote more creativity compared to if your mind is wandering and there’s nothing going on around you.” says study author Zachary C. Irving, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia.
Participants in the study weren’t actually showering — that’s unsuitable for a research study. Instead, participants either saw a video that was considered boring — two men folding laundry — or a video of the famous scene in When Harry Met Sally …, which was considered mildly stimulating. After that, participants had 45 seconds before researchers asked them to describe how they would possibly use a brick or a nail. Researchers then examined both the number of ideas generated and the originality of those ideas. They found that the participants who watched the mildly stimulating video came up with more creative solutions.
“My students can learn a thing or two from the research which highlights the importance of stepping away from a problem to solve it.” says Alice Flaherty, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Some of them are so dedicated that they won’t get up from their desks until they have a creative idea, which is counterproductive because they don’t ever let their brains step back and take a rest.”
But Flaherty also states that researchers need to control the factor of physical arousal (唤起) during their study. That’s because an activity which increases your heart rate might make you think you have the best idea. “There must be other reasons to explain this phenomenon. And while showering might promote creativity,” she says, “it might not be for the reasons they state.”
1. According to the recent study, in which way can we inspire our creativity?| A．By letting our mind completely wander. | B．By doing a mildly stimulating activity. |
| C．By fully focusing on a certain problem. | D．By being engaged in things that interest us. |
| A．They role-played a famous movie scene. |
| B．They watched a video while folding laundry. |
| C．They imagined taking a shower for 45 seconds. |
| D．They offered creative uses of some common objects. |
| A．Difficult to stick to. | B．Worthwhile but unhealthy. |
| C．Time-consuming but helpful. | D．Opposite to the desired effect. |
| A．The reason why we need to be creative. |
| B．The function of daily activities. |
| C．The reason why we get our best ideas in the shower. |
| D．The way our brains respond to tricky problems. |
【推荐2】More than half of the world’s population live in cities, and by 2050 the UN expects that proportion to reach 68%. This means more homes, roads and other infrastructure. In India alone, a city the size of Chicago will have to be developed every year to meet demand for housing. Such a construction increase is a bad sign for dealing with climate change, because making steel and concrete, two of the most common building materials, generates around 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions (排放). If cities are to expand and become greener at the same time, they will have to be made from something else.
Wood is one of the most promising sustainable alternatives to steel and concrete. It is not, however, everyday wood that is attracting the interest of architects.
Rather, it is a material called engineered timber. This is a combination of different layers, each designed to meet the requirements of specific parts such as floors, panels and beams (横梁). Designers can use it to provide levels of strength like steel, in a product that is up to 80% lighter. In addition, engineered timber is usually made into large sections in a factory for future use, which reduces the number of deliveries to a construction site.
According to Michael Ramage of the University of Cambridge, a wooden building produces 75% less CO2 than a steel and concrete one of the same size. However, if building with wood takes off, it does raise concern about there being enough trees to go round. But with sustainably managed forests that should not be a problem, says Dr Ramage. A family-sized apartment requires about 30 cubic meters of timber, and he estimates Europe’s sustainable forests alone grow that amount every seven seconds. Nor is fire a risk, for engineered timber does not burn easily. Besides, fireproofing layers can be added to the timber. All in all, then, it looks as if wood as a building material may get a new lease of life.
1. Why is India mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To point out the severe pollution. |
| B．To predict the population increase. |
| C．To indicate the high degree of urbanization. |
| D．To show the great need for building materials. |
| A．It is produced at a low cost. |
| B．It hardly appeals to architects. |
| C．It helps save energy in transportation. |
| D．It possesses greater strength than steel. |
| A．Becomes cheaper. | B．Gains popularity. |
| C．Requires less work. | D．Proves sustainable. |
| A．People should make future cities more attractive. |
| B．It’s important to live in a world with less emission. |
| C．Building sustainable cities with woods is possible now. |
| D．Let’s grow more trees for future building |
【推荐3】If you wear contact lenses (隐形眼镜), you might not know the best way to deal with old ones. Washing them down the sink or flushing them down the toilet is not the way to go. Yet one in five people who wear contact lenses do just that. However, the plastic in their lenses can linger (存留), polluting both water and land.
Rolf Halden, an engineer at Arizona State University in Tempe, and his team created an online survey. More than 400 contact lens wearers took part. The questions asked how many got rid of their lenses inappropriately. About 20 percent — one in five — sent their used contact lenses down sink drain or toilet. Assuming all contact lens wearers in the U. S. do that at the same rate, the researchers then calculated how much plastic would be flushed away each year. Their estimate: 6 to 10 metric tons! That's about the weight of two to three adult African forest elephants. Contact lenses are a tiny part of the world's plastic pollution. But the unique plastic used in contact lenses could make them a big concern.
To figure it out, researchers exposed contact lenses to the microbes (微生物) used to clean wastewater in water-treatment plants. These microbes made the plastics begin to fall apart, but they weren't fully broken down. Instead, they created a lot of tiny pieces called microplastics.
Halden worries that these small plastic bits will cause trouble in the food chain. In water, the plastics from contact lenses sink. Animals could view these tiny bits as food. But because the plastic won't provide them with nutrition, this could threaten the health of animals who dined on it.
And that's already happening. Many studies have shown that corals, larval fish and shellfish are mistaking microplastics for food. Over time, they risk accumulating even higher levels of plastic in their bodies. Also the pollution has already shown up in bottled water, sea salt and fish sold for human consumption.
1. Rolf Halden's survey shows that ________.| A．contact lenses have won popularity with Americans |
| B．contact lenses have caused a huge part of plastic pollution |
| C．some contact lens wearers throw away their old lenses improperly |
| D．many contact lens wearers don't wear their lenses in the proper way |
| A．They could be broken down completely. |
| B．They could be processed properly there. |
| C．They couldn't be affected by microbes. |
| D．Some of them became microplastics. |
| A．Tiny pieces are entering oceans. |
| B．Sea creatures are eating microplastics. |
| C．Animals are causing plastic pollution. |
| D．Contact lenses are damaging the environment |
| A．People's eyesight is getting worse and worse. |
| B．Contact lenses must be banned immediately. |
| C．Animals in the sea are lacking in nutrition. |
| D．The impacts microplastic pollution has on human health. |
【推荐1】We have studied in Songpu High school for several months. When I first went into the school gate and saw my new classroom and teachers, I thought I would have a new start. The school life is very busy and exciting. There are many activities in our school, such as Sports Meeting, Science Week, Art Week and so on. We all take an active part in them. I have made many new friends and we often help and learn from each other in study.Our teachers have taught us a lot. They not only teach us how to study but also teach us how to be a useful person in society. They tell us which thing is worth doing.Habit is a second nature.Our teachers often remind us to form a good habit.
People often said: There is no royal to learning. Now I feel it is true. The study now is far more different than before. I often find there is something difficult to understand at once. At this time, you must spend a lot of time studying by yourself or you won't make progress. Of course study is hard but when you make progress you'll find it is interesting.
Our school is clean and beautiful. There are many trees and flowers around it.In order to make our school more and more beautiful we should try our best to keep it clean.
Today we are proud of Songpu. Tomorrow Songpu will be proud of us.
1. ________ is also important besides studying hard according to this passage.| A．Being a useful person | B．Good studying habit |
| C．Taking part in activities | D．Making progress |
| A．thankful | B．enthusiastic |
| C．loving | D．exciting |
| A．boring | B．harmonious (和谐的) |
| C．terrible | D．quiet |
| A．An Attractive School | B．My School Life |
| C．I Like My School | D．My Teacher |
【推荐2】A campaign （活动）is being launched to encourage children to give up 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors.
The newly formed Wild Network — a cooperation of nearly 400 organisations --- is trying to attract teenagers away from television and computer screen and into fields, woods and parks. Organisers say that it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and that it could help improve fitness, mental（精神的）health and general well being. A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will announce the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasingly weak link between children and nature.
Andy Simpson, chairman of the Wild Network, said: "The sad truth is that kids have lost touch with nature. Time spent outdoors is down, activity areas and levels are falling strongly and the ability to identify common species （物种）has been lost."
Suggestions of how to get more time in nature include camping or racing and observing autumn colour on trees and so on. From January, the network will aim to make suggestions to politicians on how government can do more to get children muddy （沾满泥污的）and bright¬-eyed.
This is not the first time the message of less screen, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were asked to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off your TV set, and do something less boring instead".
1. The purpose of the campaign is to call on kids____________.| A．to love animals | B．to play outdoors |
| C．to give up screens | D．to protect nature |
| A．Kids' disability to name some creatures. |
| B．The falling duration of Rids' vacations. |
| C．Strict rules on kids' outdoor activities. |
| D．The disappearance of common species. |
| A．Reconnect kids with nature. | B．Provide kids with more mud. |
| C．Take measures to protect kids. | D．Pay attention to eye protection. |
| A．To tell the development of BBC TV series. |
| B．To prove the recognition of his suggestion. |
| C．To show the TV series caused confusion. |
| D．To compare present TV series with old ones. |
【推荐3】Beijing Opera, as one of Chinese traditional opera forms, is regarded as the national opera of China and well received all over the world.
Beijing Opera arose in the late 18th century with a history of more than 200 years whose origin can date back to some old local operas, especially the Anhui Opera. It became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. Now it's the biggest kind of opera in China, whose popularity spread all over the country, becoming the most popular dramatic (戏剧的) form on Chinese stage.
There are four basic methods employed in a Beijing Opera performance: chang, nian, zuo, da. Generally speaking, chang means singing, and nian recitation (背诵) and oral communication, while zuo means the facial and body expressions and acting and da is Chinese Kungfu. Beijing Opera also has four main types of performers namely Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Sheng and Dan mean the main roles in the opera. The painted face, in Chinese called 'jing', is a name for the role of the man that has some special characteristic or appearance. Chou is easily understood from the role's name as a clown with an ugly appearance, who is to provide light relief and comedy.
In recent years, Beijing Opera has tried to make some changes, including improving the performance quality. Widely spreading all over China with great influence, Beijing Opera contains the spirit of Chinese national culture, but the shortage of funding has become a big problem as the form enters the 21st century. There is no doubt that it is a treasure of Chinese culture!
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?| A．The history of Beijing Opera. |
| B．The great influence Beijing Opera has on us. |
| C．Beijing Opera is popular in China. |
| D．The relationship between the Anhui Opera and Beijing Opera. |
| A．Chang | B．Nian | C．Zuo | D．Da |
| A．Sheng | B．Dan | C．Jing | D．Chou |
| A．Very bright. | B．Certainly dark. |
| C．More popular. | D．Much uncertain. |
