The Spring Festival Yingge Dance Show Parade, held in Shantou on February 14th, attracted a large crowd. More than 1,000 dancers from 15 Yingge Dance teams participated, making it a big cultural event for the city.
Yingge Dance, or“Dance to the Hero’s Song”, is a type of folk dance with a history of more than 300 years. It is popular in Chaoshan region in the east of Guangdong Province and a few parts of Hong Kong, China. Combining dancing, Chinese martial arts, and Chinese opera, Yingge Dance has been listed as a national-level intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage in China.
It’s said that this traditional dance developed from the Nuo Opera (傩戏) performed to drive away evil spirits, welcome the spring, and pray for good luck. While ancient Nuo Opera tells stories from different folk tales, Yingge Dance is based on the adventures of the “108 Heroes” of Liangshan Mountain, best known from the classic novel The Water Margin《水浒传》.
During festivals and celebrations, Yingge dancers, each holding short sticks, dress in colorful costumes, jump up and down, and use props like masks, snakes, and drums to enhance their performances.
In London’s Burlington Arcade, during the Chinese New Year, a team from Pu’ning, Jieyang, put on an impressive show. Anna, a Londoner who attended with her son, was thrilled and interested in joining future Chinese New Year celebrations. Her son’s growing interest in Chinese traditions has led him to study the Chinese language.
Chen Laifa, the coach of the Yingge Dance team, wants to show Yingge Dance globally. After a month of busy training, the team, consisting of experienced members with over 15 years of performance, was well-prepared for their international performance.
21. What’s the main purpose of the Yingge Dance Show Parade mentioned in the beginning?
A.To show some new modern dancing skills. |
B.To share a new type of celebrating activity. |
C.To introduce the main topic of the passage. |
D.To raise readers’ great interest in the festival. |
22. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Yingge Dance is popular in the southern part of China at the moment. |
B.Dancing, Chinese martial arts, and Chinese opera are mixed in Yingge Dance. |
C.Yingge Dance are performed to welcome the spring, good luck and devils. |
D.Yingge Dancers use sticks, masks, snakes, and drums in their performance. |
23. What does the underlined word “thrilled” in paragraph 5 probably mean?
A.Confused. | B.Excited. | C.Disappointed. | D.Annoyed. |
24. What is Chen Laifa’s dream for Yingge Dance as mentioned in the passage?
A.To protect its cultural heritage. |
B.To make it popular internationally. |
C.To compete in global competitions. |
D.To prepare for the busy training. |
25. In which part of a newspaper can we read this passage?
A.Culture. | B.Travelling. | C.History. | D.People. |