1 . Accompanied by typical Jin opera music, a red-faced performer with a long beard showed up at the hall of a high school in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. All the students in the hall stood up and craned (伸长) their necks to get a better look. In their eyes, Jin opera was something from the past.
They are not alone. It goes without saying that kids nowadays are much more familiar with popular music than traditional opera, which is why performing artist Wu Lingyun, together with his colleagues, goes to campuses to promote the art.
Wu Lingyun is best known for his role as Guan Gong, a general during the late Han Dynasty period.
Wu began playing the role in 1985, at the age of 21, and has been associated with it ever since.
Wu was significantly influenced by his parents, both of whom are also famous Jin opera performers. With a natural talent for performing and great effort, Wu was soon recognized by audiences and later awarded the Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award in 2000, the highest award for Chinese drama performing arts.
Given Wu’s considerable fame, one might think he would now prefer to enjoy a life of leisure. However, this is far from the case. Deep down, Wu has a big dream. He pictures a growing future for Jin opera. Wu expected more chances for more people to get to know about the art, hoping Jin opera could become a worldwide art.
Wu has also made some changes to the traditional art to bring it up-to-date.“Jin opera should keep pace with the times if we want to bring it back to life and get the young generation to accept it,“ he says. “An art without life can never survive”“
1. How did the students react to the performance at the hall?| A．They became bored. | B．They got disappointed. | C．They felt curious. | D．They looked casual |
| A．He got a top award in 2000. | B．He started his performance in his teens. |
| C．He now enjoys a leisure life. | D．He became famous because of his parents. |
| A．It’ll be studied as a college major. | B．It’ll be officially recognized. |
| C．It’ll have an easier performing form. | D．It’ll be popular across the world. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Kind-minded. | C．Cautious. | D．Devoted. |
2 . Below is a list of women who changed the world when they were young girls and teens.
Mary Shelley
English author Mary Shelley was just 18 years old when she wrote Frankenstein, which many credit as the origin of science fiction. Thus, Shelley has been called “the teenage girl who invented science fiction.”
Alexandra Scott
Alexandra Scott was diagnosed with a form of cancer shortly before her first birthday. When she was just 4 years old, she set up her first lemonade stand in her front yard to raise money for childhood cancer research. Inspired by her story, people around the world set up their own lemonade stands to raise money for her cause. By the time she died in 2004, she had raised S1 million. Her family continues her legacy (遗志) through Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
Yuanyuan Tan
Chinese ballet dancer Yuanyuan Tan started representing her country in international competitions as a young teen. At 17, she became the youngest ever principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet, as well as the first Chinese dancer to earn that title in a major Western company. She gives talks around the world, inspiring young dancers to follow their artistic dreams.
Bindi Irwin
Bindi Irwin carried on her father Steve Irwin's conservation legacy following his death in 2006. When she was 8 years old, she launched “Bindi the Jungle Girl” to encourage more kids to get interested in animals and wildlife conservation. She has continued to make TV appearances, published books and furthered her father's causes.
1. Who collected money for medical research?| A．Mary Shelley. | B．Yuanyuan Tan. | C．Bindi Irwin. | D．Alexandra Scott. |
| A．An inspiration to young artists. |
| B．A principal of an art school. |
| C．The youngest ballet company owner. |
| D．The first Chinese ballet dancer. |
| A．She encourages kids to raise animals. |
| B．She was diagnosed with cancer. |
| C．She makes efforts to conserve wildlife. |
| D．She wrote the first science fiction. |
