Dancing That Tells a Story--Ballet

  There are different ways of telling a story. It can be told in words. It can be told in pictures. It can be told in music. It can be acted out. Or it can be told by still another way--by dancing. Dancing that tells a story is called ballet.

  The dancing in a ballet is done to music, but the story is told by the movements of the dancers. There is no singing or speaking.

  The dancers in the picture are telling the story of Steeping Beauty. The music for this famous ballet was written by the Russian composer Tschaikowsky. The movements of its dancers were worked out by the French ballet master Petipa.

  A ballet is a work (of art) just as a beautiful picture is. The person who plans a ballet is an artist. So is each dancer.

  Sometimes ballet is called toe dancing. It is true that in some ballets the dancers do dance on their toes. But a great deal of the dancing in ballets is not toe dancing. Toe dancing is used to give the idea of lightness and airiness. It is never put into a ballet unless it fits the story.

  Back in the days of ancient Greece and Rome there were dances that told stories of the gods. Even longer ago in Egypt there were dances that told stories of the planets.But the ballet of today had its beginnings about 600 years ago. It began as a kind of entertainment in the courts of the rulers of Italy. Two hundred years later ballet was popular in the French court. The French king Louis X IV founded a ballet school.

  On a ballet program today there are often some French words. The names of many ballets are French. But there may be other French words, too. A part of a ballet that is danced by just two people is called a pas de deux. Such French words remind us that France was once the leader in ballet.

  Today there are many ballet companies. All opera companies, too, have ballet dancers, for ballets are a part of many operas. No one country now leads in ballet.

  Later the rulers of Russia became interested in ballet. They offered a great deal of money to the best ballet masters and dancers of France. They founded a ballet school. Soon Russia was the leader in ballet.

  Ballet is not easy to learn. A boy or a girl who wishes to be a ballet dancer has to begin going to a ballet school very early. Some begin when they are only three or four. All the parts in a ballet used to be danced by men. But now a girl has as good a chance as a boy of being a famous ballet dancer.

(1)There are ______ ways of telling a story accordingto the passage.

[  ]

A.3
B.4
C.5
D.6

(2)Ballet is called toe dancing because _____.

[  ]

A.there is a great deal of toe dancing in every ballet

B.in some ballets toe dancing is used to fit the story

C.it always tells a story by toe move-ments

D.the word ballet means “toe” in French

(3)Ballet of today can date back as early as ___.

[  ]

A.the days of ancient Greece and Rome

B.days before ancient Greece and Rome

C.about 600 years ago

D.the time when Louis X IV was in power

(4)_______ never acted as the leader in the history of ballet.

[  ]

A.France
B.Russia
C.Italy
D.Egypt

(5)Which of the following is true?

[  ]

A.Boys are more likely to be successful in ballet than girls.

B.Ballet dances also play parts in many operas beside ballets.

C.Petipa was a Russian ballet master.

D.Ballet dancers of France weren't welcome in Russia.

Holiday News

Vacancies (空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome.

  Reduced prices for low season.

The Snowdonia Center

The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a mountain 1068.The beginners’ costs are £57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost.

You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime

Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another.

On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home.

During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play.

You will visit all the places most people only dream about – from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong.

For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.

What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

       A.Choose the holiday in Devon.

       B.Go to the Snowdonia Centre

       C.Join the World Sea Trip of 2008

       D.Visit Acapulco and Hawaii

In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?

       A.It provides chances of family gatherings.

       B.It provides customers with good food.

       C.It offers a sport lesson.

       D.It offers comfortable room.

What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

       A.You can have free meals on deck every day.

       B.You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

       C.You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

       D.You have to do your own packing and unpacking.

How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?

       A.5.     B.6.      C.7.      D.8.

Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the pas sage?

       a. He became addicted to drinking.     

       b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.

       c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.

       d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.

       e. He failed to reorder his life.

       f. He joined the army and met Zelda.

       A.f-c-e-a-b-d       B.b-e-a-f-c-d       C.f-d-e-c-b-a       D.b-f-c-d-e-a

We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald            

      A.had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.

       B.was well educated and well off before he served in the army

       C.would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down

       D.helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital

passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about          . 

       A.Zelda’s personal life

       B.Zelda’s illness and treatment

       C.Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham

       D.Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world

Pulling heavy suitcases all day in the summer is hard work, especially when you’re a thin 14-year-old. That was me in 1940―the youngest and smallest baggage boy at New York City’s Pennsyl­vania Railway Station.

After just a few days on the job, I began noticing that the other fellows were overcharging pas­sengers. I’d like to join them, thinking, “Everyone else is doing it.”

When I got home that night, I told my dad what I wanted to do. “You give an honest day’s work,” he said, looking at me straight in the eye. “They’re paying you. If they want to do that, you let them do that.”

I followed my dad's advice for the rest of that summer and have lived by his words ever since.

Of all the jobs I've had, it was my experience at Pennsylvania Railway Station that has stuck with me. Now I teach my players to have respect for other people and their possessions. Being a member of a team is a totally shared experience. If one person steals, it destroys trust and hurts everyone. I can put up with many things, but not with people who steal. If one of my players were caught stealing, he'd be gone.

Whether you’re on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family, if you can’t trust one another, there’s going to be trouble.

68. What can be inferred about the baggage boys?

A. They could earn much, but they had to work hard.

B. Many of them earned money in a dishonest way.

C. They were all from poor families.

D. They were all thin, young boys.

69. What does the father's advice imply?

A. It is wrong to give more pay to the passengers.

B. Don’t believe them if they are paying you more.

C. Don’t follow others to overcharge the passengers.

D. It is difficult to work hard and live as an honest boy.

70. The writer can't put up with stealing because he thinks that ______.

A. it is a totally shared experience

B. it is considered as the most dangerous

C. it does great harm to human relationship

D. it may lead to the loss of his sports team

71. It can be concluded from the text that ______.

A. his father's advice helped him to decide which job to take up

B. working in the sports team was his most important experience

C. he learnt much from his shared experience with his team members

D. his experience as a baggage boy had a great influence on his later life

Holiday News
Vacancies (空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome.
Reduced prices for low season.
The Snowdonia Center
The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a mountain 1068.The beginners’ costs are £57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost.
You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.
The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime
Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another.
On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home.
During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play.
You will visit all the places most people only dream about – from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong.
For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.
【小题1】What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A.Choose the holiday in Devon.
B.Go to the Snowdonia Centre
C.Join the World Sea Trip of 2008
D.Visit Acapulco and Hawaii
【小题2】In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?
A.It provides chances of family gatherings.
B.It provides customers with good food.
C.It offers a sport lesson.
D.It offers comfortable room.
【小题3】What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?
A.You can have free meals on deck every day.
B.You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.
C.You will have chances to watch and act in a play.
D.You have to do your own packing and unpacking.
【小题4】How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?
A.5.B.6.C.7.D.8.
【小题5】Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the pas sage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.            
b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
A.f-c-e-a-b-dB.b-e-a-f-c-dC.f-d-e-c-b-aD.b-f-c-d-e-a
【小题6】We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald            
A.had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.
B.was well educated and well off before he served in the army
C.would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down
D.helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital
【小题7】passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about          . 
A.Zelda’s personal life
B.Zelda’s illness and treatment
C.Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham
D.Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world

It was the night before the composition was due. As I looked at the list of topics , "The Art of Eating Spaghetti (意大利面条) " caught my eye. The word "spaghetti" brought back the 36  of an evening at Uncle Alien' s in Belleville   37  all of us were seated around the table and Aunt Pat  38  spaghetti for supper. Spaghetti was an exotic (外来的) treat in   39   days. Never had I eaten spaghetti, and  40  of the grown-ups had enough experience to be  41  it. What laughing  42  we had about the  43  respectable method for moving spaghetti from plate to mouth.   44  , I wanted to write about that, but I wanted to  45  it down simply for my own 46 , not for Mr. Fleagle, my composition teacher.   47 , I would write something else.

When I finished it the night was half gone and there was no  48  left to write a proper com­position for Mr. Fleagle. There was no choice next morning but to  49  my work. Two days pas­sed before Mr. Fleagle returned the   50  papers. He said, "Now, class, I want to read you a composition, “The Art of Eating Spaghetti'. "

My words! He was reading my words out  51  to the whole class.   52 laughed, then the whole class was laughing with open-hearted enjoyment. I did my best not to show  53 , but what I was feeling was pure happiness,   54  my words had the power to make people  55 .

1.

A.memory

B.thought

C.knowledge

D.experience

 

2.

A.when

B.where

C.since

D.after

 

3.

A.cooked

B.served

C.got

D.made

 

4.

A.their

B.past

C.last

D.those

 

5.

A.none

B.one

C.earns

D.neither

 

6.

A.careful about

B.good at

C.fond of

D.interested in

 

7.

A.speeches

B.lessons

C.sayings

D.arguments

 

8.

A.nearly

B.naturally

C.officially

D.socially

 

9.

A.Especially

B.Probably

C.Suddenly

D.Fortunately

 

10.

A.settle

B.put

C.Bite

D.let

 

11.

A.work

B.story

C.luck

D.joy

 

12.

A.However

B.Therefore

C.As for him

D.Except for that

 

13.

A.time

B.excuse

C.way

D.idea

 

14.

A.give up

B.continue

C.hand in

D.delay

 

15.

A.written

B.graded

C.collected

D.calmly

 

16.

A.loudly

B.fast

C.publicly

D.calmly

 

17.

A.People

B.Nobody

C.Somebody

D.I

 

18.

A.shock

B.wonder

C.worry

D.pleasure

 

19.

A.if

B.because

C.while

D.although

 

20.

A.excited

B.satisfied

C.think

D.laugh

 

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