D

STAGE

  Stories in Boxes: Britain performing artist Bobby Baker will present Box Story to conclude the UK performing Arts Festival.

  Her performances cover various aspects of life: including health, shopping, and educating children. She explores these themes with originality and “outside the square”.

  Time: 7:30 pm, December 3-5

  Place: North Theater, Beibingmasi Lane, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District

  Tel: 8602-4898

  Elvis Story: Le Caoitole De Quebee will bring its production The Elvis Story to Beijing audiences this month.

  This remarkable musical production relates the best moments of Elvis Preeley’s life and his career. The show is a musical reconstitution of the life of a singer who revolutionized American popular music and become the most famous rock star of the 20th century.

  Time: 7:30 pm, November 25-28

  Place: Poly Theater, Dongsishitiao

  Tel: 6506-5343, 6413-1321

  Soldier’s musical: A Soldier’s Diary, a Chinese musical describing the life of contemporary (当代的)soldiers in China, is to be staged for 12 performances by the Song and Dance Essembles of the Political of the Chinese People Liberation Army .

  Time: 7:30 pm, November 29-December15

  Place: China Theatre, Xisanhuan Beilu, Handian District

  Tel: 6843-0560

  Social tolerance: The Italian opera Pagliacci, by Ruggero Leoneavallo ( 1856--1919), is to premiere(首次公演), performed by Chinese opera singers from China’s Central Opera Theatre.

  A violent opera exploring the limits of social tolerance, the opera premiered in 1892 and gained popularity throughout Europe and America. Within two years, it had been translated into all major European languages including Swedish, Serbo-Croatian and Hebrew.

  Leoneavallo was a prolific writer, yet none of his other works ever matched the popularity of this opera.

  Chinese vocal artists include Huang Yuefeng, Wang Feng, Sun Xiewei, Gao Lei and Shen Na, Li Wei is to conduct..

  Time: 7:30 pm, November 27

  Place: Peking University Concert Hall, Peking University

  Tel: 6275-1278, 6551-4787

If you want to see Bobby Baker’s performance you should phone ______ to book a seat.

A. 8602-4898         B.6843-0506          C. 6413-1321         D. 6551-4787

69. Which performance covers the life of contemporary soldiers in China?

   A. The Elvis Story       B. Box Story        C. Pagliacci         D. A Soldier’s Diary

70. From the passage we can learn that Leoneavallo was ______.

   A. an opera singer      B. a writer           C. a pop singer        D. an actor

71. If Peter is a soldier, which place perhaps would he like to go on November 29?

   A. North Theatre     B. China Theatre    C. Poly Theatre        D. Peking University

“I grew up on Jackson’s music and I still have all his stuff on My iPod. I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life.”
Michael Jackson was a singer，songwriter，dancer and celebrity icon with a vast catalog of hit records and countless awards to his credit. Beyond that，he had transfixed the world like few entertainers before or since. As a solo performer，he had enjoyed a level of superstardom previously known  ——Barack Obama
only to Elvis Presley，the Beatles and  Frank Sinatra.
Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the 80s’，and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958.The fifth and youngest son of steelworker Joe Jackson，Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His father began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962，and Michael joined them the following year，quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. Dubbed the Jackson 5，the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969，when Michael was just 11 years old. I Want You Back，ABC，The Love You Save and I’ll Be There all hit number one in 1970，making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Later in 1972，Jackson had his first number one solo single，Ben. In 1977，he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. With Jones producing，Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult，Off the Wall.
Released（发行） in 1982，the Quincy Jones produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall：the dance and rock tracks were more driving，the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful，and all of it was recognizably Michael. There was no surprise that Thriller was a hit；what was a surprise was its staying power .Jackson’s duet with McCartney，The Girl Is Mine，was a natural single choice，and it peaked at number two；then Billie Jean and the Van Halen track Beat It both hit number one，for seven and three weeks respectively.
Michael Jackson died from heart disease on June 25 at age 50.
【小题1】What does Barack Obama mean by saying “His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life”？

“I grew up on Jackson’s music and I still have all his stuff on My iPod. I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life.”

Michael Jackson was a singer，songwriter，dancer and celebrity icon with a vast catalog of hit records and countless awards to his credit. Beyond that，he had transfixed the world like few entertainers before or since. As a solo performer，he had enjoyed a level of superstardom previously known   ——Barack Obama

only to Elvis Presley，the Beatles and  Frank Sinatra.

Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the 80s’，and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958.The fifth and youngest son of steelworker Joe Jackson，Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His father began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962，and Michael joined them the following year，quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. Dubbed the Jackson 5，the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969，when Michael was just 11 years old. I Want You Back，ABC，The Love You Save and I’ll Be There all hit number one in 1970，making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Later in 1972，Jackson had his first number one solo single，Ben. In 1977，he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. With Jones producing，Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult，Off the Wall.

Released（发行） in 1982，the Quincy Jones produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall：the dance and rock tracks were more driving，the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful，and all of it was recognizably Michael. There was no surprise that Thriller was a hit；what was a surprise was its staying power .Jackson’s duet with McCartney，The Girl Is Mine，was a natural single choice，and it peaked at number two；then Billie Jean and the Van Halen track Beat It both hit number one，for seven and three weeks respectively.

Michael Jackson died from heart disease on June 25 at age 50.

1.What does Barack Obama mean by saying “His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life”？

A．Michael Joseph Jackson was a success in his career as well as in life.

B．Michael Joseph Jackson was a success in his career.

C．Michael Joseph Jackson led a happy life.

D．Michael Joseph Jackson gained a lot in his career，but he also suffered a lot in his life.

2.According to the passage，which of the following is NOT true?

A．Barack Obama likes Michael Jackson’s song very much.

B．Barack Obama and Michael Jackson are good friends.

C．Michael is good at music as well as at dance.

D．Michael Jackson had his first number one solo single when he was 14 years old.

3.Choose the right time order of the following events.

a．Barack Obama，President of the US，assessed the whole life of Michael Jackson.

b．The family musical group signed to Motown.

c．Michael joined the family musical group.

d．His father began to organize a family musical group.

e．Thriller became a hit.

A．a－c－e－b－d  　　  B．d－c－b－e－a

C．b－e－a－c－d  　　  D．d－e－b－c－a

4.What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Michael Jackson’s job.  　　B．How Michael Jackson performed.

C．Michael Jackson’s great achievements.  D．Michael Jackson’s life.

C
Any introduction to Peking Opera would not be complete without telling of Mei Lanfang. Traditionally only men performed in Peking Opera, including the female roles. And Mei Lanfang was the very best master of the miss. During his stage life, he combined the traditions of the past with his own creations, shaping a style of his own and giving birth to “The Mei Lanfang School”. He was also the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to an overseas audience, making it popular to the world. For half a century, Mei Lanfang was a household name in China.
Mei Lanfang began his stage life at the age of 8. His teacher said he showed little hope because of his boring eyes. To improve this, he exercised them day after day. He would fly kites and look at them moving slowly in a blue sky. He also kept pigeons in order to look at them soaring higher and higher until they disappeared into the clouds. Thanks to his efforts, he managed to transform his dull eyes into a pair of bright and expressive eyes and win national fame before the age of 20.
In over 50 years on the stage, Mei Lanfang played no less than 100 different characters in the traditional Peking Opera performance. He completely changed both stage make-up and costumes, and enriched characters' gestures, expressions and poses. He also wrote many new plays, designing the dances himself. The many dances he created form part of the great legacy that he left to Peking Opera.
In 1930, Mei Lanfang started on a successful US tour. There his brilliant performances fascinated the audience, making them realize that Peking Opera was a theatrical form of great literary and artistic value.
44. Mei Lanfang was the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to ______.
A. China                B. Beijing                    C. the world                 D. schools
45. When did Mei Lanfang begin his stage life?
A. At the age of 8.   B. At the age of 20.      C. In 1930.                  D. In 1950.
46. What is the meaning of the underlined word “legacy” in paragraph 3?
A. Someone well known all over the world.
B. Someone considered to be an art treasure.
C. Something traditional combined with modern dances.
D. Something valuable passed down from generation to generation.
47. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The history of Peking Opera.
B. Mei Lanfang’s early stage life.
C. The creations of Peking Opera by Mei Lanfang.
D. Mei Lanfang’s great contributions to Peking Opera.

C

Any introduction to Peking Opera would not be complete without telling of Mei Lanfang. Traditionally only men performed in Peking Opera, including the female roles. And Mei Lanfang was the very best master of the miss. During his stage life, he combined the traditions of the past with his own creations, shaping a style of his own and giving birth to “The Mei Lanfang School”. He was also the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to an overseas audience, making it popular to the world. For half a century, Mei Lanfang was a household name in China.

Mei Lanfang began his stage life at the age of 8. His teacher said he showed little hope because of his boring eyes. To improve this, he exercised them day after day. He would fly kites and look at them moving slowly in a blue sky. He also kept pigeons in order to look at them soaring higher and higher until they disappeared into the clouds. Thanks to his efforts, he managed to transform his dull eyes into a pair of bright and expressive eyes and win national fame before the age of 20.

In over 50 years on the stage, Mei Lanfang played no less than 100 different characters in the traditional Peking Opera performance. He completely changed both stage make-up and costumes, and enriched characters' gestures, expressions and poses. He also wrote many new plays, designing the dances himself. The many dances he created form part of the great legacy that he left to Peking Opera.

In 1930, Mei Lanfang started on a successful US tour. There his brilliant performances fascinated the audience, making them realize that Peking Opera was a theatrical form of great literary and artistic value.

44. Mei Lanfang was the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to ______.

A. China                B. Beijing                    C. the world                 D. schools

45. When did Mei Lanfang begin his stage life?

A. At the age of 8.   B. At the age of 20.      C. In 1930.                  D. In 1950.

46. What is the meaning of the underlined word “legacy” in paragraph 3?

A. Someone well known all over the world.

B. Someone considered to be an art treasure.

C. Something traditional combined with modern dances.

D. Something valuable passed down from generation to generation.

47. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. The history of Peking Opera.

B. Mei Lanfang’s early stage life.

C. The creations of Peking Opera by Mei Lanfang.

D. Mei Lanfang’s great contributions to Peking Opera.