实用阶梯英语—阅读教程 （旅游篇I） 教参 Unit 11.docVIP

Unit Eleven Arts and Culture I. Introduction to the unit 1. The theme of this unit is Chinese arts and culture. 2. The intensive reading, Section A presents an article about Chinese operas. There are dozens of schools of operas in China. As a tour guide or an English major, it’s necessary for him to learn something about traditional operas in China, such as, Peking Opera, Kun Opera, Huangmei Opera, and Yue Opera, etc. He should learn about their origin, history, basis, instruments, roles, etc. They should also learn how to talk about the issue. 3. The extensive reading, Section B, presents a brief introduction about Chinese acrobatics, including its history, development and home of Chinese acrobatics. 4. Students are expected to achieve the following objectives after learning: Get a general knowledge about arts and culture in China by scanning or skimming. Master certain number of professional terms, new words and proper expressions related to the topic of arts and culture in China. Use all they have learned in this unit to make a presentation to the class or their peers, if possible. Search online for more information around the topic. II. Related Background Information Section A 1. Sheng (the male) 生 The Sheng is the main male role in Peiking opera，which has numerous subtypes. The laosheng is a dignified older role, who has a gentle and cultivated disposition and wears sensible costumes. One type of laosheng role is the hongsheng, a red-faced older male. The only two hongsheng roles are Guan Gong, the Chinese god of sworn brotherhood, loyalty and righteousness, and Zhao Kuang-yin, the first Song Dynasty emperor. Young male characters are known as xiaosheng. They sing in a high, shrill voice with occasional breaks to represent the voice changing period of adolescence. Depending on the characters rank in society, the costume of the xiaosheng may be either elaborate or simple. The wusheng is a martial character for roles involving combat. They are highly trained