Lively music， singing and the sound of beating drums fill the room．As an orchestra（管弦乐队） plays performers dressed in colorful costumes move across the stage（舞台）． Welcome to Chinese opera．

    Chinese opera is an important（元素）of Chinese culture． Most operas are based on stories from long ago． The amazing stage performances are often set against grand backgrounds． Beautiful paintings hand movements and martial arts（武术）help tell these famous stories．

    There are more than 300 forms of Chinese opera， including Beijing Opera， Yue Opera， Yu Opera， Ge Zai Xi and many other forms． of all of them， Beijing Opera is the most famous． Beijing Opera combines（合并）singing， dancing and acrobatics． Instruments such as drums， bells and cymbals accompany（伴奏）the performances．

    Facial design

    Traditionally， performers used masks（面具） for their facial design． Today， however， performers use makeup， They paint colorful designs on their faces． These colors and designs help to create each character． For example， a brave character has a red face， while a black face means bold． A yellow and white face represents （代表） someone who is dishonest．

    Costumes

    Costumes give clues（线索）to the performers' characters and roles．Audiences（观众）that are familiar with opera will get to know a story by the masks and costumes． Costumes usually have many designs and colors． The same costume can be used in different shows， however， it will represent a different character．

    Promoting the arts

    Many colleges and schools in China desire（渴望）to keep the art of Chinese opera alive． They provide an education system for talented students． Applicants（应试者）must pass a written test，an audition（试镜）and an interview and only the most promising students are accepted to study at these colleges and schools． Once accepted into the program， students begin a seven﹣to﹣twelve﹣year journey through the school． After graduation， many go on to work as professional actors on stage or in the movies．

（1）Of all forms of Chinese opera， which is the most famous？　　

A．Beijing Opera

B． Ge Zai Xi

C． Yu Opera

（2）The character with a yellow and white face is　　．

A． brave

B． dishonest

C． bold

（3）What does the word promising mean in the passage？　　

A．诚信的

B．热情的

C．有前途的

（4）Which of the statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage？　　

A． Anyone who likes Chinese opera can be accepted into the program．

B． If a person knows opera well， masks and costumes will help know the story．

C． Once in the program， you have to study for 7 to 12 years at school．

（5）What is the passage mainly talking about？　　

A． Chinese culture

B． Beijing Opera

C． Costumes and facial design

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