《2025年5年中考3年模拟英语外研版山东专版》

(二) [2024辽宁沈阳和平区一模节选]
说明文　　　　　建议用时9min　　　　难度★★★
You must have read or heard of the sad love story between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu. But can you imagine the two singing opera (歌剧) in English rather than speaking poetic Chinese?
Jia and Lin are two characters from the Chinese novel A Dream of Red Mansions (《红楼梦》), written by Cao Xueqin (1715 - 1763). Now the book has been made into an English - language opera. After being performed in San Francisco, the US, the performance came to Beijing, Changsha and Wuhan in 2017.
Many of the opera’s creators have backgrounds in both Chinese and American cultures, including the director and the playwrights (剧作家). Their understanding of both cultures helped them change a Chinese classic into a foreign - language opera.
The book, which covers the rise and fall of the Jia family, has 120 chapters and hundreds of characters. But one of the playwrights, David Henry Hwang, cut down the number of characters to just seven. Hwang, a Chinese - American, focused on the love story between Jia and Lin and tried to write a tragedy (悲剧) that everyone would understand.
The art director Timmy Yip, from Hong Kong, tried to help foreign people understand the characters by using costumes (服装) and stage decorations. He compared Lin to water and gave her a light green costume. When Lin showed up on stage, there was usually water around her on the stage.
The creators considered the work of introducing a Chinese classic to the Western audience was worth doing. Hwang told China Daily he was happy to have made a contribution (贡献) to the land where his parents were born.
1. Why did Timmy Yip compare Lin to water?
A. Because of her dressing style.
B. Because of her character.
C. Because of her appearance.
D. Because of her life habits.
2. What can we infer from the text?
A. A Dream of Red Mansions was written by Cao Xueqin.
B. Hwang’s parents were born in the United States of America.
C. The English - language opera was shown in four cities in China.
D. Timmy Yip knows a lot about Chinese and American cultures.
3. What did the creators of the opera think of their job?
A. Difficult and unbelievable.
B. Stressful and difficult.
C. Satisfying and meaningful.
D. Painful and challenging.

答案： 1.B 2.D 3.C