九年级初中英语阅读范文 第二课.docx

九年级初中英语阅读范文 第二课

Peking Opera Gets Into Young People’s Life
Five girls at the Shanghai Theatre Academy have become online celebrities by singing pop songs to the tune of Peking Opera, which has a history of more than 200 years. Many people who have watched the girls’ videos said that, thanks to the girls, they now have a better understanding of why some elders have developed a deep love for Peking Opera.
The girls, mainly roommates in Room 416 at the academy, are known on the Internet as the “416 girls”. They have put their singing videos online since 2019. Sometimes they wear Peking Opera make-up and costumes and make poses connected with the art form. They tell people online how to tell the differences between different styles of Peking Opera, and also tell them how to learn more about the art form. Over the past three years, they have gradually got a large number of fans.
In recent years, many young people like the “416 girls” have made a great effort to increase the number of Peking Opera lovers.
Guo Jing, 27, a primary school teacher who owns a photographic studio on the theme of Peking Opera, has about 2.5 million fans online. In her videos, she performs ancient songs while dancing to Peking Opera movements, or tells interesting stories about the art form while preparing Peking Opera make-up and costumes. “I want to be one of the best art vloggers, and I want to bring stage art closer to life,” Guo said.
Pan Yan from the China Performance Industry Association said, “Many people experience the beauty of Peking Opera by watching the short videos. They have understood this art form better and developed a love for it.”

From Old Phones to ArtworksYou can create art with crayons, chalk or paints. Well, African artist Mounou Desire Koffi makes his art by using something different. He uses old phones.
Koffi grew up in the Ivory Coast. He loved exploring his neighborhood when he was young. “I was always playing with the things I could find in the streets,” he said.
In art school, Koffi wanted to find a meaning for his work. “I remembered my childhood and the waste I found in the streets,” Koffi said. “Then I decided to work with the materials that inspired me.” Those included parts of old phones.
The artist got to work. He took down the parts of the old phones and painted them. Then he arranged them into scenes from his hometown. Many of Koffi’s works of art show people from the Ivory Coast. Some are riding motorbikes. Some are studying at school. One of his works even includes an elephant.
“I am sharing the day-to-day life of millions of people in Africa,” said Koffi. He hopes his artworks can help show the real lives of Africans. “Each person has their own life story,” he added. “We are alike — but so different.”
Through his art, Koffi is also helping to raise awareness of recycling. After all, anyone who sees his artworks will think of waste. “I use recycled materials to give them a new life,” Koffi said.
“For me, those phones are more than waste,” Koffi added. “They are history.” How so? “They showed the lives of all those people that used them,” he answered. Each user once texted or called a loved one on that phone.
“My art is my story,” said Koffi. “And it is also yours.”