中考英语一轮复习阅读与完形训练二
A
For the past few weeks in the UK, McDonald’s saw a lack (缺少) of milkshakes and Nando, a famous chicken restaurant chain (连锁店), faced a lack of chickens.
  However, this isn’t the fault of the cows or the chickens. It comes down to a lack of truck drivers in the country. Tom Holder, of the British Retail Consortium (联盟), said there’s a shortage of around 90,000 heavy-goods vehicle (重型货车) drivers. They transport food and other goods from farms and factories to shops.
  Many companies in Britain have found it impossible to get supplies (供应).uPart of the problem, said NPR News, is that many European truck drivers left the UK because of Brexit (英国脱欧). Two million European Union workers used to play a big part in many UK companies, said Quartz. Among them, noted NBC, were 20,000 truck drivers who went back to their own countries and never returned.
  The COVID-19 pandemic (大流行) has only made things worse. About 45,000 people have been unable to take a driving test in the UK since the pandemic started, according to Alex Vei
tch, general manager at Logistics UK. In fact, a lack of truck drivers mirrors a wider problem of labor shortages (劳动力短缺) in the UK. Labor shortages are increasing, from the shipping and farming industries to almost all parts of the UK economy  (经济), reported The Guardian.
  To deal with the labor shortages, the UK government has offered temporary visas (短期签证) to 5,000 foreign truck drivers. Up to 5,500 poultry (家禽养殖) workers will get visas to work in the UK before Christmas this year. But UK officials say that businesses should use more British workers, as bringing in EU workers can only last for a short time.
1. In the UK, Nandos were lacking chickens because _____.
A. there weren’t enough chickens on farms
B. chickens couldn’t be transported effectively with fewer drivers
C. heavy-goods vehicle drivers refused to work for UK companies
D. people in the UK eat more chickens than before
2. What is the cause of labor shortages in the UK?
A. Many foreign workers left the UK because of Brexit.
B. Many companies locked down during the pandemic.
C. The UK economy went down sharply.
D. British people aren’t willing to do physical work.
faster怎么读?3. To deal with the labor shortages completely, the UK government should _____.
A. bring in EU workers for a long time
B. encourage UK people to do business abroad

C. hire short-term workers from other countries
D. find and train more local workers 
B
Watching animations is a childhood memory for every generation (一代人), but the shows are different over time.
  On Oct 20, 4K editions (超高清版本) of six classic Chinese animations were released (发行) on the video platform Xigua Video. The 4K edition of The Legend of Sealed Book (《天
书奇谭》), a Chinese cartoon film from 1983, hit cinemas on Nov 5.
  These animations not only allow us to enjoy classics from different times, but also give us a taste of Chinese culture. From the stories to visual effects (视觉效果), they have a real Chinese flavor.

  Take The Legend of Sealed Book for example. The story comes from Chinese legends. Yuangong, who comes from heaven (天庭), finds a book with amazing tricks and lets the boy Dansheng practice them.
  “Unique (奇特的), funny and beautiful” – these are what the artists worked hard for at the time, according to the film’s director Qian Yunda. They borrowed cultural elements (元素) from traditional opera and painting. The looks of many characters come from Peking Opera face makeup, showing their personalities. Lovely Dansheng looks like wawasheng, roles for kids in Peking Opera. A cunning (狡猾的) fox wears huadan makeup to make her more attractive. Huadan is the young female role in Peking Opera.
  Customs like walking on stilts (踩高跷) and lion dancing are shown vividly (生动地). Anima
tion artists painted in both realistic and poetic (诗意的) styles. Simple and thin lines are used to paint characters, while the ink wash painting style was used for mountains, trees and water.
  Another animation, Little Tadpole Looking for Mummy (《小蝌蚪妈妈》) was totally drawn with ink and brush. The designers learned from the great artist Qi Baishi. The black tadpoles, pink lotus flowers, yellow chickens and red goldfish … all come to life!
  “Classic Chinese animations show us how colorful and rich our cultures are. I want to show respect to the artists who made them!” said actor Li Zonghan at a preview (提前放映) of The Legend of Sealed Book. 
1. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A. What people think about the Chinese legends.
B. Why The Legend of Sealed Book was remade.
C. What Chinese legends generally focus on.
D. What The Legend of Sealed Book is about.
2. The design of the character Dansheng borrowed the look of _____ in Peking Opera.
A. qingyi       
B. laosheng
C. huadan         
D. wawasheng
3. What do we know about these remade animations?
A. They are all painted in black and white.
B. They contain many Chinese cultural elements.
C. They are all painted in the ink wash painting style.
D. They are all about Chinese legends.
4. According to Li Zonghan, the re-release of the animations is _____.
A. worthwhile
B. expensive
C. difficult
D. meaningless
 
C
Shaanxi kuaiban is a form of traditional Chinese storytelling in the Shaanxi dialect (方言), to the rhythm (节奏) of clapping bamboo strips (竹板). It can be performed by a group or solo. In June, it was included on the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

The art form showed up in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Farmers used it to share their knowledge and earn money. Now people perform Shaanxi kuaiban at festivals, parties and art shows.
Master’s story

This is a typical day for Yang Jinlong.

The 45-year-old performer drives to primary schools or middle schools in Xi’an at 9 am and
teaches students about Shaanxi kuaiban until 6 pm. Then, he returns home to prepare classes for the next day.

“Sometimes I feel really busy, but the art of Shaanxi kuaiban is so interesting that it deserves (值得) whatever effort I can make,” said Yang.

Yang himself first learned kuaiban at the age of 9. Before that, he often went with his father, an amateur (业余的) performer, to watch kuaiban performances.

“As a young boy, I was drawn to the art form because many of the stories are about heroes. It’s easy for the audience to remember the stories since all the lines rhyme (押韵),” Yang said.

His love for kuaiban has driven him for more than 30 years. To promote (推广) the art, especially among young people, Yang tries to be creative. Instead of the traditional gown (
长袍), he wears a suit while telling modern (现代的) stories. Yang also borrows many pop elements (元素) like tap dance (踢踏舞), ballet (芭蕾), jazz dance and the rhythms of popular music. His stories focus on more modern topics, like stories of heroes who have worked to reduce poverty (贫穷) and members of the Chinese Olympic team.
Young voice

At the age of 6, I watched Shaanxi kuaiban performances by Yang Jinlong, who is now my teacher. The catchy (朗朗上口的) lines and interesting stories attracted (吸引) me. As a girl who loves the stage, I decided to learn the art.   

At first, I kept playing bamboo strips and practicing tongue twisters (绕口令) every day. After mastering the basic skills, the challenge is to play the roles.For example, when telling the story of Monkey King Subdues White-skeleton Demon (《三打白骨精》), you have to act as the storyteller, the monkey and demon. You need to change the voices and gestures (手势) to let the audience understand it.


Shaanxi kuaiban is an art for everyone. I often take the strips with me and perform anytime and anywhere. It is and will be my favorite hobby.

Answer the questions:

1. When did Shaanxi kuaiban first show up?

_____________________________________

版权声明:本站内容均来自互联网,仅供演示用,请勿用于商业和其他非法用途。如果侵犯了您的权益请与我们联系QQ:729038198,我们将在24小时内删除。