1、Unit 4 Stage and screenUnderstanding ideasWarming-upWhat have you got from the video?Watch a video about Peking Opera and answer the question.Warming-upJingju,or Peking Opera is an ancient performance art with a history of 200 years.Jingju has four kinds of roles according to different identities an
2、d personalities.The lyrics of Jingju are performed with singing or rhythmic speaking,accompanied by dozens of musical instruments.What have you got from the video?Warming-up Orchestra(管弦乐队)Costumes and masks(服装和脸谱)Stage set(舞台布景)Performers movements(演员的动作)Look at the pictures of two performances and
3、 talk about their differences and similarities.Consider the following：Warming-up1.It combines music,vocal performance,mime(哑剧),dance and acrobatics(杂技，杂耍);the instruments include jinghu and erhu.2.Facial make-up(mask)is very important;the costumes are graceful,elegant(优雅的)and brilliant in color and
4、design.They both tell a characters sex(性别)and status(身份地位)at first glance.3.Stages are square platforms exposed to the audience on three sides with very few props(道具)on the stage.4.Dance movements and acrobatic movements are basic skills.Facts about Peking Opera:Warming-up1.Everything is sung instea
5、d of being spoken.2.It combines a number of performing arts,such as acting,scenery,costume,and sometimes dance or ballet.3.The singers are on the stage.The orchestra is in front of the stage but lower down in the pit(凹陷处).Facts about western opera：Pre-readingRead the title and pictures to predict wh
6、at the passage is mainly about.When HAMLET Meets PEKING OPERAWhile-readingI thought I knew a lot about Hamlet.As a high school student with English literature as one of my main subjects,I have to!Shakespeares Hamlet is probably the most important play by the most important writer in English.Almost e
7、verybody knows “To be,or not to be”,right?Having seen quite a few productions of Hamlet and read the play many times,I was full of confidence until the Peking Opera came to town!Read the passage to find what each paragraph mainly talks about.Paragraph 1While-readingDating back to the 18th century,Pe
8、king Opera has over two hundred years of history.Does this mean its easier than a Shakespeare play to understand?To find out the answer,I just had to go and see The Revenge of Prince Zidan the Peking Opera version of Hamlet.Paragraph 2While-readingStarting with an orchestra playing traditional Chine
9、se instruments,the opera brought a completely new sound to my Western ears.At first,I thought what I heard was a violin,but later I learnt that it was an instrument with two strings called jinghu.Then,seeing the main characters come on stage,I was surprised!The costumes and masks were amazing.The pe
10、rformers of course sang in Chinese,but the music,exaggerated movements and mime helped get the meanings across to the audience.The voices themselves sounded really unique some of the female voices were so high that I was sure they could break glass!And the stage was really simple:a decorated whip re
11、presented a horse,and a screen with Chinese characters,a study.Using such techniques,the opera had transformed a small stage into the whole universe.The performance of The Revenge of Prince Zidan was wonderful.Paragraph 3While-reading Easily my favourite part of the show was how the characters moved
12、 on stage.I had never seen Prince Hamlet do a backflip before!That was simply incredible.It was so dazzling and energetic that I wasnt sure if the characters were performers or athletes!Everyone was clapping.Paragraph 4While-readingBefore experiencing The Revenge of Prince Zidan,I wasnt sure if I wo
13、uld enjoy it.But,in fact,I was on the edge of my seat!Feeling the strong emotions of love,anger,fear and grief in the performance,I could easily recognise the theme of Hamlet.So,if you want to see a show that combines music,singing,drama,poetry and costume design with explosive effect,The Revenge of
14、 Prince Zidan ticks all the right boxes!Paragraph 5While-readingBefore the performanceDuring the performanceAfter the performancePara.1&2Para.3&4Para.5Summarize the structure of the passage.While-reading1 To prove that Peking Opera is a better way to perform Hamlet.2 To inform the readers how to per
15、form Hamlet through Peking Opera.3 To share the unique experience of seeing a Peking Opera version of Hamlet.4 To make a comparison between Eastern and Western cultures.Choose the authors purpose in writing the passage.Activity 4 Complete the chart with words and expressions from the passage.full of
16、 confidence(simply)incrediblehe knew a lot about HamletsurprisedThe costumes and maskssounded(really)uniquewas(really)simplethe strong emotions of love,anger,fear and grief in the performancePost-readingWhy does the author say“The Revenge of Prince Zidan ticks all the right boxes”?Because this show
17、combines music,singing,drama,poetry and costume design with explosive effect.In the authors opinion,this show is perfect and meets all his requirements.Think about the question below and share your opinion.Read the passage again while listening to the tape and get ready to answer the question.Post-r
18、eadingJingju,or Peking Opera is an ancient performance art with a history of 200 years.Through a period of more than half a century of combination of various kinds of operas there evolved the present Peking Opera,the biggest kind of opera in China.How could you help a friend from overseas understand
19、 Peking Opera?Post-readingThe lyrics of Jingju are performed with singing or rhythmic speaking,accompanied by dozens of musical instruments.Different from the orchestra in western opera,traditional Chinese instruments are played in Peking Opera,such as jinghu and erhu.Post-readingThe costumes and ma
20、sks are brilliant and amazing.They tell a characters sex and status at first glance.The performers movements and mime could help get the meanings across to the audience.Their voices sound unique.Although the stage is simple,it can represent the whole world.AssignmentSurf the Internet to find more in
21、formation about the differences and similarities between eastern and western operas and share it with your partner.1.Read the passage and find out what aspects of Peking Opera most impressed the author.n.方面；相位；面貌e.g.I did notice a couple of unconsidered aspects.我的确注意到了几个被忽视的方面。词汇拓展from the.aspect 从方
22、面看；in this/that aspect 在这/那方面 in every aspect of./in all aspects of.在（的）各个方面e.g.In every aspect of life,planning is important.在生活各方面，规划是重要的。NotesNotes2.but the music,exaggerated movements and mime helped get the meanings across to the audience.vi.通过；使被理解 词组拓展e.g.Their sense of humor and ability to get along with people are two characteristics that compensate for their lack of experience.他们的幽默感和与人相处的能力是弥补他们经验不足的两个特质。Goodbye!
