Art builds a cultural bridge 藝術搭建文化橋

李全忠

藝術是一個很好的話題，能讓來自不同國家的人和睦相處。

1 LikemostforeignersfromEnglish -speaking countries， Holt，s first job in China was teaching Eng- lish in training centers and middle schools. Since No- vember， 2021， he has been a teacher at New Chan- nel， a Beijing-based language training institute.“I teach them theater， ”he said.

2Holt was very shy as a kid. In the first grade， he was invited to“star”in Romeo and Juliet. He declined. But his teacher insisted on giving him the biggest part.“He gave me the power to empower （給予……力量） myself， ”Holt explained. He wanted to pass on that same feeling. So he studied theater and education at the Evergreen State College in the US ， and then went to Asia， first the Republic of Korea， then China.

3“Teaching theater and public speaking in China is wonderful， ”he said. Training aside， he and his colleagues also adapt Chinese stories， like The Monkey King， into English screenplays for students.“Children really want to be as dramatic as possible instead of just reciting the words， ”he said.

4 But teaching is not all it，s cracked up to be.“The biggest challenge is to get the introverted kids—or adults—to speak up， ”Holt added. Making the shyest kid the directoris one of his methods to build them up. And the change within them becomes palpable： Stu- dents who，d barely utter a word before end up being the loudest person in the room.“I love to see that turnaround， ”Holt said.

5 His future plan is to get as many children as possible to feel more empowered ， and“make theater a little bridge”between China and other countries.

6 Art makes for a universal conversation start. Although there are disagreements among different countries， people from different countries can get along well through art.“I think it，s a really powerful thing that we can all share， ”he said.

7Now， Holt has a new dream： to obtain a Chinese green card.“Instead of applying for a new residence permit every year， I would love to get permanent residence. That ， s my dream， ”he said.

1. What，s Holt，s reaction when he was invited to“star”in Romeo and Juliet？

A. He was too happy.B. He refused it.

C. He accepted it. D. He was astonished.

2. Why did Holt and his colleagues adapt The Monkey King？

A. To offer a chance to shy students.

B. To attract more students to speak out.

C. To make screenplays more dramatic.

D. To invite students to appreciate theater.

3. What does the underlined word“introverted”in paragraph 4 mean？

A. Shy. B. Cautious. C. Serious. D. Brave.

4. What，s Holt，s dream in the future？

A. Teaching in China as long as possible.

B. Making theater a cultural bridge.

C. Promoting art teaching among countries.

D. Living in China as a permanent resident.

I. Difficult sentences in the text

1. Since November 2021， he has been a teacher at New Channel， a Beijing-based lan-guage training institute.自 2021 年 11 月以來，他一直在新航道——北京的一個語言培 訓機構，擔任教師。

【點石成金】當 since 表示“自從”時，不管它是用作介詞、連詞還是副詞，它通常都 要與現在完成時連用。

2. Although there are disagreements among different countries， people from differentcountries can get along well through art. 雖然不同國家之間存在分歧，但不同國家的人 們可以通過藝術友好相處。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句，句中的 although 引導讓步狀語從句。

Ⅱ. Text-centered chunks

insist on doing sth 堅持做某事;執意繼續做某事

pass on 傳遞

instead of 而不是;代替

crack up 崩潰;（因精神壓力大而）垮掉;（使）大笑

speak up大膽地說;公開表態;大聲說

build sb up 使更加強壯

get along well （with） 與……和睦相處

apply for 申請