1. The universal language
What do you think ‘a universal language’ is?
Everywhere in the world, music can be heard and understand.

2. Brainstorming Do you like music? Why or why not?
How many kinds of music do you know? Can you list some types of music?
英语学习辅导报 出品

3. Look at the four pictures then answer the questions

4. Picture 1 What do you know about jazz?
Do you know any famous jazz musician?
What does jazz music sound like to you?

5. Picture 2 What are the people doing in this picture?
What is Chinese opera?
What does Chinese opera sound like?
Do you know any famous Chinese opera performers?

6. Picture 3 What is the girl doing in this picture?
What do you know about the violin?
Do you know any famous violinists?

7. Picture 4 What is the girl doing in this picture?
What do you know about the piano?
Do you know any famous pianists?

8. What kind of music are they?
Jazz
opera
Hip-hop
Classical
Chinese opera
country music

9. The Universal Language
Reading
英语学习辅导报 出品

10. The ‘Bid for the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing’ shown in Moscow, a performance at the closing ceremony at Athens Olympic Games, an outdoor performance of Liu Sanjie in Guilin and Turandot in Beijing

11. Turandot in Beijing

12. Reading strategy: reading a review of an opera
background information
the plot
an evaluation
special words

13. A: Reading a review
What’s the definition of a review?
A review is a report or an essay giving some information as well as some opinion or ideas about a book, performance, a painting or something similar.

14. Reading a review of an opera
What should we pay attention to while reading a review of an opera?
1. A review of opera usually starts with some background information.
2. The review can give some important information such as the actor’s names and finally an evaluation.
3. The review may include lots of very descriptive words that reflect feelings.

15. Italian composer Giacomo Puccini The writer:
Read for the background information of the opera.
Italian composer Giacomo Puccini
The writer:
The main characters of the story:
The place where the story happened:
cold-hearted
Turandot ---- a Chinese princess
Calaf a prince
Liu Calaf’s father’s young slave
in Beijing’s Forbidden City

16. the Forbidden City

17. Fast reading
What is Turandot?

18. Fast reading What is Turandot?
A: It is an opera that tells the story of a cold-hearted Chinese princess, named Turandot, who lives in the Forbidden City. To avoid marriage, she says that any potential husband must answer three riddles correctly or die.

20. Who wrote Turandot?
A: Giacomo Puccini wrote the opera. The final scene was completed by Franco Alfano, one of his students, based on Puccini’s notes after he died.
Was the performance indoors or outdoors?
A: It was performed outdoors.

21. Giacomo Puccini 贾科莫·普契尼
Italian composer Giacomo
Puccini is considered to be one
of the greatest operatic
composers of the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. During his
lifetime, he wrote many famous operas. His most famous works are La boheme, Tosca and Madam Butterfly. His last opera Turandot was left unfinished, as he died before he could complete the last two scenes. Today, Puccini’s operas are believed to be some of the finest compositions ever written. Many of his most famous operas have been adapted to the cinema, including Madam Butterfly, Turandot and La Boheme.

22. Reading for the outline
Part I:
(Paras.1-3)
Background information about Turandot
Turandot in Beijing
Part II:
(Paras.4-6)
The plot of Turandot
Other information
about Turandot
Part III:
(Paras.7-9)

23. Reading in details: Setting: in ___ ______ _____ outdoors
I.(Paras. 1-3) Background information:
Setting: in ___ ______ _____ outdoors
Writer: _____ ______——a world-
famous opera writer
What: Turandot is the story of a
________ Chinese _______
the Forbidden City
Giacomo Puccini’s
princess
cold-hearted

24. II. (Paras.4-6) The plot of Turandot:
Chinese princess
Main characters: Turandot- a _____ _____
Calaf- a ______
Liu- Calaf’s father’s _____ ______
Plot:the classic ______ ______ of the three main characters; Calaf has _______
____ ___ ____ Turandot; Turandot does not want to get _______; declares anyone who wants to marry her must answer her three ______ or _____
prince
young slave
love triangle
fallen
in love with
married
riddles
die

25. former student completed Zhang Yimou Zubin Mehta India Sharon Sweet
III. (Paras.6-8) Other information about Turandot:
Franco Alfano- Puccini’s _____ _______ ;
_________ the final scene
Director: _________
Conductor: ___________, an internationally
famous conductor born in _______
Actors and actresses:
______________-Turandot;
__________________ -Liu;
___________________-Calaf;
former student
completed
Zhang Yimou
Zubin Mehta
India
Sharon Sweet
Barbara Hendricks
Kristjan Johannsson

26. Descriptive words find out more descriptive words amazing wonderful
splendid
Descriptive words
moving
excellent
heartbreaking
beautifully-sung

27. C1: Listening and comprehension
1. Why does the writer think that the Forbidden City is a good setting for Turandot?
A: Because she felt that she could almost feel the history.

28. 2. What kind of person is Turandot?
A: She is cold-hearted.
3. What happened to the prince who could not answer the princess’s riddles?
A: He was killed.

29. 4. What does Calaf say will happen if Turandot can guess his name by sunset?
A: She does not have to marry him.
5. What has Turandot’s father promised her?
A: He promised to allow Turandot to choose her own husband.

30. 6. How many times will Turandot be staged in the Fobidden City?
A: Eight.
7. Who took part in this performance of Turandot?
A: Turandot was played by Sharon Sweet from the USA, Liu was played by Barbara Hendricks from the USA and Calaf was sung by Kristian Johannsson form Iceland.

31. 8. What were the key ingredients for the production of this opera?
A: The bringing together of the group of people from many countries, the music and the setting.

32. Retell the story in pairs ,referring to the following key words:
Turandot, a … says that… A prince is killed, because… Prince Calaf falls … Calaf says he will solve… Liu also …and her love is… Calaf manages to …but Turandot is upset… Seeing this… Turandot threatens Liu… Finally, Calaf wins her…

33. C2 Put the events of the story in correct order
Prince Calaf manages to answer the riddles
However, Liu, the servant girl, is also in love with Prince Calaf.
Princess Turandot tortures Liu, and Liu kills herself
Prince Calaf arrives and falls in love with the princess
A prince is killed as he cannot answer the princess’s riddles.
The prince wins the princess’s heart with a kiss
Calaf says he will solve the riddles and marry Turandot.
Princess Turandot is so upset that Prince Calaf says he will not marry her if she can guess his name. 6 3 5 2 1 8 4 7

34. D. Word study a. very excited because of an emotion splendid
b. given a role in a performance
c. great, brilliant, very good
d. not based on limits or conditions
splendid
cast
unconditional
drunk

35. f. individual parts, elements
f. troubling, worrying
g. fondness, tenderness, warmness
h. says something aloud, such as a list or poem
disturbing
recites
affection
components

36. E. Complete the e-mail using the words in the box.
Check your answers:
performance (2) talents
(3) China (4) gold (5) princess
(6) riddles (7) potential
(8) marry (9) setting
(10) witnessed

37. Reading 2
Turandot in Beijing

38. Step 1 Revision world-famous
China
world-famous
Turandot, a ___________ opera set in ________, was written by an ________ composer called Giacomo Puccini towards the end of his life. He also wrote _____________, which is set in ________. Jane Jones was lucky enough to ________ the first of only eight performances in __________________
in Beijing. She wrote a ________ after watching the opera. In her opinion, the performance was ________ and ________.
Italian
Madam Butterfly
Japan
witness
the Forbidden City
review
splendid
amazing

39. setting
The music and the ________ were two of the key __________ of the opera. Besides, it ________ many Western and Chinese talents. For example, the orchestra was ________ by Zubin Mehta, a famous conductor born in ________. The well-known Chinese ________ Zhang Yimou directed the opera. Some of the world’s greatest opera singers as well as many great Chinese ________, actors and singers were cast.
components
combined
conducted
India
director
musicians

40. Step 2
Language points

41. 1. Last night, I witnessed the first of only eight performances of Giacomo Puccini’s world-famous opera, Turandot, being performed in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China (page 18, lines 1-3)
昨天晚上，我去看了贾科莫·普契尼闻名世界的歌剧《图兰朵》，那是在中国北京紫禁城八场演出的首场。
Here the word witness is a transitive verb, meaning “to see something happen, for example a crime or an accident, with one’s own eyes”.

42. * 你确实目击了发生在我们学校附近的事故了吗？
*Several journalists witnessed the incident in which eight people were injured.
Did you really witness the accident
that happened near our school?

43. Witness can also be used as a noun meaning “a person who sees with his/her own eyes what has happened”.
* Mr. Green was asked to act as a witness to the agreement between his two friends.
* 他告诉警方他是那起事故的目击者。
He told the police that he was a witness to the car accident.

44. 2. Just imagine performing such an opera in the Forbidden City－there could not be a better setting!
(page 18, lines 10-11)
There could not be a better setting!的意思是“不可能有比这更好的场景了。”
否定词never/ no/ not /nothing等与比较级连用，往往表达最高级含义。

45. * 世上没有比那些书更有价值的东西了。
* He said he had never watched a more exciting game before.
Nothing in the world is more valuable than those books.
=Those books are the most valuable in the world.
=He said the game was the most exciting one he had ever watched.

46. 3. Instead of a stage curtain, there were decorated panels covered with red and gold, and traditional Chinese drums were used to announce the start of the opera (page 18, lines 12-13)
覆盖着红色和金色的装饰镶板代替了舞台帷幕，传统的中国鼓敲响，宣告了歌剧的开场。

47. decorate … with … 用（装饰物）装饰/修饰…… be decorated with
furnish … with… 为（房间或房屋）配备（家具） be furnished with
equip … with … 用（仪器、设备等）装备（工厂、车间、实验室等）be equipped with
* Her living-room is furnished with a comfortable new sofa.
* The workshop is equipped with many modern machines. (It is a well / fully equipped workshop.)

48. * They always decorate their classroom with balloons and flowers when Christmas comes.
对应名词分别为decoration(装饰，装饰品); furniture(家具); equipment（装备，设备，器材）

49. 4．The story then takes on a classic love triangle featuring Calaf, Turandot, and Liu, whose love for Calaf is unconditional (page 18, lines 19-20)
故事随后演绎成了发生在卡拉夫、图兰朵和柳儿三人之间的经典三角恋情，其中柳儿对卡拉夫的爱是无条件的。
The verb phrase take on here means “to have/develop a particular character or appearance”. With this meaning, the phrase cannot be used in the passive voice.

50. What does take on mean in each sentence?
* She is not in good health these days, and cannot take on more work.
* Great changes have taken place in the city in the past few decades, and now it has taken on a completely new look.
* We’re not taking on any new staff at the moment.
to have/develop a particular character or appearance 呈现（面貌、特征等）
to accept some work or responsibility 承担（工作等）
to start to employ or hire 开始雇佣

51. 她甚至敢于尝试并且真的控制自己的父亲，即中国的皇帝。他曾经允诺女儿由她自己选择丈夫。
5. She even dares to try and exercise control over her father, the emperor of China, who has promised to allow her to choose her own husband. (page 18, lines 21-23)
她甚至敢于尝试并且真的控制自己的父亲，即中国的皇帝。他曾经允诺女儿由她自己选择丈夫。
What does exercise here mean?
to use one’s power, right, or influence vt. 行使（权力）；运用（权利）；施加（影响）

52. * Do you eat properly and exercise regularly?
* The doctor said I should exercise my knees every morning.
* Large dogs should be exercised every day.
* Since you are a citizen of our country, you should exercise your right to vote.
to do a physical activity in order to stay healthy and make your body stronger vi. 运动，锻炼
to move or use a particular part of your body in order to make it strong vt. 活动（身体某一部位）
to allow an animal to walk or run so that it stay healthy vt. 遛（动物）

53. 6. Turandot is desperate to learn his name and threatens and terrifies Liu because she knows his mane.
(page 19, lines 27-28)
图兰朵不顾一切地想知道卡拉夫的名字，她威胁恐吓柳儿，因为柳儿知道卡拉夫的名字。

54. 形容词desperate有以下几种含义：“绝望的；孤注一掷的（通常用于名词前）；极需要的/极向往的；非常严重的，危急的（通常用于名词前）”
* The missing man’s family are getting increasingly desperate.
* In a desperate attempt to escape, he killed the guard.
* The couple are desperate for money because they want to buy a house.
* The old man is desperate to see his son, who has been away from home for many years.
* At that time the country was in a desperate state.

55. 7. An opera company staged the opera in Beijing in the 1990s, but the performance I saw was the first time Turandot was staged inside the Forbidden City.
(page 19, lines 37-38)
Here stage is used as a transitive verb with the meaning ‘to perform or arrange sth. for public show; put on’.
举办，上演
You cannot stage the opera without a chorus.

56. Stage can also be used as a noun, meaning ‘a particular point in time during a process’ or ‘the part of a theatre where the actors or musicians perform’.
There’s no point arguing about it at
this stage.
* The musicians didn’t take/leave the stage until after ten o’clock.
阶段，时期 舞台

57. Step 3 Phrases in the text
be decorated with shortly afterwards
fall in love with sb be drunk with
exercise control over be desperate for sth. / to do sth.
stage the opera transform … into…

58. Post-reading discussion:
Work in groups to talk about a Western or a Chinese opera that you are familiar with.
( the writer; the main characters; the setting and the plot … )
2. Talk about a particular performance of an opera that you’ve ever been to.
( when and where; with whom; the director; the conductor; the actors and actresses; your evaluation…)

59. Discussion
1. Do you agree that music is an international language? Why or why not?
2. How important do you think music is for people today?
3. Have you been to any musical events or seen any on TV? If you have, what did you think of them?

60. Homework: Write about your favourite opera or film
Read Parts A&B on Ps
Read the text again to get ready for the
language study.