Unit 30: Hundred Plays

Click or select any word to translate.

Word List

  • n. An acrobat is a person who entertains people by doing amazing physical things.
    There were acrobats at the circus that did impressive and complicated jumps.
  • n. Advocacy is the act of supporting or recommending something.
    Janine's strong advocacy for the event made people want to attend.
  • adj. If something is communal, it involves a group of people.
    On the weekends, Theo and his son picked up trash in the communal park.
  • adj. If something is fluid, it is smooth and moves gracefully.
    Boris was a famous ballet dancer because people admired his fluid movements.
  • v. To harmonize means to make different things go well together.
    The sweet and sour flavors of the dish harmonized well and tasted great.
  • adj. If someone is industrious, they work hard.
    Dennis was very industrious, so he never had problems finding a job.
  • adj. When someone is inventive, they are good at creating new things.
    The inventive student built a robot to help her with her chores.
  • n. Mandarin is one of the two main Chinese languages.
    Although John's parents both spoke Mandarin, he could only speak English.
  • adj. If something is metropolitan, it relates to a large city.
    After years of living on a farm, Rufu was finally moving to a metropolitan area.
  • v. To mimic something means to copy the way it sounds, moves, looks, etc.
    The hunter mimicked a duck's call and shot the two ducks that called back.
  • adj. When something is misguided, it is based on bad judgment or wrong beliefs.
    The snake bit Molly during her misguided attempt to catch it.
  • v. To rehearse means to practice and prepare for a performance in front of people.
    Vick's band rehearsed all week before their first show.
  • adj. A resourceful person is clever at using what resources they have.
    Because he was very resourceful, he could make most of the things he needed rather than buying them.
  • v. To scorn someone means to behave without respect toward them.
    The criminal was scorned by everyone in the community.
  • adj. If something is sensory, it is related to the senses.
    Iris and Eric preferred the sensory thrill of watching movies in the theater.
  • n. A statute is a law that is official and has been written down.
    The new statute made it illegal to walk dogs in the park.
  • adj. Technical skill requires good control of technique.
    Her technical skill was perfect.
  • n. A veteran is someone who has a lot of experience doing something.
    Hank was the team veteran and had completed more races than anyone else.
  • n. A villain is an evil person who breaks the law or hurts others.
    The villain made off with half of my family's valuables.
  • n. A vine is a plant that has long, twisting stems and climbs upward.
    The branches of the trees were covered with vines.

 

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the word that is opposite in meaning to the given word.

  1. veteran
    • a. wet
    • b. amateur
    • c. young
    • d. vague
  2. harmonize
    • a. exaggerate
    • b. disagree
    • c. lessen
    • d. mark
  3. misguided
    • a. lost
    • b. lengthy
    • c. common
    • d. well-planned
  4. villain
    • a. supporter
    • b. thief
    • c. hero
    • d. loud person
  5. scorn
    • a. respect
    • b. weird
    • c. delicate
    • d. factory-related

 

B ‣ Write the word from the word bank that best fits each sentence.

WORD BANK
  • industrious
  • statutes
  • communal
  • acrobats
  • rehearsed
  • metropolitan
  • inventive
  • Mandarin
  • fluid
  • resourceful

Stella was amazed by the performance of the 1_____.

She thought their 2_____ movements were beautiful.

Dave had four siblings, so he was used to 3_____ living.

Ants are very 4_____ creature and work hard all day.

They shared almost everything and were 5_____ about finding new uses for old things.

It interprets laws and 6_____ and judges whether they are fair.

The students 7_____ for the play every day after school.

They were very 8_____ and often stayed after dark.

9_____ is spoken throughout northern and southwestern China.

However, other languages are also popular in 10_____ areas.

 

C ‣ Write the word that best fits each sentence.

  1. statute / vine
    He was giving the job of cutting the grapes off the _____.
    The _____ goes into full effect on January 1st.
  2. harmonized / mimic
    The low and high notes of the song _____ to create a beautiful sound.
    The dog tried to _____ his master's smile.
  3. industrious / technical
    The _____ term for this kind of headache is a sinus headache.
    It's rare to see a person who is so _____ at such a young age.
  4. veterans / villain
    The local government offers a program to hire _____ at area restaurants and stores.
    The _____ of the story cast a spell on the hero to make him weaker.
  5. communal / sensory
    Our dormitory offers single rooms with a _____ kitchen and bathroom.
    The doctor noticed a problem with the infant's _____ system.
  6. misguided / inventive
    The _____ young boy created a telephone out of string and cups.
    John realized he was _____ when he had tried to join a local gang.
  7. advocacy / staple
    Rice is a(n) _____ of many Asian and Latino diets.
    The CEO's _____ for corporate transparency was praised by many in the community.
  8. scorned / metropolitan
    This park is the biggest in the _____ area.
    The woman was _____ by her family for marrying a man they did not like.
  9. fluid / resourceful
    The transition between the different acts in the show was _____.
    If we try to be _____, we might be able to save money by not buying new supplies.
  10. acrobat / Mandarin
    _____ is spoken by more than 1 billion people throughout the world.
    The _____ flipped in the air and grabbed onto the swinging bar.

 

Hundred Plays

Over two thousand years ago, Chinese farmers had a problem. Even though they were very industrious, the weather became too cold outside to plant rice. So what did they do? Since they had so much free time during the long, cold winters, the inventive farmers were very resourceful and started performing tricks to entertain themselves. They used their farm tools and anything they could find to make their tricks more spectacular and full of energy. They even twisted their bodies into abnormal shapes and performed awesome jumps. Over time, they became great acrobats, and their art form came to be known as "Hundred Plays!"

Hundred Plays involves doing many kinds of tricks. For example, in Mandarin-speaking parts of China, performers do the lion dance. They wear costumes and mimic the animal's movements. Early performers also did tricks on ropes and vines that were high above the ground.

Even though the acrobats' fluid movements may have looked easy, they took a lot of practice and required great technical skill.

Learning Hundred Plays is a communal event. A veteran of the acrobatic arts usually teaches younger people in the village. They spend a lot of time rehearsing. The young performers also learn an old philosophy. The teachings help them harmonize the sensory aspects of acrobatics with the mental aspects. In other words, it teaches them to use their physical and mental strength together.

Since the art has its origins with poor farmers, rich people used to scorn the acrobats. They thought acrobats were villains who just wanted to trick them. But later, their misguided opinions changed. Acrobats came to be respected in Chinese society. They were invited to perform in metropolitan areas as well as in small villages, and they performed for important people. Arts advocacy groups convinced the government to support Chinese acrobatics. As a result, there is now a statute that made several villages the center of training future acrobats.

 

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

  1. _____ The Chinese farmers became great acrobats while planting crops like rice.
    __________
  2. _____ The version of the lion dance in Mandarin-speaking areas involves performers mimicking the movements of the lion.
    __________
  3. _____ Chinese acrobats gain their fluid motions by rehearsing often.
    __________
  4. _____ The art form of Hundred Plays harmonizes the sensory and mental aspects of acrobatics.
    __________
  5. _____ Advocacy groups worked to get a statute that would protect acrobats from being scorned.
    __________

 

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What is the passage about?
    • a. A farmer's book
    • b. A performance style
    • c. A famous opera
    • d. A philosophical idea
  2. What were the misguided judgments about acrobats in the past?
    _____
  3. What unusual object was used by early acrobats to do tricks high above the ground?
    _____

 

Answer Key

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