Peking Opera(Beijing Opera), is one of the most ancient forms of drama in the world. The roles in it were Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, Wuhang, and Longtao during its early age. But with the development of Peking Opera, there are four main roles in it today: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou.

      Sheng——Men Roles

      Sheng are the men roles in Peking Opera, which can be divided into Laosheng, Wusheng, Xiaosheng and Wawasheng.

      Laosheng are middle-aged or older men who are decisive and honest. Hongsheng, a type(种类) of Laosheng, have a red face. There are only two roles knowns as Hongsheng. One is Guan Gong and the other is Zhao Kuangyin. Wusheng are young generals skilled in martial arts(武术). Xiaosheng are clean-shaven(没有胡须的) and handsome. Wawasheng are children's parts.

      Dan——women Roles

      Dan are women roles that can be divided into different types—— Laodan, Qingyi, Huadan, Wudan and Caidan.

      Laodan play old and clever women. Qingyi are the main women roles. Huashan, a type of Qingyi, was created by Mei Lanfang, who played an important role in shaping Peking Opera. Huadan are lively and unmarried women roles. Wudan characters are woman skilled in martial arts. Caidan are clowns(小丑) in funny plays and comedies.

      Jing——Painted Face Men Roles

     A Jing role is an important man character with striking(吸引人的) looks and high social position. There main types of Jing are Tongchui, good at singing and usually a general; Jiazi, good at acting with less singing; and Wujing, a martial arts and acrobatics(杂技) role.

     Chou——ComedyRoles

     Chou are comedy roles in Peking Opera. There are Wenchou who speak, act and sing, and Wuchou who both speak and fight. What makes this type of painted face role special is a small patch(块) of white chalk around the nose. One of the famous roles is the Monkey King, who has a special position in the hearts of all who are interested in Chinese opera.

    AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming! Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut (初次登台).

    Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle. Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group.

Earphones—These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s. They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears.

Martian language—They have created their own code-like online language. It's a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand. This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers.

Self-Portrait— Saying "cheese" to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation. A little bit of narcissism (自恋) never hurts anyone. It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.

Text-messaging —They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak. This is a generation that respects efficiency. However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.

    He will be the ambassador of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. Of course, we're talking about the one-and-only Son Goku (孙悟空). Nope, this is not a joke. His dad is named Akira Toriyama (鸟山明). He must be very proud of him. Goku is 1.72 meters tall. He had a monkey tail as a child. He has beaten some of the universe's biggest enemies. The Tokyo Olympics are two years away, but the Olympic committee has already made a decision. Goku is a world famous Japanese character. He's worth investing in for the Olympics. He will be the main character with other eight Japanese popular cartoon characters.

    Susan is a Chinese girl. She lives in Beijing with her parents. It's eight o'clock in the morning. The1is sunny. But it's still very cold. Susan is2English in her room. She learns English for an hour every day. She wants to learn it well so she studies very3. Susan's father is reading a newspaper.4father usually reads newspapers in the morning. Where is Susan's mother? She is5breakfast for them in the kitchen. She prepares (准备) some hot milk. She thinks hot milk can make them6in winter.

    What is Susan's friend Tony doing now? Tony is not Chinese, He comes from another (另一个)7. America. It's in the evening in America now. The weather is8. It rains a lot this week. Tony is9at the table with his family. They are having dinner. Tony eats much chicken and some carrots. He also drinks some orange10

    Do you have friends from other countries? Do you know what they are doing now?