What's On?

Trouble in Mind

Alice Childress won an Off-Broadway award in 1956 for this story of a black actress rehearsing（排练） a play with a white director who increasingly finds it impossible for the show to go on. Tanya Moodie and Joseph Marcell star in the play directed by Laurence Boswell.

8.30p.m.—10.30p.m., Theatre Royal. Box office: 01225 448844.

Lazarus

Inspired by the sci-fi (science fiction) novel and movie, The Man Who Fell to Earth, this musical deals with a hero, Thomas Newton. Likely to be the autumn's hottest ticket, the score includes new songs composed by Bowie.

7.00p.m.—9.00p.m., King's Cross theatre. Box office: 0844 871 7604.

The Gaul

On the night of 8 February 1974, a fisherman FV Gaul disappeared off the coast of Norway. For people on board, waiting for news was great suffering. Theories began to come up, including the possibility that the boat had fallen victim to cold war. Even when he was discovered, many still felt there were questions that remained unanswered. Mark Babych directs Janet Plater's play.

8.00p.m.—11.00 p.m., Royal Shakespeare theatre. Box office: 01482 323638.

The Suppliant Women

It is a new version of Aeschylus's 2,500-year-old play about a group of women seeking shelter who make the long journey to escape forced marriage. It was written by David Greigand directed by Ramin Gray. An ancient piece asks a contemporary question: when we are introuble, who will open their doors and give us a harbor?

8.30p.m.—10.00p.m., Hampstead theatre. Box office: 0131 248 4848.

    Remember that goals are dreams with a timetable. Our goals are important for us to create what enriches our life. A very common attitude among people who are successful is that their success lies in their ability to provide themselves goals that are both numerous and exciting. When you think about your future，you are helping to feed a long-term goal of what you want to create.

    To realize your dreams，you must translate your vision into a series of actions you can take as soon as possible. You should be able to measure these results，to make sure they take you wherever you want. And this step should not be viewed lightly! Indeed，very few people set goals and concrete actions for themselves to achieve. Very few people note what they want to accomplish，and know each day whether they have indeed advanced in the direction of their dreams.

    Therefore one of the secrets that you can get results from is to write down your goals on paper first. When you give your dreams a form，they become more concrete，and you can refer to them often and easily. Whenever you read the dreams that you note down，you fill your mind with positive and motivational thoughts.

    Unfortunately，many people stop there. They just simply make wishes, hope and wait. These people do not bring positive difference in their lives，because that sort of behavior is just wishful thinking. Success is not at all a miracle. It depends on clear and realistic targets through serious thoughts：concrete actions and perseverance(毅力). Don't forget，your past does not determine your future. Only you now is your potential!

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

    Tulou, the special residential architecture of Fujian Province was included on the UNESCO's World Heritage List during the 32nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Quebec, Canada.

    In the fourth century, Han Chinese living in the Central Plains area began to migrate south, gradually gathering in Fujian and forming the Hakka communities. As a defence against enemies, the Hakkas chose to live in compact (紧凑的) communities, and the tulou was their preferred houses. Tens of thousands of such earthen structures were constructed in Fujian Province.

    Most tulous are to be found in the valleys, surrounded by high mountains, and some are in the depths of the great mountains. Most are three to four storeys high, and look like circular blockhouses (堡垒). Rooms on the first floor are used as kitchens, rooms on the second floor are used as barns (谷仓), and rooms on the third and fourth floors are for bedrooms and living rooms. For defensive purposes, the rooms on the first floor have no windows.

    Raw materials for the tulou were obtained locally. Their main building material was a mixture of clay, sand, lime and water, and egg whites, brown sugar and rice water were added as adhesive agents (粘合剂). It was then mixed to form the walls. Once they dried, the walls were so hard that driving a nail into them would have been difficult. Fir branches, which are extremely strong and do not rot, were used to strengthen them, and many centuries later they have remained their original look.

    Tulous are located in a region where earthquakes happen frequently, and their circular construction helps them resist the regular shocks.

    The proven design even inspired one famous Peruvian architect, who paid several visits to Yongding, to build a tulou back home. Not long after, an earthquake struck only 10 kilometers away, and while all the houses around the earthen building fell down, his tulou remained.

    Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on We Chat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new “species” of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name—phubbers (低头族).

    Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones, a doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfe in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone, a chain of similar events eventually leads to a series of destruction.

    Although the ending sounds overstated, the damage phubbing can bring is real.

    Your health is the first to bear the consequence (后果) of it. “Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck,” Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. “The neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching.” Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

    But that's not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

    It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.

    On Wednesday, January 13th, I performed on stage for the first time. As someone who takes part in so many activities, it's extremely difficult to find the time to be a part of any production. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try acting through the Senior Play Project.

    Auditions (试镜)came first. They weren't particularly difficult, more to see who may be a better fit tor certain roles. We were told our roles in the various plays, and started to work immediately.

    I was unsure of how I was as an actor, and I had to learn a lot fast: actions, my place in the story, my reactions, and countless other small details... As I began to improve as an actor, I was able to understand my characters better.

    My first character is a man named Roger who is a senior advisor to a presidential candidate in a play called "The Spot." He's a short-tempered guy who says what he wants and takes what he wants to assist his candidate in today's tough political races. He's on the set of The Spot, an advertisement for the candidate, to make sure everything runs smoothly and that any problems are dealt with quickly and efficiently.

    While I had really interesting characters, and the plays were funny and such a great experience to act in, I really love the Senior Play Project for the people. I worked with 12 other seniors who not only loved what they were doing, but offered help and advice throughout my entire learning process.

    Between the lights, sounds, costume and makeup, and plenty more, theatre is a team sport just like basketball or baseball. There are no small parts; there is no one who isn't needed. I've learned to appreciate live theatre, and the effort that every person in the show, both onstage and offstage, puts into it.

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