Funny action, Chinese kung fu, and the Monkey King: If you want to re-experience the adventures of Journey to the West, then Unruly Heroes, a 2D action game by Magic Design Studios (MDS) in France, is for you. The game is an example where international talent meets traditional Chinese culture.
“Creating a game based on the novel, Journey to the West, has actually been my dream since I entered this profession,” said Lu Yang, CEO and creative director of MDS. “It is a very dramatic tale set in a big, imaginary world. Every character is described vividly.”
“Everyone in China knows the story, but in European countries or the US, few people know about Journey to the West. I think such a fascinating story should be introduced to more people,” he said.
Released in January, Unruly Heroes has received an 80 percent positive reaction on STEAM. The game features a unique story and cast of characters, where players can alternate between four characters: Wukong, Sanzang, Kihong and Sandmonk.
The creative team combines many Chinese cultural elements with the art design, building an immersive world of art, animation and a taste of Chinese folk music. “Our goal is to introduce Journey to the West to the world, and be accepted by players from different cultural backgrounds,” Lu said.
Set against lush (华丽的) environments and a hand-drawn art style, Unruly Heroes updates the Journey to the West classic tale into an adventure that is more colorful, humorous and attractive to people in modern times. As Lu introduced, the game differed a lot compared with the original story. “For example, we reimagined White Bone Spirit as the owner of a beauty salon, so players need to destroy her mask to defeat her.”
Lu believes that Chinese culture has strong potential to reach a broader audience, but it needs the efforts of more companies and creative minds.
“We can add Chinese cultural elements into products that are acce ssible to people around the world. Video games, film and TV series, and other cultural and entertainment products resonate (共鸣) easily internationally,” he said.
“I am not a scholar; I simply want to do what I can to present a story I love to more people far and wide,” Lu added.
1.The writer mentions the example of White Bone Spirit in order to________.
A.explain why Unruly Heroes changes the story in Journey to the West
B.compare the story in Unruly Heroes with that in Journey to the West
C.show how Unruly Heroes modernize the story in Journey to the West
D.criticize Unruly Heroes for changing the story in Journey to the West
2.The word accessible to in Paragraph 8 means________.
A.likely to interest B.easy to reach C.possible to upset D.hard to attract
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Journey to the West is widely known and accepted in Europe and the United States.
B.Many traditional Chinese stories need changing as their characters are not vivid enough.
C.With more creativity, Chinese culture will be accepted by more people around the world.
D.Unruly Heroes avoids Chinese cultural elements to attract players from different countries.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Unruly Heroes: A Tale that Continues to Develop
B.Unruly Heroes: A Method that Makes a Difference
C.Unruly Heroes: An Effort that Creates Traditional Culture
D.Unruly Heroes: A Game that Takes Chinese Culture Abroad
What exactly is persuasion? Persuasion is a process that enables you to change others’ attitudes, opinions, or behaviors. When you are watching TV, there are so many advertisements to persuade you to buy their products. When your naughty son does not like to write his homework, you will punish him, which is also a persuasion.
Persuasion is a very important skill nowadays. It is fulfilling everywhere, every time. In many ways, persuasion combines art and science. It’s an art in that it requires the ability to establish trust and strong communication skills. It’s a science in that it centers on the disciplined collection and analysis of information and solidly researched principles (原则) of human behavior.
Persuasion is everywhere, but the effect is very different.
When we persuade, first we should be believable. If someone is an expert in a certain field, his or her speech will be convincing when he or she expresses opinions about this field. It is interesting that if someone’s aim is not to affect your opinions, and he or she has no benefit from your decision, this person seems to be more trustful. What’s more, we need to be attractive. If we like someone, we will be affected by him or her on some unimportant topics. Even if this person tells us he or she wants to affect, maybe we will also be affected.
The methods of persuasion are necessary too. First you should think wise for choosing your topic. A good topic is a big impact to catch your audience. Then when you have done selecting topics, now it’s time to brainstorm how you will have a deep conversation with your audience to give them more ideas about your topics. And think about who your listener is and what they want to know. How will you catch their attention to become more interested in your subject? Next, understanding your audience can help you deliver the right information that is valuable to them. To get your audience, try to add some personal experience in your topics. The way you talk to them expresses your feelings and knowledge, and it really works.
Everyone is trying to persuade someone and being persuaded. So next time you listen to a speech, watch an advertisement, think of persuasion.
1.In Paragraph 2, the writer thinks persuasion is an art because________.
A.they both have the same topic B.they both need skills to achieve
C.they both make the audience laugh D.they both deliver the right information
2.Paragraph 3 is mainly about________.
A.the meaning of persuasion B.the methods of persuaders
C.the importance of persuasion D.the characteristics of persuaders
3.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A..Are Advertisements Worth Trusting? B.Persuasion — The Effects are Different
C.Are Good Topics Important for Persuasion? D.Persuasion — An Important Social Skill
“How was school today?” Ethan’s mom asked as he climbed into the car. “Fine,” Ethan answered.
“What did you do?” she tried to start a conversation.
“Nothing.” Ethan answered and turned his attention to his phone.
Ethan’s mom sighed. “Your grandmother and I used to have actual conversations.” “Huh?” Ethan wasn’t really listening.
“Nothing,” his mother said sadly.
Ten minutes later, Ethan finally looked up from his phone. “What are we doing here?” he asked, noticing they were at an unknown supermarket.
“Grandma is coming over for dinner tonight and we need to buy something for her favorite strawberry cheesecake. I thought you could help me make it.”
Ethan hated shopping, and he would play his favorite video game rather than bake for a whole afternoon. However, he knew his grandmother would love the cheesecake, so he agreed unwillingly.
Surprisingly, Ethan realized that he enjoyed shopping and he was also having fun in the kitchen helping his mom after they got home. While all of this was happening, the two actually talked, and Ethan remembered several interesting things from school.
It was great to see his grandmother again at dinner too. The last time they met was several weeks ago, and he realized that he had a lot to tell her.
“Wow, Ethan, I don’t think I’ve heard you speak this much in a long time,” Ethan’s mom smiled.
“Well, when you were Ethan’s age, Norah,” Ethan’s grandmother said gently to his mother,“you used to spend your whole life in your room!” Ethan’s mother turned pink, “That’s not true, mom!”
“In fact,” Ethan’s grandmother winked at Ethan, “I had to get her to help me make this very cheesecake to even get her to talk to me.”
From the other side of the room, Ethan’s phone was ringing. But Ethan realized that this conversation with his mother and grandmother was much more interesting.
1.At first, Ethan was________when his mom asked about his school life.
A.sad B.cold C.happy D.nervous
2.Ethan’s grandmother got his mother to talk by________.
A.buying a new phone B.having a big dinner
C.making cheesecake together D.going to the supermarket
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Ethan had an unpleasant day at school that day.
B.Ethan expected to go shopping on his way home.
C.Ethan started real conversations with his family at last.
D.Ethan often made strawberry cheesecake with his grandma.
4.What does the writer want to tell us?
A.Using cell phones too often is not good for our health.
B.Learning to cook can help us keep in touch with friends.
C.Spending more time playing with elders can be interesting.
D.Enjoying activities together can help family members become closer.
It is expected that Pacific Island countries will become popular with Chinese tourists in 2020.
Which one would you like to choose for your summer holiday?
Country | What you need to know | Language |
Fiji | The beaches and the forests there are well worth seeing. | Fijian & English |
Papua New Guinea | It is the largest Pacific Island country. | English & Tok Pisin |
Kingdom of Tonga | It is the first country in the world to start a new day. The Royal Palace of Tongan is very famous. | English & Tongan |
The Republic of Vanuatu | In Vanuatu, you'll find the world's only underwater post office. | English, French & Bislama |
1.Which country is the first one to start a new day?
A.Fiji. B.Papua New Guinea. C.Kingdom of Tonga. D.The Republic of Vanuatu.
2.People go to Fiji for their holidays mainly because .
A.things there are well worth seeing B.the underwater post office is exciting
C.they want to stay in the Royal Palace D.it is the largest Pacific Island country
3.Which language is spoken in all the four Pacific Island countries?
A.Tok Pisin. B.Bislama. C.French. D.English.
4.What is the purpose of the text?
A..To ask for some help. B.To offer holiday choices.
C.To answer a question. D.To introduce some languages.
My father was a printer. He loved his work and always wore a printer ’s four-cornered newspaper hat. Every day after work, he_______________a page into a small hat and gently placed it on my head.
I didn’t like it but I had to wear the newspaper hat until bedtime. My father could not hear, but he learned how to speak with his hands. Sometimes my father felt _________________about the way he was treated by his fellow workers who could hear. Because they couldn’t talk to him with their hands, they seemed to ignore him. But my father did not lack friends because there were other deaf printers in the factory who had also learned to talk with their hands.
One day, while the huge presses (印刷机) ran, with their noises_______________out all other sound, my father noticed a fire flickering in a far corner of the pressroom. The fire was spreading quickly and silently. Suddenly the wood floor burst into flames (火焰).
My father knew he had to tell everyone. He jumped onto an ink drum and _______________his arms excitedly. Luckily he caught the attention of a fellow printer who also couldn’t hear. My father ’s hands shouted through the terrible noise of the printing presses, FIRE! FIRE!TELL EVERYONE TO GET OUT! TELL THE HEARING ONES!
His friend ran to fellow workers who could hear, then he _______________to the fire, which had now spread to the wall next to the only exit. Everybody saw the fire and went out quickly.
My father didn’t escape until all the workers got out. They were happy to be_______________.
When my father went back to the work, his co-workers gathered around him. They presented him with a hat made of the freshly printed newspaper and my father put it on his head. All the printers who could hear did something ______________. They told him THANK YOU with their hands.
That night, my father placed the newspaper hat that his fellow painters had given him gently on my head. I didn’t take off my hat, but wore carefully to bed. I _______________I was standing next to my father on the printing press floor, turning lead-type letters into words and sentences.
1.A.dug B.broke C.folded D.burned
2.A.sad B.happy C.relaxed D.scared
3.A.giving B.picking C.turning D.shutting
4.A.lifted B.waved C.touched D.protected
5.A.moved B.looked C.shouted D.pointed
6.A.alone B.alive C.awake D.asleep
7.A.surprising B.interesting C.frightening D.disappointing
8.A.guessed B.wondered C.imagined D.believed
— Can you tell me________during this winter holiday? —Every day.
A.how long did you exercise B.how long you exercised
C.how often did you exercise D.how often you exercised
