4000 Essential English Words 6 » Unit 25: Hundred Plays

Word List
  • acrobat [ˈækrəbæt] 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.
  • advocacy [ˈædvəkəsi] n.
    Advocacy is the act of supporting or recommending something.
    → Janine’s strong advocacy for the event made people want to attend.
  • communal [ˈkəmjuːnl] 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.
  • fluid [ˈfluːid] adj.
    If something is fluid, it is smooth and moves gracefully.
    → Boris was a famous ballet dancer because people admired his fluid movements.
  • harmonize [ˈhɑːrmənaiz] v.
    To harmonize means to make different things go well together.
    → The sweet and sour flavors of the dish harmonized well and tasted great.
  • industrious [inˈdʌstriəs] adj.
    If someone is industrious, they work hard.
    → Dennis was very industrious, so he never had problems finding a job.
  • inventive [inˈventiv] adj.
    When someone is inventive, they are good at creating new things.
    → The inventive student built a robot to help her with her chores.
  • judicial [dʒuːˈdiʃəl] adj.
    If something is judicial, it is related to judges or courts of law.
    → The laws changed the way the judicial system was structured.
  • Mandarin [ˈmændərin] n.
    Mandarin is one of the two main Chinese languages.
    → Although John’s parents both spoke Mandarin, he could only speak English.
  • metropolitan [ˌmetrəˈpɒlitən] adj.
    If something is metropolitan, it relates to a large city.
    → All of the metropolitan excitement of New York City made Rufus nervous.
  • mimic [ˈmimik] v.
    To mimic something means to copy the way it sounds or moves.
    → The hunter mimicked a duck’s call and shot the two ducks that called back.
  • misguided [ˌmisˈgaidid] adj.
    When something is misguided, it is based on bad judgment or wrong beliefs.
    → The snake bit Molly during her misguided attempt to grab it.
  • rehearse [riˈhəːrs] 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.
  • scorn [ˈskɔːrn] v.
    To scorn someone means to behave without respect toward them.
    → The criminal was scorned by everyone in the community.
  • sensory [ˈsensəri] adj.
    If something is sensory, it is related to the senses.
    → Iris and Eric preferred the sensory thrill of watching movies in the theater.
  • staple [ˈsteipəl] adj.
    If something is staple, it is standard or basic.
    → Hamburgers, steaks and hotdogs are staple foods to cook on a grill.
  • statute [ˈstætjuːt] 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.
  • veteran [ˈvetərən] n.
    A veteran is someone who has a lot of experience doing something.
    → Hank was the team veteran and had played in more games than anyone else.
  • villain [ˈvilən] n.
    A villain is an evil person who breaks the law or hurts others.
    → The villain escaped with half of my family’s valuables.
  • vine [vain] n.
    A vine is a plant that has long, twisting stems and climbs upward.
    → The branches of the trees were covered with vines.
Exercise 1

Choose the one 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
Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the word bank.

WORD BLANK
industrious communal rehearsed metropolitan
fluid statutes acrobats inventive
Mandarin judicial    

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.
They shared almost everything and were 4___________ about finding new uses for old things.

The 5___________ system has many roles.
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.

Exercise 3

Write C if the italicized word is used correctly. Write I if the word is used incorrectly.

  1. ______ The animal rights advocacy group worked to protect animals.
  2. ______ He was well-liked by people in his class. A lot of people scorned him.
  3. ______ Going on a rollercoaster is a wild sensory experience.
  4. ______ Items like sunscreen, towel and bathing suit are staple items needed for the beach.
  5. ______ The hotel had a communal kitchen that the guests were free to use.
  6. ______ The acrobat had studied biology for many years before he became successful.
  7. ______ The audience rehearsed the play for the actors.
  8. ______ Chris’s actions were misguided. He should have found out the facts first.
  9. ______ The people of the small town were very metropolitan.
  10. ______ Mandarin Chinese is said to be one of the hardest languagest o learn.
  11. ______ Kayla watched the fluid motions of the graceful bird.
  12. ______ The statute was placed in front of the new police station.
  13. ______ The singers harmonized during the last part of the song. It sounded lovely.
  14. ______ After his shoelaces tore, the inventive boy used floss to tie his shoes together.
  15. ______ Mrs. Campbell’s son was lazy and industrious.
  16. ______ I’m interested in getting a job as a judicial officer, like my father the judge.
  17. ______ Some insects mimic the appearance of poisonous bugs to keep predators away.
  18. ______ The veteran gave my pet dog medicine to feel better.
  19. ______ Long vines grew around the side of the house and covered up the front wall.
  20. ______ The villain helped the family escape their house when it caught fire.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. b
  2. b
  3. d
  4. c
  5. a
Exercise 2
  1. acrobats
  2. fluid
  3. communal
  4. inventive
  5. judicial
  6. statutes
  7. rehearsed
  8. industrious
  9. Mandarin
  10. metropolitan
Exercise 3
  1. C
  2. I
  3. C
  4. C
  5. C
  6. I
  7. I
  8. C
  9. I
  10. C
  11. C
  12. I
  13. C
  14. C
  15. I
  16. C
  17. C
  18. I
  19. C
  20. I
Answer Key
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 their staple food, rice. So what did they do? Since they had so much free time during the long, cold winters, the inventive farmers started performing tricks to entertain themselves. They used their farm tools and anything they could find to make their tricks more spectacular. They even twisted their bodies into crazy shapes and performed awesome jumps. Overtime, 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 work.

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 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 acrobats. They thought acrobats were villains. The rich people thought the acrobats 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. They performed for important people, including judicial officers. 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 staple 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. According to the passage, what were the early Chinese farmers like?
    _____________
  2. How are new acrobats trained?
    _____________
  3. What were the misguided judgments about acrobats in the past?
    _____________
  4. What unusual object was used by early acrobats to do tricks high above the ground?
    _____________
  5. How did the location and audience of a Hundred Play change after acrobats gained respect?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. F / The Chinese farmers became great acrobats while entertaining themselves during the winters.
  2. T
  3. T
  4. T
  5. F / Advocacy groups convinced the government to support Chinese acrobatics.
Part B
  1. According to the passage, the farmers were inventive and industrious.
  2. Acrobat’s training is communal. A veteran performer teaches the young people in the village.
  3. In the past, people thought that acrobats were villains and just wanted to trick rich people.
  4. The acrobats used vines to perform tricks high above the ground.
  5. The acrobats were invited to perform in metropolitan areas as well as villages and performed for judicial officers and other important people.
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