—Of course. If she is free this afternoon.

—The bus? If you            , you will be late.

—          else, I think. We've got everything ready.

    Beijing Opera is also called Peking Opera. It came into being after 1790 when the four famous Anhui opera troupes(戏班) came to Beijing. Its music and singing(唱腔) come from Xipi and Erhuang in Hubei and Anhui. Its costumes(服装) are all fascinating and artistic. It is the highest expression of the Chinese culture. It's full of famous stories, beautiful facial paintings and wonderful gestures(姿势) and fights. This kind of opera is very popular with Chinese.

    There are four main roles in Beijing Opera：Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Sheng is the leading male role. For example, a Wusheng is a soldier or a fighter. A Xiaosheng is a young man. A Laosheng is an old man. Dan is the leading female role. Jing, mostly male, is the face-painted role and Chou is the comedy actor or the clown.

    Stories in Beijing Opera are very interesting. Some of them are from history books, but most of them are from the literature, especially some famous novels. The people in the story usually have some disagreements. They become angry and unhappy. They are sad and lonely. Sometimes they are nervous and worried. Then they find a way to make peace. The stories usually end with happiness and laughter and people are all happy in the end.

A：Hi, Betty. What are you doing on the Internet?

B：

A：Beijing Opera？Many old people like it. Do you like it?

B：Yes, I like it very much. What about you?

A：Sorry, I don't. By the way(顺便问一下), do you like reading books?

B：Yes, I like reading novels.

A：Me too.

B：Mark Twain's. I like his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer(《汤姆·索亚历险记》) best.

A：Can you tell me something about him?

B： He was also good at telling jokes(笑话).

A：When and where was he born？What is he famous for?

B：Let's search them on the Internet.

A：Good idea.

    Charlie Chaplin spent over 70 years acting both on stages and in films. But do you know 1 he began his artistic(演艺生涯) career?

    When Chaplin was five years old, his father died. His mother thought she was rather ill, had to go on with her work as a 2 in order to make a living and she took little Chaplin along with her because no one took care of him at home.

    Once when she was giving a performance on the stage. 3 chocked(卡住) her throat, and she could not go on. People whistled(吹口哨) and 4. At that time, little Chaplin ran to the stage and 5 his mother. He wanted to help her. He cleverly sang as his mother did. He acted 6 that the audience all laughed merrily. They tossed(扔) coins to the stage 7 his humorous acting and pleasing voice.

    Seeing this little Chaplin said to the audience. “Wait till I 8 please.” All the audience burst out laughing at his words. When the boss helped him and left the stage. Chaplin said. “The boss must have put 9 into his pockets, so I have to go to ask him.” And he did leave the stage for a while. The audience laughed themselves to tears at his performance.10 they welcomed little Chaplin wherever he went. This was how Charlie Chaplin began his career.

    Good news！For the coming film festival，there are some promotions(促销) in Times Cinema. This festival lasts seven days, from Friday, June 20^th, 2014 to Thursday, June 26^th, 2014. Here is the poster.