英国大使馆文化教育处

Plays are an important part of Britishculture. You can find professional theatresin every city， and acting is also a popularhobby in schools and villages across thecountry.

There are around 2，500 dramaclubs in the UK today and they performthousands of plays every year. People join the clubs because they like actingand also want to meet new people. Being in the club uses a lot of their freetime， but it is also lots of fun.

Not everyone in a drama club is a good actor， and talent is not the mostimportant thing — having fun is！ Friends， family members and neighboursenjoy watching the final performance and seeing people they know on stage. Inthe countryside， where there are no cinemas or theatres， drama clubs might bethe only place people can watch a play.

Many people start acting at school. Every school has a Christmas play andparents love watching their children perform. Ask any British person and theyresure to have happy memories of being in their schools Christmas play.

British people love going to the theatre， professional or not， and many ofthem also enjoy performing. If you can， go and see a play in the UK！

Activity 1 Decide which word （1～7） goes with which meaning （a～g）.

1. act （verb）  2. culture 3. drama 4. perform 5. performance 6. professional 7. talent

a. About theatre plays.

b. A show of singing， dancing， music or theatre.

c. Connected with a job that needs special training or skill.

d. What actors do.

e. A natural ability to do sth well.

f. Singing， dancing， playing music or being in a play in front of people.

g. The way of life of a group of people.

Activity 2 Read again and choose the correct answer in sentences 1～3.

1. Its important / not important to be a good actor when you join adrama club.

2. In the countryside there are lots of / not many theatres.

3. School plays are really popular / not popular at all.

Activity 3 Choose the best verb for each sentence below， using “ing”.Use each verb only once.

dance paint play sleep work write

1. the piano in front of people makes me feel afraid.

2. Daniel enjoys stories.

3. I love . I usually wake up at 11 or 12 at the weekends.

4. She studies art and is good at .

5. is usually more popular with girls than boys.

6. People sometimes feel tired after all day.

Activity 4

Do you like going to the theatre？ Have you ever been in a play？

參考答案：Activity 11. d; 2. g; 3. a; 4. f; 5. b; 6. c; 7. eActivity 21. not important; 2. not many; 3. popularActivity 31. Playing; 2. writing; 3. sleeping; 4. painting; 5. Dancing; 6. working