PAGE FIVE:LISTENING
Ballet is a special form of art.
It is based on the dancers' steps and their graceful gestures and movements.
Ballet can tell stories or express moods.
But it always presents ideas through dance instead of speech.
This type of classical dance began about four hundred years ago.
Gradually,it became a stage show on its own in the eighteenth century.
Today,ballet has become a favorite means of entertainment for many people in China
Through television,live broadcasts of 'Swan Lake'
and 'Sleeping Beauty' have entered millions of ordinary people's homes.
To become a ballet dancer is no easy job.
First of all,the dancers have to be of a certain height and build.
Training usually starts at an early age
and the dancers have to practise very hard every day in the dance studio.
They learn to control their muscles and dance on points;
they also learn to use their special body language
to signal all kinds of messages with charm and beauty.

芭蕾舞是一種特殊的藝術形式。
舞者的舞步以及他們優(yōu)雅的姿勢和動作是芭蕾的重要基礎。
芭蕾舞能夠用來講述故事或者表達心情。
但是這些想法通常是通過舞蹈而不是通過說的方式來表現。
這種古典舞蹈形式是從四百多年前開始的。
在十八世紀，芭蕾漸漸地發(fā)展成為了一種舞臺表演。
今天，芭蕾已經成為了很多中國人喜愛的一種娛樂方式。
《天鵝湖》和《睡美人》已經通過電視直播的方式走進了千家萬戶。
然而要成為一個芭蕾舞者也不是件容易的事。
首先，所有芭蕾舞者的身高和體型都必須一致。
芭蕾舞者從很小就開始練習芭蕾舞，
并且得在舞蹈室日復一日的刻苦訓練。
他們要學會怎樣控制肌肉和用腳尖舞蹈;
他們還得學習怎樣使用他們特殊的身體語言
來優(yōu)美的表達（舞蹈要表達的)意思。