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.

芭蕾舞是一种特殊的艺术形式。
舞者的舞步以及他们优雅的姿势和动作是芭蕾的重要基础。
芭蕾舞能够用来讲述故事或者表达心情。
但是这些想法通常是通过舞蹈而不是通过说的方式来表现。
这种古典舞蹈形式是从四百多年前开始的。
在十八世纪，芭蕾渐渐地发展成为了一种舞台表演。
今天，芭蕾已经成为了很多中国人喜爱的一种娱乐方式。
《天鹅湖》和《睡美人》已经通过电视直播的方式走进了千家万户。
然而要成为一个芭蕾舞者也不是件容易的事。
首先，所有芭蕾舞者的身高和体型都必须一致。
芭蕾舞者从很小就开始练习芭蕾舞，
并且得在舞蹈室日复一日的刻苦训练。
他们要学会怎样控制肌肉和用脚尖舞蹈;
他们还得学习怎样使用他们特殊的身体语言
来优美的表达（舞蹈要表达的)意思。