A master of pingshu—Shan Tianfang

河南郑州第十一中学 谷战峰

一桌一椅一把扇，一卷抚尺半生缘。

一代枭雄话众生，一种声音响人间。

天堂若再无疾病，梦里红烛照无眠。

且行且听再分解，中国经典永流传！

2018年9月11日，评书大师单田芳因病逝世，享年83岁。国内媒体报道、纪念单田芳的同时，美国《纽约时报》也发布了长文讣告，并评价他：“将古老的评书传统推向现代，让几代中国人得以欣赏。”

Shan Tianfang was born on Dec.17， 1934，in Tianjin， China.Growing up in 1950s’China in a family of folk art performers，he deeply realized that it was a life of constant financial troubles and low social status.Mr Shan tried for many years to avoid becoming a performer of pingshu，the Song Dynasty-era storytelling tradition.

So it was with great reluctance when，out of financial necessity，he became an apprentice（学徒）to a family friend who was a master of pingshu.He made his first performance in 1956.

Mr Shan grew to love the storytelling form，which is popular across northern China.It is a demanding profession that combines acting，oration， writing， historical research and literary criticism and requires countless hours of memorization.

For his first radio performance that an abridged（节略版的）version of the historical novel The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties，MrShaninvitedthestudio'sthree recordists as his audiences and adjusted hisperformance based on their reactions.

Over six decades，Mr Shan recorded more than 110 stories for radio and television totaling about 12，000 episodes （ 片 段 ） and spanning 6，000 hours.His best-known works include his versions of Chinese classics like White-Eyebrow Hero and Sanxia Wuyi,and his dramatizations（戏剧化）of historical figures like Zhuge Liang and Lin Zexu.

But in recent years many of the great pingshu performers have died，and the tradition is fading（逐渐消失）.By the time Mr Shan retired in 2007，interest in pingshu among Chinese had all butbeenreplacedbymobilephonesandgaming.

Nevertheless， even after retiring， Mr Shan worked tirelessly to promote pingshu among young Chinese，instructing apprentices and starting a schooldedicated tothe folk arts.

Ever willing toadapt tonew technologies，he posted a message to his Sina Weibo microblog account on Sept.6，five days before his death.It was an announcement about a new live-streaming（视频直播的）lecture series about pingshu.

Reading Check Complete the following summary according to the text with only one word for each blank.

Shan Tianfang first tried to avoid becoming a 1._____of pingshu，but he grew to 2._____the storytelling form.Over six 3___.__，he recorded more than 110 stories.Even after retiring，he made use of new 4._____and worked tirelessly to 5.___________pingshu among young Chinese.

Language StudyDifficult sentences

1.Growing up in 1950s’China in a family of folk art performers，he deeply realized that it was a life of constant financial troubles and low social status.

翻译：________________________________

【点石成金】本句中的现在分词短语growing up in意为“成长于”，在句中做伴随状语。

2.So it was with great reluctance when，out of financial necessity，he became an apprentice to a family friend who was a master of pingshu.

翻译：_______________________________

【点石成金】本句是一个结构比较复杂的复合句。其主句是it was with...；when引导时间状语从句，意为“当……时”；介词短语out of financial necessity意为“由于经济上的需求”，在句中做原因状语。

3.For his first radio performance that an abridged version of the historical novel The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties，Mr Shan invited the studio's three recordists as his audiences and adjusted his performance based on their reactions.

翻译：_______________________________

【点石成金】本句中的that引导的是同位语从句；invite sb as...意为“邀请某人作为……”。base on意为“根据……”，本句中，based on是过去分词做后置定语。

Using Language

Ⅰ.Important phrases in the text

1.with great reluctance非常不情愿

2.out of financial necessity出于经济上的需求

3.a master of……的大师

4.be dedicated to致力于……

5.adapt to适应……

Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences in correct forms with the phrases given above.

1.John was so__________his career that he often stayed up late.

2.These poorvillagerswillsign the agreement__________.

3.He is __________of lying，so no one wants to talk with him.

4.For some rare animals，to__________a new environment is a painful process.

5.She went to the concert __________because she didn't like pop music at all.

Cultural Background

Pingshu Definition

什么是评书

In the pingshu tradition，the performer wears a traditional gown （长袍）and sits behind a desk equipped with a folding fan and a wooden block，which is used like a gavel （小槌）.The storyteller recounts a legend-typically a classical Chinese epic—from memory， using different voices and exaggerated（夸张的）gestures as well as adding occasional background detail and commentary.

在评书的传统中，表演者身着传统的长袍，坐在桌子后面。桌上有一把折扇和一个作醒木之用的木块。说书人通常讲述的是来自中国古典史诗的传奇故事。他们根据记忆来表演，使用不同的声音、夸张的手势，偶尔还加入背景细节和评论。