CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition of storytelling.

　　“It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form. whose time has come again,” said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival in Wales.

　　“Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.

　　Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.

　　Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.

　　“It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here.” Ambrose said.

　　1. Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling _______.

　　A. will be more popular than TV

　　B. will be popular again

　　C. started in Wales

　　D. are in the hands of some old people

　　2. From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn _______.

　　A. about their life as early as thousands of years ago

　　B. why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way

　　C. how cold it has been where the Inuit live

　　D. how difficult it is to understand the Inuit

　　3. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true?

　　A. Storytelling once stopped in Wales.

　　B. Storytelling has a long history in Wales.

　　C. Storytelling is always well received in Wales.

　　D. Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales.

　　4. The underlined phrase in good hands means _______.

　　A. controlled by rich people  B. grasped by good storytellers

　　C. taken good care of   D. protected by kind people

background information

当昼短夜长，渐入深冬之时，还有什么比在听故事的时候来上一杯可可——或者更浓郁的饮料——更能够放松的呢？传统的说故事可以让你一下子从寒冷的黑夜来到另一个世界和时空。

神话和魔法、民间故事和传说、游记和冒险，或者仅仅是伴随几声大笑的喧闹嬉戏，都可以让人们尽情放松自我。

十月份的爱丁堡将迎来一年一度、为期十天的说故事节，这是延续口述故事传统和感受多元文化的盛事，为苏格兰人带来其他国家的故事讲述者和音乐家。

爱丁堡国际说故事节的主要举办场地是位于皇家英里大道的Netherbow剧场，这里是爱丁堡老城区的核心地带。说故事节的活动给成年人和儿童提供许多参与机会，并受到苏格兰同乐会传统的影响，希望通过分享故事、音乐、歌曲和民谣的方式把人们团结在一起。

more inf http://www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk/

vocabulary

govern ：管理，掌管

revive：复活，再生

　【答案解析】

　　短文介绍了威尔斯故事节的有关情况。

　　1. B。推断题。根据 …but this is an unusual art form. whose time has come again 可以推断这种讲故事的传统会再度受到欢迎。

　　2. A。细节题。根据 Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old 可推知此题答案为 A。

　　3. D。细节题。文中说Ambrose started the festival in 1993，Ambrose1993年创办了这个节，但并不等于说讲故事的传统1993年才恢复的，这是两码事。故选D。

　　4. C。词义猜测题。从 as all the Welsh are storytellers 可以推断出 in good hands 是“照顾得好或举办得好”的意思，故选 C。