CCTV9英语新闻：道具团队加入中央电视台春节联欢晚会

In the lead up to the big night of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, organizers have been busying to get things ready. We followed one of the directors during the penultimate rehearsal¹, to see how the stage props² and costumes are coming along for the hundreds of performers.

Looking worthy³ of any feast. But these dumplings are not for eating. They are part of the stage props.

Wang Jing is leading the stage props team of the Spring Festival Gala for a third year.

The team prepares items for cross-talks, sketches⁵ and dances, almost everything needed on stage.

"This car is for Pan Changjiang and Cai Ming's sketch⁴. Most of their performance will be in it. It looks like a real hand-me-down, but it took us more than a month to make. It's all wooden, but it has all the necessary functions. Including a special one, that I'm going to leave as a surprise for when you watch the show," Wang said.

But not all props are tailor made like this car. Most of them are recycled from previous shows and galas. The value of frugality⁶ goes for costumes too.

This year, only 100 sets were newly made, for performers representing the 56 ethnic⁷ groups of China.

The stage props team has taken two months to prepare nearly 900 sets of costumes. Mostly reused, some new, but they will all look fabulous⁸ when the actors appear wearing them on the gala stage.

The props team are always on hand to do some tailoring. But finding that perfect outfit⁹ can take time and effort.

"This jacket is for Pan Changjiang. We had to go to film producers to look for it. It's a real 1960s jacket. And, to be frank, it was hard to find one that suits Pan's figure really well. It really took us a long time," said Lin Fengguang, costume organizer of CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

But to the surprise of Lin, it's effort that may have been in vain.

"The director said this jacket looks too old, so I'll try this newer jacket for this rehearsal. And the old car? It needs to be made newer too. We'll have to see," said Pan Changjiang, a sketch comedian¹⁰.

The gala goes through a series of rehearsals¹¹ before airing on the Lunar New Year's Eve. At each one, performances are polished, and programs could face the chop. The audience will only know how it looks on the night, building up the expectations to the big show.

 

1 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

2 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。

3 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

4 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

5 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 frugality   

n.节约，节俭

参考例句：

• We must build up our country with industry and frugality.我们必须勤俭建国。
• By frugality she managed to get along on her small salary.凭着节俭，她设法以自己微薄的薪水生活。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

8 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

9 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

10 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

11 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》