 The naive fellow has never met a thief and firmly believes that he lives in a world without thieves. And, the female thief fights against other thieves only to protect this guy's "daydream". Sound strange? Then go to the cinema to see what happens in "A World Without Thieves" (Tianxia Wuzei). It's the latest offering from Chinese director Feng Xiaogang. The film will hit mainland cinemas on December 9, 2004. Adapted from the book of the same name, it tells the story of a couple, both of them skillful thieves, who find their consciences on a thief-filled train. Wang Bo (Andy Lau, or Liu Dehua) is a master pickpocket from Hong Kong. Wang Li (Rene Liu, or Liu Ruoying) is a "talented" cheat from Taiwan. They're partners in crime and passion, and cheat their way across China, until one day they run into Shagen (Wang Baoqiang) at a railway station. An orphan since birth, Shagen spends more time with wolves than with men. He believes in the basic goodness of human nature and is convinced that he lives in a world without thieves. Having saved up 60,000 yuan after five years of hard work, he decides to go back to his hometown, build a house and get married. However, the train Shagen boards is full of thieves. Besides Wang Bo and Wang Li, there is a gang of highwaymen under the control of Uncle Bill (Ge You). While Bill's men are trying to get Shagen's savings, Wang Li takes it on herself to be his protector. Feng Xiaogang has become a supplier of New Year's movies in China. For four consecutive years, he has caused a nationwide media excitement at the end of each year. That started with 1998's "The Dream Factory" (Jiafang Yifang) and ran to last year's "Cell phone" (Shouji). With "A World without Thieves", Feng tries his hand at something beyond his standard humor. For the first time, he employs a lot of special effects. "I do like comedy, but I also want to know where my limits lie," said Feng, "The film is an experiment. It has special skills, love between thieves, as well as the rediscovery of conscience." Feng says the film is more like a fairy tale: It's two thieves trying to protect someone's "daydream". "You see, a fairy tale may expose more about life and human nature than another story. You don't change the world with a film, but you make people see and feel innocence, and that's my power." |
| 1. The underlined word "naive" means _________. |
| A. lovely B. interesting C. innocent D. smart |
| 2. Which of the following films is not directed by Feng Xiaogang? |
| A. Red River Valley B. A World Without Thieves C. The Dream Factory D. Cellphone |
| 3. It can be inferred from the text that _________. |
| A. Feng Xiaogang has directed more than three films since 1998. B. This film was first on show on December 9, 2004. C. Wang Bo and Wang Li are in the charge of Uncle Bill. D. Feng Xiaogang likes fairy tales. |
| 4. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage? |
| A. Introduction of Feng Xiaogang B. Introduction of Liu Dehua C. Brief introduction of Feng's film - A World Without Thieves D. Feng's opinion about his film - A World Without Thieves |
| 5. What's Feng's opinion about this film? |
| A. All the World is peaceful and perfect objects. B. The power of the film is to make people see and feel innocence. C. It's only a fairy tale. D. Let people rediscover their consciences by this film. |