A：晓华，特别感谢你邀请我来看京剧，我还从来没看过呢。我有预感，今晚将会是我人生中最精彩刺激的其中一个晚上。跟我讲讲《锁麟囊》这部戏吧，这是个什么故事? B: Sure. I’ll quickly walk you through the storylin

A: Xiaohua, thank you so much for inviting me to watch Peking Opera. I’ve never seen it before, and I have a feeling that it’s going to be one of the most exciting nights I’ll ever have. Tell me again about this show, The Unicorn Purse. What’s the story about?
B：好啊，我给你简单讲讲。《锁麟囊》是京剧里一出非常经典的戏，它讲的是从前有一位姓薛的富家小姐，帮助了一位姓赵的穷姑娘。几年后，薛小姐遭遇不幸，被迫做了奴婢，而她所在的这户人家的女主人，正是当年她帮助过的赵姑娘。赵姑娘始终非常感激薛小姐，两人相认后，她立刻将薛小姐当作贵客来接待。这个故事讲述了人与人之间的珍贵情谊，也蕴含着世事无常的道理。
A: Wow, sounds interesting! And it’s a bit philosophical, too. I heard there are fighting scenes in some shows, and the actors will really fight with each other on the stage, with fake weapons though. But according to your briefing of the tale, maybe I shouldn’t expect such things as live kung fu shows tonight.
B：没错，《锁麟囊》没有武戏。但里面的唱段很好听，故事也非常精彩，绝对值得一看。对了，这出戏里还有京剧独特的水袖表演。表演时，长长的袖子像水一样舞动，优雅极了。当然，京剧中也有很多作品讲述的是中国古代著名的战役。在这些戏中，就有打斗场面了。很多京剧演员不仅要会唱、会说，还要掌握很多高难度的肢体动作，对演员来讲是个不小的挑战。
A: Yes, I can totally imagine that. Speaking of actors, is Peking Opera actor a popular job choice among young people in China? The Peking Opera mask and costume look cool to me, and it’s even more amazing to be able to sing, dance and fight on the stage. But I’m also aware that these techniques might take years to master.
B：是的。做京剧这行的，很多人都是从小就开始训练，很少有休息的时间。所以，没有毅力、决心和天赋的人，是无法成为京剧演员的。而很多人正是因为练习太辛苦，而放弃从事这个行业。另外，现在的年轻人也更倾向于选择金融、管理等高薪职业。弘扬中国传统文化，还任重道远啊。