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陈觉法

A

When it comes to fondant （翻糖） modelling， there are few food artists in the world who can even hold a candle to Zhou Yi， China's famous “Sugar King”. His amazing sculptures are so incredibly detailed that they definitely qualify as “too good to eat”.

The first time we featured Sugar King on Oddity Central was in early 2018， just after he blew everyone's minds at the International Cake Competition， where he and his team managed to win three gold medals and one bronze， with an incredible cake featuring an awe-inspiring fondant sculpture of Empress Wu Zetian， the only female ruler in China's history， as a young woman. It was so detailed that judges could literally count her eyelashes. He was the first Chinese artist to get a gold medal， and even though he was already very popular on Chinese social media， his fame grew even more after being featured in national and international news outlets.

Zhou Yi claims that he didn't do very good in middle school and high school， so teachers didn't particularly like him. But just because he didn't like studying didn't mean he couldn't find a career， and he somehow managed to find his way in life pretty quickly. He started studying dough （面團） modelling under master Wang Long， and discovered that he was really good at making dough figurines. It proved a lucrative skill to master， but despite making more than enough money from it， he eventually got bored with it.

As a young man， Zhou Yi got bored of recreating the same traditional dough figurines that people wanted to buy; he wanted to do something new， and fondant allowed him to do just that. About a decade ago， Zhou arrived in Suzhou and discovered that fondant was much better suited for modelling into detailed sculptures. However， it took a lot of trial and error to get the material just right. He would work late into the night， fall asleep on the floor， get up and start working again. But it all paid off in the end.

The major breakthrough came when Zhou managed to shape the fondant into a delicate sheet about as thin as paper， which he could use to create his models' clothes， hair and complicated details. He opened his own shop， started posting the result of his work online， and soon Sugar King became a famous brand in China. Today， he is considered one of the most talented artists of the world.

Zhou Yi's handmade masterpieces sell for small fortunes， and he has legions of online fans who can't get enough of his detailed creations. To pass down the art he learned from Wang Long， as well as his own secrets， the Sugar King has opened his own dough and fondant modelling school.

1. What does the author mean by “The first time ... Cake Competition” in Para. 2？

A. Zhou beat all the other competitors.

B. Zhou was first reported in the media.

C. Zhou's skill amazed everyone present.

D. They interviewed Zhou about Oddity Central.

2. Which of the following best explains “lucrative” underlined in Para. 3？

A. saving B. profitable C. useful D. interesting

3. What do you learn about Zhou and the dough modelling？

A. He felt it was too boring and gave up.

B. He was too slow to learn the skill.

C. He changed the tradition thoroughly.

D. He thought it was too old and backward.

4. Which is the probably the most difficult for Zhou？

A. To make the figure true to life.

B. To find the appropriate materials.

C. To make the fondant as thin as possible.

D. To live with the skill as a lifelong career.

5. What would Zhou think is his main contribution to the traditional skill？

A. He passes on the skill. B. He uses a new material.

C. He gets a lifelong career. D. He makes a lot of money.

B

Four years ago， Rita Gaviola was a 13-year-old street beggar in the Filipino town of Lucban. Since then she has worked with some of the world's hottest brands as a fashion model， starred on hit reality TV shows and gained over 100，000 Instagram followers. And it was all thanks to a random photo...

Rita Gaviola's incredible “rags to riches” story began in 2016. Back then， she was asking for alms （施舍物） on the streets of Lucban， to help her family make ends meet. Her father worked as a garbage collector and her mother stayed home to look after her and her five siblings. None of the children attended school at the time and the family barely managed to put food on the table， so Rita often went out to beg for change or food donations. That's how she was spotted by Filipino photographer Topher Quinto Burgos， who happened to be attending the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban， in May 2016. He was attracted by her natural beauty and posted the photos of her on the Internet， changing the girl's life completely with a single click of the “upload” button.

A photo of the 13-year-old girl went viral almost immediately， with people praising her natural beauty. A member of the Badjao ethnic minority， she was nicknamed “Badjao Girl” and attracted the attention of several Filipino beauty queens， all of whom did their best to help the girl crawl out of poverty.

Celebrities like Miss World Philippines 2015 Hillarie Danielle Parungao， Miss International Philippines 2014 Bianca Guidotti， and Miss Earth 2015 Angelia Ong all took to social media to praise Rita's model-like physique （體形） and striking facial features， and that drew even more attention to the Lucban street beggar.

Before she knew it， the 13-year-old was giving interviews， modelling for various brands， landing small roles in TV series， and becoming one of the youngest people to be on international reality show Big Brother. All the hype around Badjao Girl also helped her build an online audience， including fans from overseas， some of whom helped her and her family financially.

In 2018， Rita Gaviola uploaded a YouTube video showcasing her family's new house and thanking a certain Grace Kreutzer， a loyal US fan who had reportedly sponsored （赞助） the construction of the new home.

Even though the hype around her has died down in the last couple of years， she remains very popular on Filipino social media， particularly Instagram， where she has over 100，000 followers. She reportedly still models from time to time， but is currently prioritizing her education.

Rita Gaviola is seen as proof that Cinderella-like stories are possible in real-life， if the stars align perfectly. In Rita's case， all it took was a photo and her presence in the right place， at the right time.

1. What has led Rita Gaviola to be so well-known？

A. Her industrious character. B. Her good looks and figure.

C. Her kind-hearted character.  D. Her bravery and persistence.

2. What does the author mean by “changing the girl's life ... ‘upload’ button” in Para. 2？

A. It is very good to surf the Internet more.

B. The Internet has made people's life easier.

C. It is the photographer who's saved her family.

D. It is the power of the Internet that's changed her life.

3. What does the expression “hype” in Para. 5 mean？

A. interesting stories      B. intensive publicity

C. kind-hearted people      D. kinds of discussions

4. What is Rita Gaviola mainly doing at present？

A. She is studying at school. B. She is doing a reality show.

C. She is doing business as a model. D. She is hosting a show on TV.

5. What does her story indicate according to the author？

A. Even a poor person has his turn. B. Where there's a will， there's a way.

C. Opportunity is very important in life. D. God helps those who help themselves.