Unit 1 补充阅读理解练习 The Monkey King： A Chinese story with universal appeal 阅读原文 2023-2024学年人教版（2019）高中英语选择性必修第二册.docxVIP

The Monkey King: A Chinese story with universal appeal The Monkey King, like many famous fictional heroes — Harry Potter, Batman, Little Orphan Annie — had an unhappy childhood. Sprung from a rock on a mythical mountain, he overcame early hardship to hone his fighting skills, learning to somersault over clouds and to turn each hair on his body into a version of his warrior self. With his mix of mischief and might, he is similar to many superheroes in Hollywood movies. But the Monkey King is different: he is more than 400 years old and comes from China. Released on Netflix in August, a new animated version of “The Monkey King” is full of dramas, as Monkey faces down 100 demons and tries to achieve immortality. The film is the latest in a long line of adaptations of “Journey to the West”, one of the most famous novels in Chinese literature, published in the Ming Dynasty. The novel is a fantastical retelling of a journey undertaken by a monk in the seventh century to find sacred Buddhist scriptures; the “West” in its title refers to India. In the past century the book has been adapted into more than 60 films, countless TV shows, children’s books, video games, a theme park and Lego toys. Japan has been behind several successful adaptations, including “Dragon Ball”, a manga version of the story that has sold millions of copies and been developed into a gaming franchise. As in all good storytelling, from Shakespeare to Star Wars, the ultimate fight in this story is for the protagonist’s soul. Monkey King’s physical journey is overlaid with a mental one. Each Monkey King retelling has served as a mirror on its times, reflecting the anxieties of its creators. Some interpretations have concentrated on the need for discipline to silence the inner voice. Others stress the democratising theme of a lowly being rising to great heights. Flexible interpretation of the novel’s message has allowed the story to thrive in China. There are a lot of original stories that can be expl