1、第一篇文房四宝（the Four Treasures of the Study）是中国古代书画用具的总称，指纸、墨、毛笔与砚台（ink stone）。文房四宝的质量对绘画和书法起着决定性的作用。因此进行中国传统绘画和书法的文人都很注重这些用具的选择。唐宋时期（the Tang and Song Dynasties）的文房四宝因其质量优良与制作精美，为后世学者高度称颂。在某种程度上来说，“ 文房四宝 ”是促进中国传统文化发展的一个重要因素。 词汇难点： 书画用具 tools for painting and writing 是的总称 a general term for 毛笔 brush pen
2、 书法 calligraphy 起着决定性的作用 play a decisive/vital role in 文人 scholar 很注重 attach great/much importance to 为高度称颂 be highly praised by 在某种程度上 to some extent 促进发展 promote the development ofThe Four Treasures of the Study is a general term for a set of tools for painting and writing in ancient China, namely
3、 paper, ink, brush pen and ink stone. The quality of the Four Treasures of the Study plays a vital role in ones painting and calligraphy. Therefore, scholars engaging in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy attached much importance to the choice of the tools. The products of “the Four Treasu
4、res of the Study” elaborately made during the Tang and Song Dynasties are highly praised by later scholars for their superior quality. To some extent, the Four Treasures of the Study is an important factor which has promoted the development of traditional Chinese culture. 第二篇“中国梦”是一个新名词，于 2012年由习近平主
5、席首次提出。“ 中国梦”实质上指要实现中华民族的复兴（rejuvenation ）, 这是最伟大的梦想。具体来说，“中国梦”就是要让国人有更好的教育，更高的收入，更完善的医疗保健和良好的环境。为此，习近平主席呼吁年轻人敢于追求，努力去实现梦想。“中国梦”的提出增强了民族自豪感和民族自信心。 词汇难点： 提出 put forward; raise 实质上 in essence 中华民族伟大复兴 the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation 具体来说 To be specific; Specifically 医疗保健 medical and health care
6、呼吁年轻人 call upon young people; appeal to the youth 敢于追求 dare to pursue 实现梦想 fulfill/realize the dream 增强民族自豪感 enhance the sense of national pride 民族自信心 national confidence 使有资格；给予的权利 entitle sb to Chinese Dream is a new term first put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2012. Chinese Dream in essence
7、is to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, which is the biggest dream. Specifically, Chinese Dream is to entitle people to better education, higher incomes, better medical and health care, and better environment. To this end, President Xi Jinping called upon the youth to dare to pursue an
8、d work hard to fulfill their dreams. The introduction of Chinese Dream has enhanced the sense of national pride as well as national confidence. 第三篇眼下，“土豪 ”当属中国最热门词汇（ buzzword）之一，用来指称那些受教育不多且品味差的富人们。这是中国网友运用聪明才智和创造力为老词汇注入新生命的又一个例子。“ 土豪 ”曾指那些有钱有势、剥削农民的地主们。几年前，当中国魔兽（World of Warcraft）玩家用它来指代那些为强大的虚拟武器一
9、掷千金的有钱玩家时，它的意思就彻底变了。如今，“土豪” 这个词已被引入日常语言中。 词汇难点 品味差 poor taste网友 internet user创造力 creativity有权有势 rich and powerful剥削 exploit地主 landlord虚拟武器 virtual weapon一掷千金 spend big money/a considerable amount of money 引入 introduce日常语言 daily conversation One of the hottest buzzwords in China right now is “tuhao”,
10、 a term referring to rich people of little education and poor taste. This is another example of Chinese Internet users applying their wisdom and creativity to an aged phrase to give it a new life. The term used to mean rich and powerful landlords who exploited peasants. But a few years ago when Chin
11、ese players of the computer game “World of Warcraft” adapted this term to refer to rich players who spend big money on powerful virtual weapons, its meaning changed significantly. Now, this term has been introduced into daily conversation. 第四篇清明节（Tomb Sweeping Day）是中国最重要的传统节日之一。它起源于周朝，有2500多年的历史。清明节
12、是中国人扫墓祭祖的重要日子。扫墓时，人们携带酒食果品和纸钱到墓地，将食物供祭在亲人墓前，为坟墓添加新土、焚烧纸钱、行礼祭拜、最后吃掉酒食回家。除了扫墓，人们还参与包括荡秋千、放风筝等各种活动。 词汇难点 起源于 originate from扫墓 sweep the tombs是的重要日子 an important occasion for祭祖 offer sacrifices to ancestors纸钱 paper money新土 fresh soil行礼祭拜 kneel down in prayer and worship the ancestors荡秋千 play on a swing放
13、风筝 fly kites各种活动 a variety of activities The Tomb Sweeping Day is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. It originated from the Zhou Dynasty with a history of more than 2, 500 years. The Tomb Sweeping Day is an important occasion for people to sweep the tombs and offer sacrifices
14、to their ancestors. When visiting tombs, people carry wine, food, fruits and paper money. They put the food in front of the tombs, add some fresh soil to the tombs, burn paper money, kneel down in prayer and worship their ancestors, and finally eat up the food and drink the wine before going back ho
15、me. Apart from sweeping the tombs, people also take part in a variety of activities, such as playing on a swing, flying kites, etc. 第五篇为了让人们更好的记住年份，我们的祖先用12只动物来代表年份，即“十二生肖”（Chinese Zodiac）。每一年由一只动物代表，每隔12年进行一个循环，从鼠开始，以猪为结尾。每一种动物还有其独特的文化内涵。例如，牛年出生的人据说“勤奋、冷静、可靠” ，虎年出生的人则 “强大、勇敢、但又急躁 ”。十二生肖在亚洲的其他国家，如韩国
16、和日本也很流行。 词汇难点 祖先 ancestor代表 represent循环 come in a circle从开始，以结尾 begin withand end with独特的 unique牛年 the Year of Ox文化内涵 cultural connotation勤奋的 hard working可靠的 reliable急躁的 impatient In order to remember the years more easily, our ancestors used twelve animals to represent the years, which is called th
17、e “Chinese Zodiac”. Every year is represented by an animal and every 12 years comes in a circle beginning with Rat and ending with Pig. Each animal has its unique cultural connotations. For example, a person born in the Year of Ox is said to be hard working, calm, and reliable, while the person born
18、 in the Year of Tiger is powerful, brave, and impatient. The Chinese Zodiac remains popular as well in other Asian countries, such as Korea and Japan. 第六篇西湖是中国最著名的旅游景点之一。它位于浙江省省会杭州，水域面积约6平方公里。几个世纪以来，西湖一直以其秀美风景和文化古迹而闻名于世。西湖三面环山，一面临城，春夏秋冬各有特色，将自然、历史、艺术巧妙的融合在一起。每年西湖都会吸引上千万的游客到杭州观光旅游，杭州也因其自身的魅力被称之为“ 人间天
19、堂 ”。 词汇难点 旅游景点 tourist attraction; scenic spot省会 provincial capital水域面积 water area秀美风景 beautiful landscape/scenery文化古迹 cultural heritages三面环山 surrounded by mountains on three sides特色 unique feature; distinctive characteristic把巧妙的融合在一起 combineskillfully上千万的 tens of millions of魅力 charm人间天堂 paradise on
20、 earthThe West Lake is one of the most famous tourist attractions in China. Located in Hangzhou, provincial capital of Zhejiang Province, it covers a water area of around 6 square kilometers. For centuries, it has been well-known for both its beautiful landscape and cultural heritages. The West Lake
21、 is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the remaining side is connected with the city. It has its unique features in different seasons, combining skillfully nature, history and art. Every year, the West Lake attracts tens of millions of visitors to Hangzhou, which is known as “paradise on ear
22、th” because of its charm. 第七篇在中国，筷子是主要的餐具（tableware）。中国小孩最初是使用汤勺，但在他们一岁的时候就可以适用使用筷子。作为一份礼物，筷子就如他们的外形一样象征着爽直。中国的筷子没有尖尖的顶端，大部分中式筷子是用竹子制成的，当然也可以看到木筷子和塑料筷子。西方人用餐时一般用餐刀、餐叉。有些西方人可能非常会用筷子，但大多数人则不会。所以，在中国为西方客人摆餐具时，筷子旁边再摆上刀叉是很明智的做法。 词汇难点 主要的餐具 main tableware最初 At first,/ initially/ start with适用 adapt to/ get
23、 accustomed to sth (doing sth)象征着爽直 symbolize straightforwardness尖的/圆的/方的 pointed/ round/ square shaped用竹子/塑料制成 be made of bamboo/plastic餐刀餐叉 knives and forks非常会用 be quite good at摆餐桌 set a table招待客人 entertain guests很明智的做法 It is advisable to 第八篇 中国汉字是从图画、符号逐渐演变过形成的。中国历代都有大书法家，其书法艺术和风格成为所在朝代书法的典型代表。不同
24、于西方的油画，中国的传统绘画有独特的表现形式。由于最早的绘画和写字均使用同样的工具，并且都是以线条为主，故有“ 书画同源 ”之说。中国传统绘画作品一般都有题诗或题字，诗、书、画因而汇合成一个艺术整体，予人以更加丰厚的美学内涵（aesthetic connotation）。人物画、山水画和花鸟画均为传统绘画的重要画种。 词汇难点 1.中国汉字 Chinese characters2.逐渐演变 evolve from3.大书法家 great calligraphers (书法 calligraphy)4.典型代表 a typical example of / be typical of/ symb
25、olize5.不同于 Different from6.有独特的表现形式 be characterized by unique forms of expression7.书画同源 painting and calligraphy share the same origin8.予人以更加丰富的美学内涵 provide a richer aesthetic connotation9.人物画 figure painting 山水画 landscape painting花鸟画 flower-and-bird painting 油画 oil paintingChinese characters evolv
26、e from pictures and signs. Every dynasty has its great calligraphers whose styles come to symbolize their age. Different from Western oil painting, traditional Chinese painting is characterized by unique forms of expression. Since similar tools are used to draw the lines of the earliest painting and
27、 writing, painting and calligraphy are said to share the same origins. Chinese paintings usually include poetry or calligraphy, thus the three are integrated, providing a richer aesthetic connotation. Figure, landscape, and flower-and-bird paintings are major traditional painting genres. 第九篇中国是世界四大文
28、明古国之一，幅员辽阔（vast territory），山河壮丽，物产丰富，历史文化悠久。五千年的人文创造（humanistic creativity）和天工开物造就的自然景观为我们留下了景象骄人、数量繁多的名胜古迹，创造了辉煌的文化艺术。中国位于亚洲东部、太平洋西岸，面积960万平方公里。中国人口约13 亿，共有56 个民族，是世界上人口最多的国家。青藏高原（The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau）是海拔最高的高原，喜马拉雅山系（Himalayas）是世界上最大的山系，其主峰珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最高的山峰。 词汇难点 1.四大文明古国 four countries of great
29、ancient civilizations2.幅员辽阔 vast territory3.山河壮丽 magnificent mountains and rivers4.物产丰富 abundant/rich natural resources5.历史文化悠久 long history and culture6.壮观的景色 spectacular views 7.数量繁多的名胜古迹 numerous places of interest/ scenic spots and historical sites8.辉煌灿烂的文明 brilliant/splendid civilization9.位于 li
30、e in10. 人口最多的国家 the worlds most populous country/ has the largest population in the world 11.亚洲东部 in the eastern part of Asia 12. 太平洋西岸 the west coast of the Pacific Ocean (大西洋the Atlantic Ocean) 13. 面积960万平方公里 with an area of 9.6 million square kilometers 14. 人口13亿 its population is about 1.3 billi
31、on 15. 五十六个民族 56 nationalities 16. 海拔最高 has the highest altitude 17. 主峰 its highest peakChina is one of the worlds four countries of great ancient civilizations, which is magnificent, spectacular with the vast territory, the rich natural resources and long history and culture. Humanistic creativity
32、of five thousand years and the natural landscape created by fantasy things have left us a remarkable picture, numerous scenic spots and historical sites, and created a brilliant culture and arts. China is located in the eastern part of Asia, the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, with an area of 9.6 m
33、illion square kilometers. Its population is about 1.3 billion, with 56 nationalities and it is the worlds most populous country. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has the highest altitude among all the plateaus. The Himalayas is the worlds largest one, and its highest peak, Mount Everest, is the worlds highest mountain. 第十篇 中国是世界上最早开发利用矿产资源的国家之一。过去50年，中国在矿产资源勘探开发（the survey and development）方面取得了巨大成就，这位中国经济的持续、快速、健康发展提供了重要的保障。中国是一个人口众多、资源相对不足的发展中国家，主要依靠本国的矿产资源来保障现代化建设（modernization program）的需要。同时中国还积极引进国外资本和技术开发中国矿产资源。
