四级段落翻译

1. 中国面临的最严峻的挑战之一就是人口老龄化（aging population）。专家称在未来四十年内，中国老年人口将接近5亿，占据人口总数的三分之一。这无疑给中国经济增长带来了巨大的压力，但这也意味着更多的商机。人口老龄化将为养老院（nursing home）行业的发展带来良好的前景。据粗略统计，5亿老年人每月至少能为养老院行业带来5000亿元的经济效益。

Aging population is one of the most severe challenges in China. According to the experts, within four

decades, China will have nearly 500 million elderly people, which accounts for one third of the total

population. Such a situation will undoubtedly put huge pressure on the economic growth of China, but it

also means more business opportunities. The fast-growing numbers of elderly people will bring a very

good prospect for the industry of nursing homes. Based on rough statistics, half a billion elderly people

can at least bring the industry an economic benefit of 500 billion every month.

2. 国画（Chinese painting）指中国传统绘画，历史悠久，远在2000多年前的战国时期(Warring States

Period)就出现了画在丝织品上的绘画。国画的工具盒材料有毛笔(brush)、墨、纸盒丝绸等。国画从题材上主要分为三类：人物、山水、花鸟。国画起源于中国书法(calligraphy)，在本质上是一种线性艺术，试图采用绘画唤起意象和感情。国画在内容和艺术创作上，体现了古人对自然、社会、哲学、宗教和道德的认识。

Chinese painting, the traditional painting in China, has a long history. There were paintings on silks even

in Warring States Period over 2,000 years ago. Tools and materials used in Chinese painting are brush, ink,

paper and silk and so on. There are three main subjects of Chinese painting: human figures, landscapes,

and birds and flowers. Originated from Chinese calligraphy, Chinese painting is essentially an art of line,

which attempts to arouse images and emotions with paintings. The content and artistic creation of Chinese

paintings reflect the ancient people’s recognition on nature, society, philosophy, religion and morality.

3. 中国长城是中国古代为抵御敌人的侵袭而修筑的伟大工程。它位于中国北部，全长约8851.8公里。它始建于2000多年前的春秋时期(the Spring and Autumn Period)，秦始皇统一中国之后联成万里长城。汉、明两代(the Han and Ming Dynasties)又曾大规模修筑，因此它是世界上修建时间最长的一项古代工程。长城是人类文明史上最伟大的建造工程之一，被列为世界八大奇迹之一和世界文化遗产(heritage)。

The Great Wall of China is a great project in ancient China constructed to defend against the attacks of

enemies. It locates in the northern part of China and stretches for 8,851.8 kilometers. First built in the

Spring and Autumn Period over 2,000 years ago, it was united to become “the Wall of 10,000 Li” after Qin

Shi Huang unified China. The Han and Ming Dynasties saw extensive rebuilding and maintenance of the

Great Wall. Thus it is an ancient project which consumed the longest time in the world. As one of the

greatest constructions in the history of human civilization, the Great Wall has been listed as one of the

Eight Wonders of the World and a world cultural heritage site.

4. 西部大开发(western development campaign)是中国政府的一项政策，于2000年开始运作。目的是提高西部地区的经济和社会发展水平。西部大开发的范围是中国西部的12个省和自治区(autonomous region)。西部地区自然资源丰富，市场潜力大，战略位置重要。但由于自然、历史、社会等原因，西部地区经济发展相对东部落后。这一政策的实施可以使西部地区得到更快、更深、更广的发展，实现共同富裕(common prosperity)。

Western development campaign is a policy made by Chinese government and operated from 2000. Its goal

is to improve the economic and social development level of the western areas. There are twelve provinces

and autonomous regions covered in this campaign. The western areas have abundant natural resources

with huge potential market and important strategic location. But because of natural, historical and social

factors, the economic development in those areas lags behind that of the eastern areas. The implementation

of the policy can bring a faster, deeper and broader development in the western areas, which will help

realize common prosperity.

5. 汉字源于远古时期对自然景物的简单描摹，如树木、河水、山川、人物等。这些描摹实际上就是象形文字(pictograms)的萌芽。甲骨文(Oracles)是刻在龟壳和兽骨上的古老文字，是汉字最早的形式。汉字的创造和应用对中华文明的发展起到了重要作用。汉字对世界文明的发展也产生了深远的影响。例如，日本、朝鲜等国家的文字都是在汉字的基础上创造的。

Chinese characters began in ancient time as simple drawings of natural objects – trees, rivers, mountains

and hills, human beings, etc. These drawings are actually the buds of “pictograms”. Oracles, the ancient

characters carved onto tortoise shells and beast bones, are the earliest form of Chinese characters. The

creation and use of the Chinese characters have played a significant role not only in the development of

Chinese civilization, but in that of the world civilization. For example, the characters of some countries,

like Japan and Korea, were created on the basis of the Chinese characters.

6. 孔子学院(Confucius Institute)是中国在世界各地设立的教育和文化交流机构。推广汉语、传播中国文化是设立该机构的目的。孔子学院最重要的一项工作就是给世界各地的汉语学习者提供标准的教材以及正规的汉语学习渠道。全球首家孔子学院于2004年在韩国首尔(Seoul)成立，目前已遍布100个国家。孔子学院有力地推动了中国文化与各国文化的交流与融合(integration)。

Confucius Institute is an institute of education and cultural communication established by China all over

the world. Its aim is to promote Chinese language and spread Chinese culture. The most important task of

Confucius Institute is to provide standard textbooks and a formal channel to learn Chinese for learners all

over the world. The first Confucius Institute opened in 2004 in Seoul, South Korea. At present, it has been

established in 106 countries. Confucius Institute has greatly promoted the exchange and integration of

cultures between China and the rest of the world.

7. 网上购物是中国近几年日益流行的新型购物方式。人们在购物网站搜索自己想要的物品，在网上发出电子订单并付款。卖家则通过快递公司送货上门。网上购物的主要人群最初是大学生和白领，现在大多数的网民都有过网购的经历。过去十年来，购物网站的数量也有了大幅增加，所售商品也日益丰富。有人认为方便和低价是网上购物迅速发展的重要原因。

Online shopping is a new shopping mode increasingly popular in China in recent years. People search for

goods they want in shopping websites, then make electronic orders and pay online. The sellers deliver

commodities to customers’ homes via the express company. The major groups who shopped online were

primarily university students and white collars. At present, the great majority of netizens have the

experience of shopping online. In the last decade, the number of shopping websites has increased

tremendously and the commodities sold online become more colorful by the day. Some people hold that

convenience and low price are important reasons for the rapid development of online shopping.

8. 筷子起源于中国，大多数是用木头或者竹子制作的。最早的筷子是用骨头或者玉(jade)制成的。在春秋时期(the Spring and Autumn Period)又出现了铜制和铁制的筷子。在古代，富裕人家用玉或金子做筷子，来显示富有。很多帝王使用银制的筷子检查饮食是否被投毒。筷子在传统上还是新娘的嫁妆(dowry)， 因为“筷子”的汉语读音听起来很像“快得儿子”。

Chopsticks, which originated in China, are mainly made of wood or bamboo. The earliest chopsticks were

made of bone or jade. During the Spring and Autumn Period, copper and iron chopsticks came into being.

In ancient times, the rich used jade or gold chopsticks to display their wealth, while many emperors used

silver chopsticks to see if their food was poisoned. Chopsticks are traditionally placed in brides’ dowries,

too, for the pronunciation of “chopsticks” in Chinese sounds quite like “get a son soon”.

9. 大熊猫被称为“中国国宝”（China’s national treasure），是中国特有的动物。大熊猫外表黑白相间，体形肥胖，是一种温顺可爱的动物。它们主要生活在中国西南地区，80%以上分布于四川境内。它们习惯居住在温暖潮湿的环境中，喜欢吃竹类。由于生育率低，对生活环境的要求又相当高，它们的数量越来越少。中国政府早已意识到这一问题的严重性，所以做出了很多努力来保护这一濒危物种。

Referred to as “China’s national treasure”, panda is an animal unique to China. With a black and white

coat as well as a fat body, it is a gentle and lovely animal. Pandas live mainly in the southwest part of

China, over 80% of them living in Sichuan Province. They are accustomed to living in warm and wet

environment. Bamboo is their favorite food. Because of low birth rate and high requirement for living

environment, the number of pandas is declining. Having realized the seriousness of the problem, Chinese

government has made a lot of efforts to protect the endangered species.

10. 关于中国美食(cuisine)的电视节目数不胜数，但像《舌尖上的中国》(A Bite of China)这样受欢迎的不多。这部最新的七集纪录片，从地域、历史以及文化等方面深入探讨了中国人的饮食。中国美食有悠久的历史和富有特色的传统烹饪手法。这一节目试图呈现出更多有关食物的文化元素，如饮食习惯和饮食道德(ethic)。在展现中国饮食文化辉煌成就的同时，也反映出中国的社会变迁。

There are numerous TV programs on Chinese cuisine, but few are as popular as A Bite of China. The latest

seven-episode documentary offers insights into the geographical, historical and cultural aspects of Chinese

diets. Chinese cuisine has a long history and distinctive traditional cooking techniques. The program tries

to present more cultural elements related to food, such as eating habits and ethics. While it expresses the

glory of Chinese food culture, it also reflects China’s social transformation.

11. 丝绸之路（the Silk Road）是中国古代一条重要的商业贸易路线。它起源于古都西安，连接亚非欧三大洲。最初的作用是运输中国古代出产的丝绸，因此被命名为“丝绸之路”。丝绸之路不仅促进了古代亚欧间的商业贸易，还增进了亚欧各国和中国的友好往来和文化交流。中国历史上一些著名人物的故事都与这条路有关，如张骞，班超和玄奘。

The Silk Road is an important trade route in ancient China. It started in the ancient capital Xi’an and

connected the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. Because it was built to transport silk produced

in ancient China, it was named “the Silk Road”. It not only promoted trade between ancient Asia and

Europe, but enhanced friendship and cultural communication between China and other countries in Asia

and Europe. In Chinese history, the stories of some famous characters are related to the route, such as

Zhang Qian, Ban Chao and Xuan Zang.

12. 上海自贸区（Shanghai Free Trade Zone）是根据中国法律在上海设立的区域性经济特区。该区于2013年8月22日经国务院(State Council)批准，于9月29日正式成立。它是中国主动选择的一个新的开放试点，意图以开放促进改革。自贸区的设立是中国面对全球经贸发展新趋势主动实施的一项重大措施。它有利于提高中国在全球的竞争优势，构建与各国合作发展的新平台，拓展经济增长的新空间。

Shanghai Free Trade Zone(FTZ) is a regional special economic zone launched in Shanghai according to

Chinese laws. It was approved by State Council on August 22, 2013 and established in September 29. The

FTZ is a new experimental unit of opening up selected voluntarily by China, which intends to boost

reform via opening up. The establishment of the FTZ is a significant measure conducted voluntarily by

China when facing the new trend in world economy and trade. It will improve China’s advantage in the

global competition, construct a new platform of cooperation with other countries and expand new space in

economic development.