旅游英语lesson1-China in Brief

ChapterIChinainBriefNameofthecountryThePeople'sRepublicofChinaCapitalcityBeijingPopulation1295.33million(by2000)AreaChinahasaterritoryareaof9.6millionsquarekm,secondtoRussiaandCanada,whichisapproximately1/15ofthelandareaoftheworld.Itexceedsabout5,000kilometersfromeasttowestandabout5,500kilometersfromnorthtosouth.Thelandboundaryexceeds20,000kilometers.LocationInEastAsia,borderonthewestPacificOceanNationalflagTheNationalFlagofthePRCisaredrectangleemblazonedwithfivestars.TheupperleftofthefaceoftheFlagisstuddedwithfiveyellowfive-pointedstars.NationalanthemMarchoftheVolunteers(lines:Arise,thosewhodonotwanttobeslaves!WewilluseourfleshandbloodtobuildanotherGreatWall.Chinahasreachedthebrinkofnationalcollapse.Allthepeoplehavebeenmakingtheirlastoutcry.Arise!Arise!Arise!Allourheartsbecomeone.Letusfacetheenemy'sgunfire.Marchon!Letusfacetheenemy'sgunfire.Marchon!Marchon!Marchon!On!)NationalEmblemTheNationalEmblemofthePRCfeaturesTiananmenGatebeneaththefiveshiningstars,encircledbyearsofgrainandwithacogwheelatthebottom.Theearsofgrain,stars,Tiananmenandcogwheelaregold;thefieldwithinthecircleisred,asaretheribbonsfestooningthebottomofthecircle.PresidentHuJintao,generalsecretaryoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)CentralCommittee,waselectedpresidentofthePRConMarch15,2003.HewasborninDecember1942,inJixi,AnhuiProvince.PremierWenJiabaoisamemberoftheStandingCommitteeofthePoliticalBureauoftheCPCCentralCommitteeandpremieroftheStateCouncil.HewasborninTianjininSeptember1942.NationalflowerPeonyEthnicgroupsThereare56ethnicgroupsinChina.TheHanpeoplemakeup92percentofthecountry'stotalpopulation,totaling1159.4million;andtheother55ethnicgroups,8percent,totaling106.43million.LanguagesOfthe56ethnicgroupsinChina,theHuiandManchuusethesamelanguageasHanpeople,whiletherestgroupshavetheirownspokenandwrittenlanguages.Writtenlanguages23ethnicgroupshavetheirowncharacters.ReligionThemainreligionsareBuddhism,Taoism,Islam,Christianity,andCatholicism.Chinesecitizens'rightofthefreedomofreligiousbeliefisprotectedbytheConstitutionandlaws.MainfestivalsNewYear'sDay(January1),theSpringFestival(theNewYear'sDaybyChineselunarcalendar),InternationalLaborDay(May1),andtheNationalDay(October1)CurrencyRenminbi(RMB)yuanTimedifference8hoursearlierthantheGreenwichClimateMostofthecountryisinthetemperatezone,althoughgeographicallythecountrystretchesfromthetropicalandsubtropicalzonesinthesouthtothefrigidzoneinthenorth.TopographyHighinitswestandlowinitseast:mountainareas33.3%,plateaus26%,basins18.8%,plains12%andhills9.9%.MountainsAmongthe19mountainsover7,000metershighintheworld,sevenareinChina.TheQinghai-TibetPlateau,knownastheroofoftheworld,hasmanyhighmountains.TheHimalayas,withanaverageelevationof6,000meters,havetheworld'shighestpeakMountQomolangma,8,848metersabovesealevel.RiversTheYangtzeRiver,6,300kmlong,isthethirdlongestintheworldaftertheNileandtheAmazon.TheYellowRiver,thesecondlongestinChina,stretching5,464km.CanalTheGrandCanal,1,801kmlong,isthelongestman-maderiverintheworld.ItscuttingbeganinthefifthcenturyBC.HistoryChinaisoneoftheworld'soldestcivilizationswithachronicledhistoryofmorethan5,000years.Chinahasgoneoveralonghistoryofprimitivesociety,slaverysociety,feudalsocietyandsemi-feudalsemi-colonialsocietyandthepresentsocialistsociety.In221BC,QinshihuangestablishedtheQinDynasty,thefirstfeudalautocracyinChinesehistory,therebyunveilinga2,000-yearperiodoffeudalismwhichwastolastthroughasuccessionofdynastiessuchastheHan,Tang,Song,Yuan,MingandQing,aperiodwhichfinallymetitsdemiseinthebourgeoisdemocraticRevolutionof1911byDr.SunYat-sen.October1,1949sawthefoundingofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.CrestedIbisrareanimalsandplantsinChinasnub-nosedmonkeyrareanimalsandplantsinChinaPaddlefishoftheYangtzerareanimalsandplantsinChinagiantsalamanderrareanimalsandplantsinChinagingkorareanimalsandplantsinChinaTungoiltreerareanimalsandplantsinChinalacquertreerareanimalsandplantsinChinaprovincesinChina23provinces,5autonomousregions(InnerMongolianAutonomousRegion,theGuangxiZhuangAutonomousRegion,theTibetAutonomousRegion,theNingxiaHuiAutonomousRegionandXinjiangUygurAutonomousRegion),4municipalitiesdirectlyundertheCentralGovernment(Beijing,Tianjin,Shanghai,Chongqing)and2specialadministrativeregions(HongKongandMacao).UsefulWordandExpressions•1.雨季•monsoonseason•2.降雨•rainfall•3.降水量•precipitation•4.宏大的南水北调工程•astupendousprojectoftransferringwaterresourcesfromsouthtonorth•5.地势图•reliefmapUsefulWordsandExpressions•6.行政区•prefecture•7.确保法律、法令、条例的执行•toensuretheexecutionoflaws,decreesandordinances•8.人民代表大会•theNationalPeople’sCongress•9.国务院•theStateCouncilUsefulWordsandExpressions•10.中华人民共和国宪法所规定的中国公民的权利受到法律的很好保护。•TherightsofChinesecitizens,whicharespecifiedintheConstitutionofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,arewellprotectedbythelaw.•11.根据宪法，中国是在工农联盟基础上的由工人阶级领导的人民民主专政的社会主义国家。•InthelightofConstitution,Chinaisasocialiststateunderthepeople’sdemocraticdictatorshipledbytheworkingclassandbasedonthealliancesofworkersandpeasants.