【翻译原文】自上世纪90年代后期起，七夕节(the Double SeventhFestival )开始被称为“中国的情人节”。
这个节日可以追溯到汉朝，当时对恋人、女孩都是个特殊的日子。
这天，女孩会举行仪式，向织女(Zhinv)乞求智慧、技艺和美满婚姻，所以七夕节还被称为“乞巧节(the Begging for SkillsFestival)”。
如今，一些传统习俗已经弱化。
人们现在把七夕节当作浪漫的情人节来庆祝，尤其是在年轻人中间。
【参考译文】The Double Seventh Festival has been called ChineseValentine's Day since the late 1990s. The festival canbe traced back to the Han Dynasty. It was then aspecial day not only for lovers, but also for girls.Girls would hold a ceremony to beg Zhinv forwisdom, skills and a satisfying marriage. So it is also called “the Begging for Skills Festival”.Today some traditional customs have been weakened. Now the festival is celebrated as aromantic valentine's day, particularly among young people.【翻译原文】腊八节(the Laba Festival)在农历最后一个月的第八天庆祝，标志着春节庆祝活动的开始。
“腊”指“腊月(the 12thlunar month)”，是农历第十二个月，“八”指的是数字8。
腊八节通常在1月中旬。
大多数汉族人遵循腊八节喝腊八粥(Laba rice porridge)的习俗。
腊八粥最早在宋朝传入中国。
据史料记载，一些大型寺庙会为穷人提供腊八粥来表达对佛祖(Buddha)的虔诚。
明朝时，腊八粥成为皇帝在此节日赏赐群臣的神圣食物。
【参考译文】Laba Festival is celebrated on the eighth day of thelast lunar month, marking the beginning ofcelebrating the Chinese Spring Festival. La means the12th lunar month and ba means the number eight.The date usually falls in mid-January. The majorityof people from Han nationality has followed the tradition of eating Laba rice porridge on theLaba Festival. Laba rice porridge was first introduced to China in the Song Dynasty. Accordingto historical records, some large temples would offer the poor Laba rice porridge to show theirfaith to Buddha. In the Ming Dynasty, it became a holy food that emperors would use to awardtheir officials on the festival.【翻译原文】早在公元前200年中国人就开始食用面条，它在中国饮食中占据重要的地位，种类繁多，如鸡蛋面、米粉(rice noodles)，绿豆(mung bean )面和小麦面。
在中国北方地区，小麦面条作为主食(staple food)比人米吃得多。
米粉则在南方地区更普遍。
中国面条有不同的宽度和厚度，似通常都较长，因为中国人认为这象征着长寿，因此面条经常出现在生日庆祝活动中，被称为长寿面(longevity noodles)。
【参考译文】Noodles were eaten by Chinese as early as 200 BCand occupy an important position in Chinese food.It has many kinds, such as egg noodles, ricenoodles, mung bean noodles and wheat noodles. Inthe northern regions of China, wheat noodles arethe staple food and eaten more than rice. Rice noodles are more commonly consumed insouthern China. Chinese noodles are of varying width and thickness, but they are usually longbecause theysymbolize long life for Chinese, which is why noodles are commonly served atbirthday celebrations and called longevity noodles.【翻译原文】十二生肖(Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs )是中国人习惯上用来表示出生年份的十二种动物，即鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪。
每十二年循坏一次，每年都与一个属相对应。
长期以来，人类与十二生肖有着一种特殊的关系。
据说这些动物所代表的年份能影响人的性格，这和西方文化中的十二星座(constellation)类似。
【参考译文】Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs are the twelve kinds of animals which Chinese people customarily use to mark the year in which a person was bom. They are Rat，Ox, Tiger，Rabbit，Dragon，Snake，Horse，Goat，Monkey，Rooster，Dog and Pig. It is based on a twelve-year cycle; each year in that cycle corresponds to an animal sign. For a long time there has been a special relationship between humans and the twelve zodiacal animals. It is believed that the year represented by the animal affects one’s character in the same manner as the constellation adopted by western culture.【翻译原文】送礼在中国是种常见礼仪(etiquette)，人们借此表达对友谊、款待的感激或感谢。
然而，中国送礼和收礼的礼节与其他文化大为不同。
在很长一段历史时期里，当朋友送礼物或款待自己时，有礼貌的人会回报朋友的关心和好意。
他们会挑选一个合适的场合礼尚往来，因为他们认为这对加深关系很重要。
礼物的选择取决于两人的关系，这与世界上大多数文化都相同。
【参考译文】Giving gifts in China is a common etiquette used toexpress appreciation or gratitude for friendship orhospitality. However, Chinese etiquette of givingreceiving gifts differs a lot from that in othercultures. For a long time in history,people of goodmanners would return favors and kindness when receiving a treat from a friend. They wouldpick up a suitable occasion to offer back as they regard it important to strengthen theirrelationship. As it is the same with most cultures in the world, what to give depends on theirrelationship.【翻译原文】中西方饮食习惯的主要区别在于:中国把菜肴放在桌上大家共享，西方则每个人都有自己的食盘。
中国的餐桌礼仪是指中国人的传统用餐方式。
自中国古代起，就有许多人们必须注意的餐桌礼仪，比如餐具(cutlery)如何摆放，如何在宴会上落座等。
通常情况下，尊贵的人应坐尊位(seat of honor)，地位较低的人根据各自地位高低相应落座;长者座位的朝向最好。
【参考译文】The main difference between Chinese and westerneating habits lies in that dishes in China are placedon the table for everybody to share, while everyonehas their own plate of food in the West. Chinesetable manners are the traditional eating styles ofChinese people. There are many table manners that one must pay attention to, which date fromthe time of ancient China, such as how to place the cutlery, how to sit in a banquet,and soon. Under normal conditions，honorable people should take the seats of honor, and humblerones then sit down according to their status; the elders, scats face the best direction.【翻译原文】光棍节(Singles'Day)-11月11日是在20世纪90年代开始流行的。