练习一长城是人类创造的世界奇迹之一。
如果你到了中国却没有去过长城，就像到了巴黎没有去看埃菲尔铁塔(Eiffel Tower)，或者就像到了埃及没有去看金字塔一样。
人们常说：“不到长城非好汉。
”实际上，长城最初只是一些断断续续的城墙，知道秦朝统一中国之后才将其连成长城。
然而，今天我们看到的长城---东起山海关，西至嘉峪关---大部分都是在明代修建的。
The Great Wall is one of the greatest wonders of the world that created by human beings. If you come to China without climbing the Great Wall, it’s just like going to Paris without visiting the Eiffel Tower, or going to Egypt without visiting the Pyramids. Men often say, “He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man.”In fact, the wall began as independent walls for different states when it was first built, and did not become the “Great Wall” until the Qin Dynasty. However, the wall we see today, starting from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west, was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty.练习二在中国，大熊猫是和平的象征。
大熊猫是一种濒危物种。
由于它们的栖息地遭到破坏，它们的数量正在急剧下降(dwindle)。
大熊猫的身体是白色的，在它的眼睛、耳朵、肩膀、胸部、腿部和脚周围都是一些黑色斑块。
这黑白相间的保护色彩可以让熊猫在雪地和岩石的环境中伪装(camouflage)起来。
大熊猫的视力非常好。
它们与众不同的眼睛激发了中国人的想象力，因此它们被称为“大熊猫”。
The panda is symbol of peace in China. Giant pandas are an endangered species and their numbers are dwindling very quickly as their habitat is destroyed. Giant pandas are white with black patches around the eyes, ears, shoulders, chest, legs and feet. This black-and-white coloring may camouflage pandas in the snowy and rocky environment. Pandas have very good eyesight. These unusual eyes inspired the Chinese to call the panda the “giant cat bear”.练习三世界贸易组织成立于1995年1月1日，目的是确保一个稳定的全球和贸易经济环境。
在当今世界上的190多个国家中，世界贸易组织的成员国(member country)有158个。
在处理国家之间的贸易规则方面，世界贸易组织是唯一的全球性国际组织。
世界组织的事务应该引起我们的关注，因为世贸组织制定的规则对我们国家的经济和国民生活都有一定的影响。
The WTO (World Trade Organization), established on January 1st, 1995, aims to ensure a stable trade and economic world environment. The WTO is an association of 158 member countries, of more than 190 countries in the world today. The WTO is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. The business of the WTO should be of interest to us because the rules that are being decided therein have an impact on our national economy, and people’s lives.练习四奥运会是国际性的体育盛会(sporting events)，体育项目种类繁多，分为夏冬两季，均是每4年举办一次。
最初有记载的奥运会于公元前776年在希腊的奥林匹亚(Olympia)举行。
奥运会是最大的媒体活动之一。
2000年悉尼奥运会上，有超过1.6万名播音员和新闻记者参与报道。
据估计，有38亿观众通过电视收看了此届盛会。
然而，奥运会的发展也是奥运会面临的一个大问题。
The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event subdivided into summer and winter sporting events. The summer an winter games are each held every four years. The original Olympic Games were first recorded in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece. The Olympics are one of the largest media events. In Sydney in 2000 there were more than 16,000 broadcasters and journalists, and an estimated 3.8 billion viewers watched the games on television. However, the development of the Olympics is one of the largest problems the Olympics face today.练习五《三国演义》由罗贯中创作于14世纪，是一部中国历史题材小说。
小说以汉朝末年和三国时期的历史演变为背景，叙述了在这个动荡(turbulent)时期发生的一系列重大事情。
整个故事情节从公元168年开始一直到公元280年领土统一(reunification)时结束。
小说篇幅长达80万字，分为120个章节，共叙述了1191个人物角色，堪称中国文学史上四大经典小说之一。
“Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based upon events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kindoms era, starting in AD 168 and ending with the reunification of the land in AD 280. It is acclaimed as one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, with a grand total of 800,000 words, 1,191 characters, and 120 chapters.练习六秧歌舞(Yangko)是中国汉族的一种传统民间舞蹈，通常在北方省份表演。
秧歌舞者通常穿上明亮多彩的表演服装(costume)，他们的表演动作有力而迅速。
在农历春节，元宵节等节日期间，人们一旦听到锣(gong)鼓声，不管外面天气有多冷，他们都会蜂拥到街上观看秧歌舞表演。
近年来，中国东北某些城市的老年人自发组织了秧歌队，队员常年通过跳秧歌来保持健康，同时他们也乐在其中。
The Yangko dance is a traditional folk dance of the Han Chinese, commonly performed in the northern provinces. Yangko dancers usually wear bright and colorful costumes, and their movements are vigorous and quick. During holidays such as lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival, as soon as people hear the sound of drums and songs they swarm into the streets to watch Yangko dance performances, no matter how cold it is outside. In recent years, elderly people in some cities in Northeast China have been organizing themselves into Yangko teams, with the dancers mostly enjoying themselves while keeping fit all year round.练习七中国以创造各种方式、方法来方便人类的生活而广为人知。
在中国古代的发明中，四大发明不仅为中国的发展，还为世界经济和文化的发展，作出了巨大贡献。
中国古代的四大发明分别是造纸术、印刷术、火药(gun powder)和指南针(compass)。
中国古代的四大发明为世界经济和人类文化作出了重要贡献，而且这也是中国作为世界文明大国的重要象征。