50 留守儿童 留守儿童(left-behind children)很容易面临情感关怀的缺失。父母外出务工后，他们大多由祖父母或亲友临时监护。他们无法像其他孩子一样得到父母的养育，而祖父母又极可能缺乏养育的精力和能力。这种亲情和关怀的缺失，已严重地影响了留守儿童的心理健康发展。更为严峻的挑战是，留守儿童群体还在不断扩大。据最新统计，目前全国农村留守儿童人数已达6 102万，占全国儿童总人数的21.88%，比五年前增加了近300万人。如何让这些占全国儿童总人数超过五分之一的孩子们更健康地成长，不仅是对弱势群体应有的关爱，更是社会健康发展的必要条件。 >> The Left-behind Children The left-behind children easily suffer from the lack of emotional support. Since their parents are migrant workers, they are mostly left in the care of their grandparents, relatives or family friends. Unlike other children, they don't have their parents to care for them, and much too often, their grandparents don't have the energy or capability to look after them. The absence of such support and care seriously influences the healthy psychological development of these children. An even more pressing issue is the fact that the number of the left-behind children is still growing. According to the latest statistics, the number has reached 61.02 million, which is three million more than five years ago, accounting for 21.88 percent of China's children. Giving them a healthy upbringing isn't just about providing this vulnerable group with the care they are entitled to and deserve—it is also a prerequisite to the healthy development of Chinese society.

49 筷子 几千年来，我们中国人一直将筷子视为一种将饭送入口中的最简单、有效的工具。早在周朝时期，筷子便被人们用来夹取荤、蔬菜，而米饭在那时则用手来取食。筷子的大小基本一样，而制作筷子的材料则各有不同，所选材料有竹子、木材、玉石等。中国人使用筷子的方法很有艺术性，各人有各人的方法，就好像签名一样，不尽一致。中国人一般都能随心所欲地用筷子夹起一粒米饭，一粒豌豆，甚至一只滑溜溜的丸子。 >> The Chopsticks For several thousand years, we Chinese have always regarded chopsticks as the easiest and most effective utensil to bring food into the mouth. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, chopsticks were used to pick up meat and vegetable dishes while rice was eaten with one's hands. The chopsticks, which are of more or less the same size, are made of different types of materials such as bamboo, wood and jade, etc. Chinese have an artistic way of using chopsticks. Different people use chopsticks in a different way just like their signatures which are not completely the same. Chinese people usually can use chopsticks at will to pick up a grain of rice, a pea or even a slippery round mass of food.

48 中华文化 中华民族创造的文化，是我们引以为豪的软实力，也是我们文化自信的底气所在。要讲好中国故事、弘扬中国精神，最好的手段就是文化的手段，最有力的媒介就是文化的媒介。我们要发挥好中华文化的独特优势，把能够运用的手段充分调动起来，以最形象生动的传播，向世界呈现悠久灿烂的中华文化，展现我们的文明进步，和平发展，诠释中国梦的丰富内涵(implication)。我们有能力创造中国故事，也一定有能力讲好中国故事。 >> Chinese Culture The culture created by the Chinese nation is not only a soft power that we take pride in but also a source of self-confidence in our culture. If we intend to tell a good “China story” and carry forward the spirit of China, the best means is the cultural means and the most powerful media is the cultural media. We should give free rein to the unique advantages of Chinese culture and fully mobilize all available means to present to the world our long-standing and splendid culture, to illustrate the progress of our civilization and peaceful development, and to interpret the rich implications of China Dream through the most artistic and vivid communication. Since we can write a China story, we surely are able to narrate this story well.

>> 47 香港 香港位于中国东南沿海的珠江三角洲(Pearl River Delta)东侧，南边面对南中国海，北边与广东省接壤。香港包括香港岛、九龙半岛(Kowloon Peninsula)、新界(the New Territories)与离岛(the Outlying Islands)四大部分，总面积约为1 070平方公里。香港是繁华的国际大都市(cosmopolitan city)，是仅次于伦敦和纽约的全球第三大金融中心。在香港，你既可以观赏到美丽的自然风光，又可以感受到商业文明带来的种种便利。世界级的建筑、快节奏的生活、时尚摩登的娱乐享受，都显示出这座城市的巨大魅力。 >> Hong Kong Hong Kong is on the east of the Pearl River Delta of the southeastern coast of China, facing the South China Sea in the south and bordering Guangdong Province in the north. Hong Kong consists of four main parts: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands, with an area of about 1,070 square kilometers. Hong Kong is a prosperous cosmopolitan city, and the third largest world financial center only ranks next to London and New York. In Hong Kong, you will not only appreciate beautiful natural scenery but also enjoy various conveniences brought by commercial civilization. World-class buildings, fast pace of life and fashionable and modern entertainments all demonstrate the immense charm of this city.

46 泰山 泰山位列五岳之首，地处山东省的中部，位于济南、长清、肥城、泰安之间，东西长约200公里，南北宽约50公里。其主峰为玉皇顶，位于泰安市北面，海拔1 545米。泰山雄伟壮观、峻拔突兀(precipitous)，有着许多独特的自然奇观及人文景观。登临泰山需走九曲十八盘的(zigzag and tortuous）路程，沿途可尽情饱览绚丽的风光。登上日观峰，举目远眺，无限风光，摄人心魄。泰山历来是画家和诗人的钟爱的聚集地，泰山的日出与日落更是闻名遐迩。 >> Mount Tai Mount Tai ranks first of the five great mountains in China and is situated in central Shandong Province, spanning four cities of Jinan, Changqing, Feicheng, and Tai'an. It stretches about 200 kilometers from east to west in length and about 50 kilometers from north to south in width. North of Tai'an city stands Mount Tai's main peak, Jade Emperor Summit, rising to 1,545 meters above sea level. It has a majestic and precipitous appearance as well as a diverse range of unique natural wonders and cultural landscape. To reach Mount Tai's summit, we will follow the zigzag and tortuous path, along which we can have a good view of the beautiful scenery. When we reach the Riguan Peak and look around in the distance, we will find ourselves carried away by the endless view of scenery. Mount Tai, which has all along been the preferred gathering place for artists and poets, is still more famous for its spectacular sunrise and sunset.

> 45 《论语》 作为儒家的经典著作之一，《论语》(The Analects of Confucius)收录了孔子及其弟子(disciples)的言语和思想。传统上人们认为它是由孔子的弟子编写，并于中汉时期发展成其最终的形式。在汉朝早期，《论语》只被认为是“五经 (the “Five Classics”)”的一部“评论”。宋朝晚期，《论语》作为一本哲学著作的重要性已经超越了“五经”，并且被认为是“四书(the “Four Books”)”之一。在过去的两千年里，《论语》是被阅读和研究最多的书籍之一，并在现今继续对中国人的思想和价值观产生重大的影响。 >> The Analects of Confucius As one of the Confucian classics, The Analects of Confucius is a collection which records the sayings and ideas attributed to Confucius and his disciples. Confucius' disciples are traditionally believed to have compiled the classic, which achieved its final form during the mid-Han Dynasty. By the early Han Dynasty, TheAnalects of Confucius was considered merely a “commentary” on the “Five Classics”. But during the late Song Dynasty, the importance of TheAnalects of Confucius as a philosophy work surpassed that of the “Five Classics”, and it was recognized as one of the “Four Books”. The Analects of Confucius has been one of the most widely read and studied books in China for the last 2,000 years, and it continues to have a substantial influence on Chinese people's thought and values today.

>> 44 中国功夫 中国功夫(Kungfu)源远流长，有着上千年的历史。它蕴含着先哲们对生命和宇宙的参悟，是中华民族极其珍贵的文化遗产。练习中国功夫不仅可以强身健体，还能锻炼意志，修身养性。中国功夫的流派和类型五花八门，种类繁多，最著名的有少林功夫和太极拳(Tai Chi)。中国功夫日益成为中外影视作品的热门题材，励志的思想和令人赞叹的功夫动作，再加上爱情故事和幽默的情节，让中国功夫电影在全世界广受欢迎。 >> Kungfu With a long history of more than one thousand years, Kungfu, which contains ancient Chinese philosophers' understanding of life and universe, is an extremely precious cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. Practicing Kungfu can build fitness as well as increase people's willpower and cultivate their moral character. There is a great variety of schools and styles of Kungfu, in which Shaolin Kungfu and Tai Chi are best-known. Kungfu has gradually become a hot theme of Chinese and foreign movies. The inspirational thought and amazing Kungfu moves, together with love stories and humorous plots, make Kungfu movies very popular all over the world.

>> 43 皮影戏 作为中国出现最早的戏曲形式之一，也是我国民间广为流传的傀儡戏(puppet play)之一，皮影戏(shadow play)是一种用兽皮或纸板制成戏中的人物和道具(props)形象并借灯光照射这些形象而表演故事的戏曲形式。表演时艺人们在白色幕布后面操纵戏曲人物，用当地流行的曲调唱述故事，同时配以打击乐器(percussion instrument)和弦乐，具有浓厚的乡土气息。中国的皮影艺术是我国民间工艺美术与戏曲结合而成的独特艺术形式，是中国传统艺术中不可或缺的一颗精巧的明珠。 >> Shadow Play As one of the earliest opera forms and a sort of widespread puppet play in China, shadow play is a kind of opera in which the characters and props are made of animal skins or paperboards and the story was performed by illuminating these images with the help of lamplight. While performing, the performers manipulate the characters behind the white curtain and tell the story by singing with the popular local melody to the rhythm of percussion instruments and string music, which is of strong rural flavor. The Chinese shadow play, a unique art form combining the Chinese folk arts and crafts with opera, is an indispensable delicate pearl in Chinese traditional arts.

> 42 中秋节 中秋节在中国是一个非常重要的传统节日，人们在农历的八月十五这一天庆祝中秋节。中秋节曾经是一个享受大米和小麦成功收割的日子。现在，它是亲朋好友相聚一堂吃月饼和赏月的一个佳节。中秋的月亮象征着和谐与团结。世世代代以来，月饼已有坚果、红豆沙(red been paste)、莲蓉(lotus-seed paste)或枣子(Chinese dates)等多种甜口的馅。人们常常将月饼与英国节日里吃的梅子布丁(plum pudding)和水果蛋糕相比。现在，在中秋节前的一个月就开始有数百种月饼在售卖了。 >> The Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival is an important traditional festival in China, where its people celebrate it on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. The festival used to be a time to enjoy the successful harvest of rice and wheat. Today, it is a festival for reunions among friends and relatives to eat moon cakes and watch the moon. The moon on that day is a symbol of harmony and unity. For generations, moon cakes have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, red bean paste, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates. People often compare moon cakes to the plum pudding and fruit cakes which are served during the British holiday seasons. Nowadays, there are hundreds of various moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

41 春节联欢晚会 中国中央电视台的春节联欢晚会(the Spring Festival Gala)是近30年来中国人庆祝农历新年的重要活动之一。自1983年首届春节联欢晚会在中央电视台播出以来，每年除夕之夜它都如约而至。春晚通常在除夕晚上8点开始，持续4个小时左右，融合了歌舞、小品(comic sketches)、戏曲等节目。多年以来，春晚成了大多数中国人每逢春节必看的电视节目。要迎合所有观众的喜好很难，所以如何选取节目已经成为导演组的一大挑战。 >> The Spring Festival Gala The CCTV Spring Festival Gala has been one of the important part of the lunar New Year celebration for Chinese in recent 30 years. Since the first Spring Festival Gala was staged on CCTV in 1983, it has been broadcast as scheduled on every lunar New Year's Eve. The gala usually starts at 8 p.m. on lunar New Year's Eve and lasts about four hours, its programs intermingling songs, dances, comic sketches, opera, etc. For years, it has become an essential TV program that the majority of the Chinese people watch during the Spring Festival. Since it is difficult to cater to all audience's tastes, how to choose the performances has become a big challenge for the director group.

40 微博 微博是一种传播性极快的传播工具，它的传播速度比传统媒体还要快。它的出现让人们的生活变得更加便捷和丰富多彩。人们可以通过微博和大家分享和交流，即时记录自己的心情，获取自己感兴趣的信息等等。但是微博是一把双刃剑，在给我们带来诸多好处的同时，也难免会产生一些我们意想不到的弊端。比如长期沉迷于微博，将会影响正常的生活。因此我们应该采用正确的态度看待微博，并且合理地使用这一工具，让自己可以从中获益。 Microblog Microblog is a quite fast means of communication, whose transmission speed is faster than the traditional media. Its emergence makes people's life more convenient and colorful. Through microblog, people can share and communicate with others, make immediate record of their moods as well as get access to information of their interest. However, microblog is a double-edge sword. Besides the benefits it brings to us, it will inevitably cause some unexpected disadvantages. For example, engrossing yourself in microblog over a long time will affect your normal life. Therefore, we should take a right attitude towards microblog and make rational use of it so as to benefit from it.

39 川菜 中国菜肴是中国文化中的一个精彩组成部分。从明、清起，八大菜系就广为人知，川菜就是其中之一。“天府之国”四川美食众多，这里几乎每一家餐馆都能拿出价廉味美的美食。川菜用料简单，其闻名于世的香辣口味与四川盆地潮湿多雾的气候有关。川菜中最具代表性的菜肴就是火锅，人们可以围坐在桌边，将各种肉、豆腐和蔬菜加入火锅，再蘸上酱料后食用。可以说，没有吃过四川火锅的人不算来过中国。 Sichuan Cuisine Chinese cuisine is a brilliant facet of Chinese culture. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, eight schools of cuisine have been widely acknowledged, one of which is Sichuan cuisine. Sichuan, known as Nature's Storehouse, has many delicious food, where almost all the restaurants can serve delicious yet economic dishes. The ingredients of Sichuan cuisine are simple, and the damp and foggy climate of Sichuan basin contributes to its well-known hot and spicy taste. The most representative cuisine in Sichuan is hotpot. People enjoy gathering around the pot, into which place various meat, bean curd and vegetables, and then dip them into sauce before eating. It is said that he who has not experienced Sichuan food cannot claim to have visited China.

38 中国高铁 相比于发达国家，中国高速铁路起步较晚，但十年间中国已经成为世界上高速铁路发展最快的国家。无论是基础建设、运营里程，还是技术经验和经营管理，中国高铁均在稳步、快速的发展进程中逐步向世界证明自身的能力。近年来，无论是外交访问(diplomatic visit)还是国外领导访华，我国领导人都会向外推介中国高铁，让中国高铁成了代表中国产品的名片，向世界见证了中国的实力。中国高铁的向外输出也标志着中国由技术引进到自主创新(independent innovation)，实现了发展质的飞跃。 >> China Railway High-speed (CRH) Although China developed its high-speed railway relatively later than the developed countries, it has become a country with the fastest development of high-speed railway in the world in just ten years. In the course of steady and breathtaking development, China railway high-speed has gradually proved to the world its own capability in terms of infrastructure construction, operating mileage, technical experience, and operations and management. In recent years, either during the diplomatic visits or when foreign leaders visit China, China's leaders have introduced and recommended CRH to the outside world, making it become a business card of China's products and having the world witness China's strength. The export of CRH also indicates that China has made a quantum leap of development from introduction of technology to independent innovation.

37 卡奴 目前，信用卡在中国的一些大城市的年轻人中十分流行。信用卡为其使用者提供了方便，但是同时也使一些人，尤其是购物成瘾却收入不高的年轻人，逐渐地成为信用卡的“奴隶”。卡奴们深陷债务，不得不从一张信用卡中借钱来还另外一张信用卡，或者向银行支付高额的利息。由于收入微薄(meager)和超支(overspending)，他们总是处于破产的边缘，并且在信用纪录中留有很多污点(stains)。为了避免成为卡奴，信用卡使用者一方面要减少不必要的消费支出，另外一方面还要想办法增加经济收入。 >> Card Slaves At present, credit cards are very popular among young people in some large cities in China. While providing convenience for users, credit cards have made some people, especially youngsters with severe shopping addiction and low income, gradually become credit card “slaves”. They are deeply in debt and have to borrow from one credit card to pay off debts on another credit card, or pay high interest to the banks. Due to their meager salaries and overspending, they always live on the verge of bankruptcy, and have a credit history that is full of stains. To avoid becoming a credit card slave, credit card users have to reduce unnecessary spending while looking for ways to increase their

36 鼎 鼎(ding)是最重要的青铜器之一，最初被用来烹煮和盛贮肉类。后来鼎被用于烹饪祭祀给神灵的祭品，而上升成为礼器(sacrificial vessel)。作为我国青铜文化的代表，鼎是中国古代文明的见证，也是文化的载体。鼎在中国历史上被视为国家和权力的象征。直到现在，中国人仍然有一种鼎崇拜的意识。“鼎”字也被赋予“显赫”“尊贵”“盛大”等引申意义，如：一言九鼎、大名鼎鼎、鼎盛时期、鼎力相助等。 >> Ding As one of the most important bronze ware, ding was initially used to cook and store meat. Later on, ding became a sacrificial vessel in which sacrifices to gods were cooked. As a representative of China's bronze culture, ding serves as a witness to the ancient Chinese civilization as well as the carrier of culture. In the history of China, ding was regarded as a token of state and power. Nowadays, Chinese people still have an awareness of ding worship. The character ding is also endowed with extended meanings such as “eminent”, “honorable”, “magnificent”, etc., as can be seen in Chinese idioms yiyanjiuding, damingdingding, dingshengshiqi, dinglixiangzhu, etc., which respectively mean “someone's words carry weight”, “well-known”, “golden age” and “give valuable assistance”.