讲好中国故事材料汇编 讲义 2024届高考英语一轮复习

讲好中国故事

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Achievement in Science and Technology科技成就篇

TCM 中医中药

Status地位: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is widely used in China and is becoming increasingly popular and recognized worldwide.

Contents内容: The four diagnostic methods of TCM consist of observing, listening and smelling, inquiring and pulse taking.

Cross-culture comparison中西文化对比： The major difference between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine is that the former treats an illness or sickness as a component of the entire body's system, while the latter treats it as a single isolated component.

Significance意义：As an indispensable part of Chinese culture, TCM has made great contributions to the stability and prosperity of China and the world, which has been demonstrated in the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Compass 指南针

What is compass: A compass, Zhi Nan Zhen, indicates north and south.

Origin: It was invented by Chinese 2,000 years ago. The ancient Zhi Nan Zhen looked like a spoon. When the spoon was placed on a plate, its handle could point to the south using magnetic fields. Then Chinese used a needle to replace the spoon. This made it easy to carry.

600 years ago, Zheng He, the greatest Chinese navigator, even reached the Red Sea with the help of the Zhi Nan Zhen. The invention boosted the development of navigation.

 

The High-Speed Train in China高铁

Status地位: When Chinese people take a trip to other cities, the best choice of their transportation is to take the high-speed train.

Characteristics特点: Now, the high-speed train in China is really fast, reliable, convenient and comfortable.

Significance意义: The high-speed train is changing the travelling and living habits of Chinese people, who benefit a lot from it. The high-speed train strongly guarantees China’s economic take-off and the improvement of people’s living standard.

 

2. Specific Spots & Historical Sites名胜古迹

the Great Wall of China长城

Status: As a symbol of ancient Chinese civilization, the Great Wall of China is one of the world's oldest and most magnificent man-made scenes.

Origin: The Great Wall, originally built to resist the invasion from the North, now has become a well-known place of interest, attracting tourists from all over the world.

 

The Silk Road丝绸之路

Status: The Silk Road is not only a vital ancient trade route, but also a bridge linking the cultures of China and the West.

Significance: It was through the Silk Road that papermaking, gunpowder, compass and printing, the four great inventions of ancient China, were introduced around the world. Similarly, Chinese silk, tea and porcelain were spread all over the world.

Throughout the thousands of years, the interaction along this route has shaped the Silk Road spirit, which is embodied in solidarity and mutual trust, equality and mutual benefit, inclusiveness, a disposition to learn from each other, and cooperation in finding win-win solutions.

 

The terracotta Army兵马俑

Content and origin: The terracotta Army in Xin’an, also known as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, is a super large collection of life-sized terracotta sculptures in battle formations, reproducing the big imperial guard troops of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the first unified dynasty of Imperial China.

Status: Being the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Terracotta Army is no doubt a must-see for every visitor to Xi’an.

 

3. 成语故事篇

 

成语

Definition定义: Chinese set phrases are a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expression, most of which consist of four characters.

Origin起源: Chinese set phrases are special fixed phrases, originally from ancient classics, historical stories and people's verbal stories.

Learning method学习方法：When learning Chinese set phrases, we also need to study the context from which they were born.

 

Sleeping on Brushwood and Tasting Gall卧薪尝胆

Story: Gou Jian, the king of Yue, was defeated by He Lv, the King of Wu. In order to make himself tougher and remember his suffering at the Wu State, he slept on brushwood and tasted a gall before having dinner and going to bed. At the same time, he concentrated on administering his state. After a few years, his country became strong and in 473BC, he defeated Wu State completely.

Significance for today: Nowadays, people use the idiom “Sleeping on Brushwood and Tasting Gall” to describe one who endures self-imposed hardships in order to realize one’s ambition.

 

Pulling Up the Seedlings to Help Them Grow揠苗助长

Story:  An elderly farmer, who was so anxious for harvest, lifted up the young crops by half an inch to make them grow taller, only to see all the seedlings withered and dead and the year’s harvest completely ruined.

Culture comparison: In English, there is also an idiom “More haste, less speed” or “Haste makes waste” with similar meaning.

Significance for today: Nowadays, people usually use the idiom to describe the behavior of impatient people who are dying to achieve success only to make it worse. It reminds us that we should follow the law of nature and be patient; otherwise it will lead to the opposite result.

 

4. Folk Tales民间故事

Xuanzang’s Journey to the West玄奘西行

Story:  Xuanzang, also called Tang Seng, was a monk in Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD), who, having overcome countless challenges, managed to travel to Tianzhu (now India) , learned Buddhism and returned to Tang with precious Buddhist sutras (佛经).

Achievement: Great Tang Records on the Western Regions(《大唐西域记》) written by Xuanzang, records the sceneries and customs along his travel and provides us with invaluable information on the history of the Western Region, Central Asia, Pakistan and India.

Influence: Inspired by the story of Xuanzang, Wu Cheng’en, a novelist of the Ming dynasty, wrote Journey to the West, which has become an excellent long fairy novel.

Status: Xuanzang was actually an ancient Chinese historical figure who possessed a high reputation in world history and international exchanges.

 

5. traditional Arts & Crafts传统艺术

Chinese Calligraphy 中国书法

Content: Chinese calligraphy refers to writing art and techniques with writing brushes. Writing brushes, Chinese inks, rice paper and ink slabs are the basic tools of calligraphy. The structure of each individual character and overall arrangement are both important. Calligraphers have created plenty of masterpieces which have been passed from generation to generation.

Story: 1,600 years ago, a boy named Wang Xizhi worked hard at calligraphy. He washed his writing brushes in a pool and the pool turned black. Eventually, he became a prominent calligrapher in China.

Status and significance of today: Chinese Calligraphy represents the aesthetic taste and philosophy of Chinese scholars.

 

Chinese kite中国风筝

Origin and development起源和发展: Legends say a general made kites to send important messages to his troops. 

Cross-culture comparison中西文化对比: Long before Benjamin Franklin popularized the kite testing for understanding the nature of electricity, the Chinese had already been using kites beyond pleasurable purposes.

Material 材质Classic kites use bamboo, rattan藤条 or some other strong, but flexible wood for the spars骨架, paper or light fabrics布 such as silk for the sails，and are flown on string or twine（多股绳）.

Shape 形状：Kites often resemble birds.