河南省2024年暑假九英写作阅读材料用英语讲好中国故事二

河南省2024年暑假九英写作阅读材料用英语讲好中国故事二 用英语讲好中国故事一—— 四大发明Four Great Inventions  Extremely important inventions have emerged during the long course of China's history, the most noticeable of which are the Four Great Inventions, namely paper making, typography, gunpowder, and compass.       The earliest form of paper first appeared in the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-8 AD). In the Eastern Han Dynasty a court official named Cai Lun invented paper. The paper making process was first spread to Korea and Japan at the beginning of the 3rd century, then to Europe in the 12th century, and to America in the 16th century before it was spread all over the world. Block printing technique emerged in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) combining engraving writing and stone-tablet rubbing techniques. The Diamond Sutra is the first book in the world with a verifiable date of printing, which appeared in China in the year 868. In the Song Dynasty (960–1279), Bi Sheng greatly innovated the printing method and invented movable type printing. So he is called the “father of typography”. The invention of gunpowder was accidental product ofancient necromancers who tried to seek the elixir of immortality. Gunpowder is a mixture of charcoal, saltpeter and sulfur. The correct prescription for making gunpowder was probably discovered in the ninth century. The military applications of gunpowder began in the Tang Dynasty. By the Song Dynasty, gunpowder was in extensive use. Gunpowder technology was introduced to Europe in the 14th century which greatly changed the nature of warfare and reshaped the international political setup. Compass, called Sinan in ancient times, appeared as early as the Warring States Period (475BC-221BC). Initially it was applied to sacrifice, etiquette, military affairs, divination and feng shui. By the Northern Song Dynasty, artificial magnets with more stable magnetism had been invented and used for navigation, which profoundly influenced Europe. The Age of Discovery dawned on Europe and they began to discover America and travel around the world.       The Four Great Inventions not only promoted the development of China's economy, politics and culture, but also moved world civilization forward. 四大发明      中国历史悠久，有很多伟大的发明，其中最具影响力的是造纸术、活字印刷术、火药及指南针，并称为四大发明。       造纸术始于西汉(公元前202年一公元8年)，东汉蔡伦在总结前人经验的基础上，改进了造纸术。从3世纪开始，造纸术逐渐外传至日本、韩国，12世纪传入欧洲，16世纪传到美国，开始在全世界广泛使用。唐朝时期(公元618年—公元907年)，人们把印章和拓碑两种方法结合起来，发明了雕版印刷术。唐代868年留下的《金刚经》是世界上最早的标有确切日期的雕版印刷品。宋代(公元960年一公元 1279年)毕昇革新了印刷技术，发明了活字印刷术，被称为“活字印刷之父”。火药的发明与古代炼丹家炼制丹药有关。火药由硝石、硫磺和木炭组成，正确的配比大约出现在9世纪。火药从唐朝末年开始在战争中出现，宋时已普遍用于战争。14世纪火药传入欧洲。火药的使用大大改变了战争和世界的政治格局。指南针，古代叫司南，最早出现在战国时期(公元前475年一公元前221年)。中国古代，指南针起先应用于祭祀、礼仪、军事和风水占卜。到了北宋时期，人们发明了磁性更稳定的人工磁化铁针，并开始应用于航海。指南针传到欧洲，推动其开启了大航海时代，使发现美洲和环球航行成为可能。       四大发明不仅促进了中国古代的政治、经济、文化的发展，也推动了世界文明发展的进程。 词汇笔记 1. typography [taI'pɒgrəfi] art and technique of printing with movable type 活版印刷术，排印 2. necromancer ['nekrəʊmænsə(r)] one who practices magic or sorcery 巫师; 方士 3. elixir [ɪ'lɪksə(r)] a magical or medicinal potion 炼金丹, 长生不老药 用英语讲好中国故事二—— 古诗词 Classical Chinese Poetry      Poetry is one of the earliest as well as the most fully developed literary genre in China. Poetry derived from the work songs and ballads during the prehistoric times, long before the emergence of written texts. The Book of Songs is the first poem collection including 305 poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-771 BC) to the middle Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC). Chinese poetry originated from two major starting points: one is the Book of Songs, the realistic source, and the other is Chu Ci, the romantic source. Both can be dated back to the pre-Qin period (before 221 BC).       Classical Chinese poetry is a general term which includes, in terms of temperament, perhaps first and foremost shi or poem (a literary genre that reflect life and express emotion through rhythmic pattern of the language). Poems can be subdivided into two types: archaic poems (pre-Tang poetry)and modern poems (since the Tang Dynasty). Archaic poem is a form of fixed format, usually having five or seven characters in each line, without strict tonal patterns or rhyme schemes. Masterpieces of archaic poem include the Book of Songs, Chu Ci, Songs of YueFu, Poetry in the Han Dynasty, and Folk Songs in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, etc. Modern poem refers to innovations in classical poem, marked by strict tonal patterns and rhyme schemes. The format of modern poem is generally pentasyllabic or heptasyllabic quatrains and pentasyllabic or heptasyllabic regulated verses. According to the content, it falls into categories such as narrative poems, lyric poems, farewell poems, frontier poems, idyll, history-nostalgia poems, memorial poems, object-describing poems and military poems, etc. Other major types of poetry are ci(a type of classical poetry, originating in the Tang Dynasty and fully developed in the Song Dynasty), and qu (a type of verse for singing, which emerged in the Southern Song and Jin Dynasties and became popular in the Yuan Dynasty).      Classical poetry is a shining pearl of the traditional Chinese culture. 古诗词      诗歌是中国最古老的也是发展最成熟的文学体裁之一。诗歌源于远古先人的劳动号子和民歌，早在书面文字形成之前便已出现。《诗经》是最早的一部诗歌总集，收集了西周(公元前11世纪一公元前771年)初年至春秋(公元前770年一公元前476年)中叶共305首诗歌。中国古代诗歌的两大源头都出现在先秦时期(公元前221年以前)，分别是现实主义源头《诗经》及浪漫主义源头《楚辞》。       中国古诗词是个笼统的说法。从音律上分，首先包括诗(通过有节奏和韵律的语言反映生活，抒发感情的文学体裁)，可细分为古体诗(前唐诗)和近体诗(唐代形成的)两类。古体诗有固定的体式，有五古、七古等多种形式，代表作有《诗经》《楚辞》《乐府》《汉赋》《南北朝民歌》等，其特点是格律限制不严格。近体诗则有严格的格律要求，一般是五、七言绝句和五、七言律诗，按内容可分为叙事诗、抒情诗、送别诗、边塞诗、山水田园诗、怀古诗(咏史诗)、悼亡诗、咏物诗、军旅诗等。古诗词的其他主要类型包括词(一种韵文形式，源于唐代，盛于宋代)和曲(出现于南宋及金，盛于元朝的可入乐的乐曲)。      古诗词是中华民族传统文化宝库中一颗璀璨耀眼的明珠。 词汇笔记 1. temperament ['temprəmənt] the adjustment of the intervals 音律 2. pentasyllabic [ˌpεntəsI'læbIk] having or characterized by or consisting of five syllables 五言 3. heptasyllabic [ˌhɛptəsI'læbIk] having or characterized by or consisting of seven syllables 七言 4. quatrain ['kwɒtreIn] a stanza or poem of four lines, usually with alternate rhyme 绝句 用英语讲好中国故事三—— 交往礼仪Social Etiquette      Social etiquette is the behavioral norms that people observe in their daily  interactions. As one of the birthplaces of world civilization, China has its unique  etiquette system. Here the manners of meeting and guests entertaining are  introduced.       The meeting etiquette mainly refer to a set of customs and rules involved  in introduction and gestures. Chinese introduction etiquette is the same as  that of most countries in the world. Chinese people pay great attention to the  introduction order. It is common to first introduce the young to the elderly and  man to woman to show respect for the latter. Handshake is also a universal rite,  but the“fist and palm salute”is unique for traditional Chinese culture. It is done  by holding two hands together in front of the chest and more frequently used in  mass greetings and festive celebrations nowadays.       China is different from the West in entertaining the guest. When a guest  pays a visit, everyone in the family will come to meet the guest and make small  talk. When the guest is seated, a cup of tea will be served by the host with  two hands and it can't be filled up, to show politeness to the guest. If a meal  is needed, the seating arrangements are very particular. The seat facing the  gate belongs to the host, and that of the guest of honor will also be arranged in  advance. During the meal, communication is of vital importance and the lively  dining atmosphere is much preferred. Meanwhile, the host and the guest will  urge each other to eat and drink, and even if the table is full of delicacies, the  host will still be modest, saying the food is not sumptuous enough, and that the  guest is not well entertained. The farewell and see-off are the concluding part.  The guest is ready to leave when he expresses such a wish, while the host will  repeatedly try to persuade the guest to stay. When they part, the host will say  some formulae, such as“Visit us again when available and take care”and the  guests will reply with“Don't bother to see me out”. In this way the visit ends  with the warm farewell speech. 交往礼仪      交往礼仪是人们在日常的交往活动中遵守的行为准则。作为世界文明的发源地之一，我国也形成了自己特有的礼仪体系，在此主要介绍见面礼和待客礼。       见面礼仪主要包含介绍和手势礼。中国的介绍礼与世界大多数国家相同，非常注重介绍次序。通常是先向年长者介绍年轻人，先向女士介绍男士，以示对前者的尊重。握手礼同样也是世界通用的见面礼节，但拱手礼是中国人独有的传统见面礼，行礼时，人们双手相互握合于胸前。如今，拱手礼更常用于佳节团拜、节日祝贺等场合。       中国和西方在待客礼方面有所不同。客人来访时，家里所有人都会出来见面，并寒暄一番。客人落座后主人会给客人倒茶。茶水不可倒满，且要双手递给客人，表示礼貌。如果涉及用餐，座位安排也有讲究。面向大门的座位为主位，贵宾的位置也会提前安排好。用餐过程中，中国人更注重交流，喜欢热闹的就餐氛围。主人和客人都会相互让菜，还会相互敬酒。即使为客人准备了满桌的美味佳肴，主人仍会谦虚客套一番，说饭菜不够丰盛，对客人招待不周。告辞和送客是待客的最后一个环节。客人提出准备离开时，主人则会再三挽留。分别时主人也会说些客套话，如“有空再来，慢走”，客人则会回以“不用送了，请留步”。拜访就在双方热情的告别语中结束。 词汇笔记 1. delicacy ['delIkəsI] a rare or expensive food that is considered especially  nice to eat 美味佳肴 2. formulae ['fɔːmjʊliː] plural form of formula, words to show courtesy in  certain occasions 客套话 3. sumptuous ['sʌmptʃuəs] grand and obviously very expensive 豪华的 用英语讲好中国故事四—— 忌讳的数字和颜色Taboo Numbers and Colors      Among all the numbers,“six”and“eight”are people's favorite because their homophonic sounds are“smooth”and “flourishing”respectively. In all the choices pertaining to numbers, from the phone number and the license plate number to the date of new store opening and wedding, those with“six”and“eight”are people's first option. By contrast,“four”and“seven”are often taboos. The pronunciation of“four”is the same as that of“death”in Chinese, which people try to avoid in everything, and even some combinations of numbers containing four are undesirable. And“seven”is considered unlucky for it is often associated with funerals. The“first seventh night”is a Chinese funeral custom with mourning activities held on the seventh day of the deceased by one's family members.       In terms of color, Chinese people prefer red because they believe that red means auspiciousness and joy. Therefore, red clothing and red ornaments are often worn and used in many celebrations such as weddings and festivals. White and black, on the contrary, are the colors people dislike and tend to avoid. White in Chinese traditional culture is the sign of death and ominousness. In traditional funerals, the families of the deceased need to wear white filial clothes and hats, and set up a white mourning hall to hold a“white funeral ceremony”to comfort the deceased. In addition, white also has the connotative meaning of being insidious and crafty. In Chinese Peking Opera, the character with white facial makeup is usually a villain, for example, Cao Cao, one of the most celebrated figures in the Three-Kingdom period. Black is not a color whose negative implications are as strong as white, but it still has mysterious and special meanings. On the one hand, black is reminiscent of derogatory words such as sin, darkness, and terror. On the other hand, influenced by western culture, Chinese people at modern funerals, also wear black clothes with black armband to express respect for the deceased in this atmosphere of solemnity and reverence. 忌讳的数字和颜色      数字中，“六”和“八”因其谐音分别为“顺”和“发”而深得人们喜爱。在与数字相关的所有选择上，小到电话号码、车牌号，大至新店开业、结婚日期都以“六”和“八”为先。比较而言，数字“四”和“七”则常常为人们所忌讳。“四”的发音因与“死”相同，导致人们事事都要避开，甚至一些含有四的数字组合也都不受欢迎。而“七”被人们认为不吉利，是因为“七”往往与葬礼相关，“头七”是中华民族的一种丧殡习俗，是去世者家属在亲人去世的第七天为其举行的悼念活动的总称。       颜色方面，中国人崇尚红色，认为红色有吉祥和喜庆的寓意，故而在结婚、节日等众多庆祝活动中常常穿戴红色衣物或用红色饰品进行装饰。白色和黑色则与之相反，是人们相对禁忌和不喜欢的颜色。白色在中国传统文化中是死亡和不祥的预兆。传统丧葬期间，去世亲人的家属需要穿着白色的孝衣和孝帽，并设白色灵堂为亲人举办“白喜事”，告慰逝者亡灵。另外白色还有阴险狡诈之意，中国京剧中，像曹操一样拥有白色脸谱的角色通常是奸佞小人。黑色相对白色负面色彩没有那么强烈，但仍有神秘和特殊的含义。一方面，黑色容易让人联想到罪恶、阴暗、恐怖等贬义词汇；另一方面，受西方文化的影响，现代葬礼上，人们也会穿黑色衣服，臂挽黑纱，在这种庄严肃穆的场合表达对逝者的尊重。 词汇笔记 1. insidious [In'sIdIəs] unpleasant or dangerous and develops gradually without being noticed 阴险的, 暗中为害的 2. reminiscent [remɪ'nɪs(ə) nt] serving to bring to mind 令人想起的, 引起联想 3. derogatory [dI'rɒgət(ə)rI] expressive of low opinion 贬低的 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$