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third country to launch manned spaceships. In 2007 Chang'e-1, the first
lunar-orbiting man-made satellite, was sent to space. In 2013 Shenzhou-10, the fifth manned spaceship, was launched successfully, laying the foundation for building the Chinese Space Station.
Unit 4
作为通过中国游历亚洲的首批欧洲人之一，
马可 ?波罗可能是中国人最熟知的外国商人和
航海家。从 1271 年到 1295 年，他和他的家人游历广泛，遍及欧洲和亚洲。期间，他在
中国留居了 17 年。他的著作《马可 ?波罗游记》描述了他游历亚洲的旅程，让欧洲人首
次全面领略了包括中国、印度和日本在内的远东地区的情况。从他的文字叙述中，西方
人第一次了解到瓷器、煤炭、火药、印刷术、纸币以及丝绸。在 15 世纪末和 16 世纪欧
在
?波罗
洲发现与征服的大航海时代， 马可 ?波罗所记录的大量新的地理信息得到了广泛使用。 他去世后的这几个世纪里，马可
?波罗获得了他在有生之年未曾获得的赞誉。马可
的故事鼓舞了其他无数的探险者去踏上征程，发现世界。
As one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia through China, Marco Polo is perhaps the most well-known foreign He traveled extensively ( 广泛地 ) with
merchant and voyager his family,
journeying
to the Chinese people.
from Europe to Asia His book The Travels Europeans their first
from 1271 to 1295. He remained in China for of Marco Polo
17 of those years.
depicts his journeys throughout Asia, giving
comprehensive look into the Far East, including
China, India, and Japan. From his written accounts the Westerners learned of porcelain, coal, gunpowder, printing,
paper money, and silk
for the first
time.
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The wealth of new geographic information late 15th and the 16th centuries
recorded by Polo was widely used in the
during the age of the European voyages of discovery
and conquest ( 征服 ). In the centuries since his death, Marco Polo has received
the recognition that failed to come his way during his lifetime. Marco Polo's story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world. 郑和是中国历史上最著名的航海家（
maritime explorer
）。公元 1405 年，明朝的统治
者为了稳固边防 （ border defense ）和开展海上贸易， 派郑和下西洋 （ the Western Seas）。
在此后的 28 年里，郑和带领船队七下西洋， 前后出海的人员有
10 多万人，访问了 30 多
个国家和地区。船队纵横南亚、西亚，一直到非洲大陆。郑和下西洋是世界航海
（navigation ）史上的壮举，它展现了郑和卓越的航海和组织才能，同时展现了明朝的
国力和国威（ national strength and prestige
），加强了明朝和海外各国之间的关系。
Zheng He was the most famous maritime explorer in Chinese history. In 1405 AD, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty sent Zheng He on a voyage to the Western Seas in order to strengthen border defense and develop trade by sea. In the following 28 years, Zheng He led his fleet, made seven voyages to the Western Seas with over 100,000 crew membersin total,
and visited
more than 30 countries
and regions.
The fleet traveled far into South Asia and West Asia, and made all the way to the continent
of Africa.
Zheng He's voyages to the Western
Seas were a great feat in the world's navigation history. It showed Zheng He's outstanding navigation and organization talents; meanwhile, it exhibited the national strength and prestige of the Ming Dynasty, and strengthened the relationships between the Ming Dynasty and the overseas countries.
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Unit 5
有关古代奥林匹克运动会的最早文字记载可追溯至公元前
776 年。古代奥运会每
4 年举
办一次，在 8 月 6 日与 9 月 19 日之间的一个纪念宙斯的宗教节日期间举行。
第一届现代
奥运会于 1896 年在希腊雅典举办。 奥运会的标志由五个大小相同的套环组成，
代表着五
大洲的联合和来自世界各地运动员的大聚会。奥运会真正腾飞、成为一项国际体育盛会
是在 1924 年之后，即第 8 届奥运会在巴黎举办之后。这一年，来自
44 个国家约 3,000
名运动员同场竞技，并且第一次在奥运会上增加了闭幕式这一仪式。同年，冬季奥运会
首次亮相，比赛项目包括花样滑冰、冰球、雪橇和冬季两项运动。 奥运会在相隔一个多世纪后再次在雅典举办， 竞技，创下参赛国数量之最。 The first
written
80 年后， 2004 年夏季
名运动员展开
来自 201 个国家的近 11,000
records of the ancient Olympic Gamesdate to 776 BC. The ancient
Olympics were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 during a religious
festival
honoring Zeus ( 宙斯 ). The first
modern Olympics
were held in
Athens, Greece, in 1896. The Olympic symbol
consists of five interlaced rings of equal dimensions, representing the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at
the Olympic Games. The Olympics truly took off as an international sporting event after 1924, when the 8th Olympic Games were held in Paris. Some 3,000 athletes from 44 nations competed that year, and for the first time the Games featured a closing
ceremony. The Winter
skating,
Olympics debuted ( 问世 ) that
year, including such
Eighty years
events as figure ice hockey, bobsledding and the biathlon.
later, when the 2004 Summer Olympics returned to Athens for the first time in
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more than a century, nearly 11,000 athletes from 201 countries competed, breaking
the then record of participating countries. 太极拳（ Tai Chi ）是一种武术（ martial
arts ）项目，也是一种健身运动，在中国有着
悠久的历史。太极拳动作缓慢而柔和，适合任何年龄、性别、体型的人练习。太极拳既
可防身，又能强身健体，因而深受中国人的喜爱。太极拳在发展的过程中，借鉴并吸收
了中国传统哲学、医术、武术的合理内容（
element ），成为特色鲜明的一项运动。作为
中国特有的一种运动形式，太极拳也越来越受到众多外国朋友的喜爱。
Tai Chi is a kind of martial arts, and a fitness exercise as well. It has a long history in China. With slow and gentle of any age, sex, or body type to practice.
movements, Tai Chi is
suitable
for people
It can be used to provide self-defense
as well as build the body. Therefore, it has become very popular among Chinese people. During its development, Tai Chi borrowed and
absorbed desirable elements from traditional Chinese philosophy, medicine, and martial arts, and it has developed into a sport with unique features. sport in China, Tai Chi is also gaining friends.
increasing
popularity
As a unique
among many foreign
Unit 6
间隔年指的是学生休假不去上学而去旅游或工作等的一段时间，但不一定是一年。间隔 年通常选在高中毕业和进入大学之前的一段时间。在这段时间里，学生可以旅游、参加
志愿者工作或者在国外边打工边度假。
一种新潮流是参加集语言学习、 住家、文化交流、
20 世纪 60 年代兴起于英
社区服务和自主学习于一体的国际教育活动。间隔年的做法于
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国。它在英国、澳大利亚、新西兰和加拿大已经变得非常流行。但是在美国，间隔年的
做法仍然只是个别现象。不过近年来，间隔年对美国人来说变得稍微普遍起来。
2013 年
有大约四万美国学生参加了间隔年活动，比
2006 年增加了近 20%。普林斯顿大学、哈佛
大学、麻省理工学院等大学都有明文规定允许学生延迟入学。
Gap year ( 间隔年 ) refers to a period of time — not necessarily a year — in which
students take time off and do something other than schooling, such as travel or
work. The year out is most commonly taken after high school and before going to university. During this time, a student might travel, engage in volunteer work or undertake ( 承担 ) a working holiday abroad. A new trend is to participate in international education programs that combine language study,
home stays, cultural exchange, community service, and independent study. The practice of taking a year out developed in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. It has grown very popular among students in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In the United States, however, the practice
of taking
a year off remains
the exception ( 例外 ). But in recent years, taking a year out has become slightly more common for Americans. Some 40,000 American students participated in 2013 in gap year programs, an increase of almost 20% since 2006. Universities such as Princeton University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology have formal policies allowing students to defer (
延期 ) admission.
改革开放以来，中国的教育事业得到了快速发展，取得了引人瞩目的成就。中国政府把 教育摆在优先发展的地位，坚持科教兴国（
revitalize the country ），全面提倡素质教
育 (quality-oriented education) 。同时，积极推进教育公平，保障人人有受教育的机
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