三套练习
1. 中国的官方语言普通话( Mandarin)在美国的学校中突然热起来。由于中国经济在本世纪的领先地位，美国的公立和私立学校纷纷在外语教学中加入汉语这一科目，或将已有的汉语教学项目进行扩展。据统计，在美国的学校中，有5万名孩子在学习汉语。推动汉语项目的发展不是没有遇到困难。由于缺乏受过专业训练、持有证书的教师，一些学校很难加入汉语教学的竞争。当学校聘用教师时，它们通常直接从中国将他们招来，这种方式为文化冲突埋下了隐患。 Mandarin, China’s official language, suddenly becomes popular in American schools. Due to the leading role of China’s economy in this century, both public and private schools of the U.S. are adding Chinese to their foreign language teaching or expanding established Chinese teaching subjects. According to statistics, 50 thousand children are learning Chinese in American schools. Difficulties do have emerged in the process of promoting the Chinese teaching projects. Due to the lack of teachers with professional training and certificates, some schools are less competitive in Chinese teaching. While hiring teachers, they would recruit some directly from China, leaving potential dangers for cultural conflicts.
2. 农历正月(the first lunar month)十五是中国的元宵节(Lantern
Festival)，人们习惯在门外悬挂大红灯笼，孩子们提着彩色的灯笼玩，大人们则上街观赏各式各样的灯笼。据记载，灯笼早在约3000年前就出现在了元宵节上。到了唐代，朝廷将灯笼与佛教（Buddhism）联系起来，从此点灯笼就成了元宵节官方礼仪( protocol)的一部分。不同地区的彩灯风格迥异。陕北的农民用南瓜做灯笼，用棉花等材料做成羊头形状，而北京因为是帝王之都，灯笼一般都做成宫廷(imperial palace)灯笼的样子。
The 15th day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival in china, when people hang red lanterns outside the gate, children play with colored lanterns, and adults go to streets to appreciate various lanterns. It is recorded that lanterns appeared on the Lantern Festival at least 3000 years ago. In the Tang dynasty, the court connected lanterns with Buddhism, making the lighting of lanterns a part of official protocol for the Lantern Festival. Colored lanterns of different regions vary a lot in style. Farmers in Shaanbei/Northern Shaanxi Province/the north of Shaanxi make lanterns using pumpkins or materials like cotton in the shape of the head of a goat. Whereas in Beijing, a capital city of many dynasties, colored lanterns are mainly in the same style of the imperial palace ones.
3. 慈禧对外国人万分惧怕，正像她对国人无比傲慢一样。她在
河南停留了很长一段时间，到了保定又逗留(halt)多日，好不容易才回到北京。据说，在这漫长的旅途中还发生了一件趣事。一位地方官员送给慈禧一只猴子，她颇为高兴，竟让人给那只猴子穿黄马褂（yellow mandarin jacket）。后来得知有的官员发出了“人不如猴”的感慨，慈禧才发现自己的决定有些荒唐（whimsical），于是又命令给随行官员(escorting officials)每人一件黄马褂。得到如此殊荣之后，大家真不知道该感谢慈禧还是感谢那只猴子。
Cixi was deadly scared of foreigners, just as she was extremely arrogant to her countrymen. She stayed in Heinan Province for a long time, halted in Baoding for many days, at last came back to Beijing very hardly. It was reported that an interesting thing happened in this long travel. A local official gave a monkey to Cixi, which makes her so happy that she ordered servants to put a yellow mandarin jacket on the monkey. Later, knowing that some officials complainting that “Men are not nobler even than monkeys”, Cixi found her decision quite whimsical, then rewarded all the escorting officials a yellow mandarin jacket each. Receiving this special reward, they didn't know whom to thank, Cixi or the monkey.
201312
1. 中国人自古以来就在中秋时节庆祝丰收。这与北美地区庆祝感恩节的习俗十分相似。过中秋节的习俗于唐代早期在中国各地开始
流行。中秋节在农历八月十五，是人们拜月的节日。这天夜晚皓月当空，人们合家团聚，共赏明月。2006年，中秋节被列为中国的文化遗产，2008年又被定为公共假日。月饼被视为中秋节不可或缺的美食。人们将月饼作为礼物馈赠亲友或在家庭聚会上享用。传统的月饼上带有“寿(longevity)”、“福”或“和”等字样。
Since ancient times, the Chinese people usually celebrate harvest in the Mid-Autumn, which is similar to the custom of celebrating the Thanksgiving Day in northern America. The tradition of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival became popular throughout China in the early Tang dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Day is on the 15 day of the 8th lunar month, when people worship the moon.On this day, under the bright moon, families reunite and enjoy the moon together. In 2006, the Mid-Autumn Festival was listed as one of China's cultural heritage, and in 2008, it was classified as a public holiday. Moon cakes, as indispensable delicious food of the festival, are gifts for people to send to families and friends during the festival or to enjoy on family gatherings. Traditional moon cakes are with characters such as”寿”(which means longevity), ”福”(which means happiness) and ”和”(which means harmony).
2. 中国园林（the Chinese garden）是经过三千多年演变而成的独具一格的园林景观（landscape）。它既包括为皇室成员享乐而建造的大型花，也包括学者、商人和卸任的政府官员为摆脱嘈杂的外部世
