Archive for October 27th, 2008

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 309

Monday, October 27th, 2008
 
 

    (6月20日播出)

  大牛:大清早来,精神好,

  In the morning I feel spry,

  红红的旗帜天上飘。

  red flag waves in the sky.

  大家好,我是快乐的大牛。

  Hello, everyone. I am happy Daniel.

  韩佳:我是快乐的韩佳。

  I am happy Han Jia.

  看到高高飘扬的旗帜,您就应该知道,

  When you see the flag on high,

  you should know that

  《快乐中国》带您到香港来学汉语了。

  Happy China have taken you to

  Hong Kong to learn Chinese.

  大牛:怎么样?您和我一样兴奋吧?

  How about you? Are you excited?

  香港可是个好地方,向来被称为东方明珠。

  Hong Kong is a good place. It has

  always been called the Oriental Pearl.

  合: 跟我来吧。走。

  Follow me. Come on.

  Xiānggǎng xiànglái bèi hēngwéi Dōngfāng míngzhū.

  香港 向来 被 称为 东方 明珠。

  Hong Kong has always been known

  as the Pearl of the Orient.

  韩佳:大牛,你知道香港一共分几个部分吗?

  Daniel, do you know how many parts

  is Hong Kong composed of?

  大牛:当然知道了。

  Of course I know.

  包括香港岛、九龙半岛、新界

  It consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon

  Peninsula and New Territories

  一共有十八个区。

  with 18 districts in total.

  韩佳:说得够准确的呀。

  Accurately.

  大牛:不过,这路我可不认识。

  But I can’t find my way here.

  哎,韩佳。你不会也人生地不熟吧?

  Hey, Han Jia. Are you a

  stranger here?

  韩佳:不会。要说我对这香港啊,

  No. I am

  大牛:那就是了如指掌。

  very familiar with Hong Kong.

  韩佳:了如指掌倒谈不上,

  Far from very familiar,

  不过多多少少我还是知道一些的。

  but I know something more or less.

  大牛:啊,多多少少。

  Ah, Duo Duo Shao Shao.

  那到底是知道得多还是少呢?

  Then do you know more or less

  on earth?

  韩佳:多多少少啊是一个模糊词语,

  Duo Duo Shao Shao is an

  ambiguous phrase.

  表示不定的数量。

  It refers to an uncertain quantity.

  意思是或多或少。

  It means more or less.

  大牛:那韩佳,我们这次香港之行全靠你了。

  Han Jia, so our Hong Kong tour will

  rely on you.

  韩佳:没问题。跟我走啊,

  No problem. Follow me.

  丢不了。

  I won’t get lost.

  大牛:底气还挺足。

  So confident.

  韩佳,怎么了?

  Han Jia, what’s wrong?

  韩佳:没什么。

  Nothing.

  好歹你来香港也有一会儿了,

  Anyway, you’ve been in Hong Kong

  for a while.

  说说你的感受吧。

  What’s your impression?

  大牛:俩字,“繁华”。

  One word, prosperous.

  你看,周围都是高楼。

  We are surrounded by high buildings.

  高楼林立。

  Gao Lou Lin Li.

  韩佳:这个词说得好。

  A good description.

  林立是指像树林一样密集地竖立着,

  Lin Li means erecting like a

  serried wood.

  形容很多的样子。

  There are numerous buildings.

  大牛:高楼林立就是形容高楼很多的样子。

  Gao Lou Lin Li means a forest of

  skyscrapers, a concrete jungle.

  高楼林立。

  Gao Lou Lin Li.

  gāo lóu línlì

  高 楼 林立

  A forest of skyscrapers

  香港很现代化,您也感受到了吧?

  Hong Kong is a modern city.

  Have you found it?

  韩佳:不只是现代。

  Far more than modern.

  这次我们来香港,十八个区都要走个遍。

  This time, we will visit all of the 18

  districts in Hong Kong.

  到时候啊你的感受会越来越多的。

  You will have more experience.

  大牛:真的?都有什么好玩的地方?

  Really? Is there any good place to play?

  韩佳:先工作,工作结束了才能玩。

  First of all, get your work done.

  Then we can play.

  哦,是这儿啊。

  Oh, here.

  认识了,认识了。

  I see. I see.

  哎,我带你去看个特别的。

  Hey, I’ll take you to see something special.

  走。

  Come on.

  大牛:原来她也不认识路啊。

  Actually, she can’t find the way, either.

  这个电梯什么时候才能坐完呢?

  When shall we get off the escalator?

  韩佳:早着呢。这电梯有二十段,八百米长呢。

  It’s a long way to go. The escalator is

  800-meter long with 28 sections.

  大牛:我可从来没坐过那么长的电梯。

  I’ve never taken such a long escalator.

  韩佳:要不然怎么说它特别呢。

  That’s why I said it’s special.

  像这样的电梯全世界也屈指可数。

  There’re only a few such escalators

  in the world.

  大牛:不过这样上山倒是挺方便的。

  It’s convenient to reach the top

  of the mountain.

  韩佳:香港有非常便捷完善的公众运输系统。

  Hong Kong boasts a convenient and

  perfect public transportation system.

  这个嘛也算是其中之一了。

  This escalator is part of it.

  Xiānggǎng yǒu fēicháng biànjié wánshàn de gōngzhòng yùnshū xìtǒng.

  香港 有 非常 便捷 完善 的 公众 运输 系统。

  Hong Kong boasts a convenient and well

  equipped public transportation system.

  大牛:走,我们继续往上。

  Come on. Let’s continue.

  韩佳:走。

  Come on.

  大牛:韩佳,看来你对香港了解得不少啊。

  Han Jia, you seem to know a lot

  about Hong Kong.

  韩佳:那当然,谦虚好学,

  Of course, I’m modest and studious,

  当然就知道得多了。

  so I know a lot.

  大牛:她这是谦虚吗?

  Is she modest?

  韩佳,那边在干吗呢?

  Han Jia, what are you doing there?

  韩佳:那是午炮。

  That’s the Noon Day Gun.

  听说十九世纪的时候,

  It was said that in the 1800s,

  香港有一家洋行经常用鸣炮

  a foreign firm in Hong Kong often

  fired gun

  来迎接商船入港。

  to welcome merchant ships’

  entry into the harbor.

  后来被一位军官知道了,就惩罚他们

  A military officer learned of it and

  punished them

  在以后的每天中午十二点都要鸣炮报时。

  to fire gun at midday to announce the

  hour everyday from then on.

  流传至今已经成为香港一景了。

  It came down and has become a

  custom in Hong Kong.

  大牛:那每天中午十二点时都要鸣响礼炮了?

  So everyday, they fire gun at noon

  to announce the hour

  摇铃啦。

  and ring the bell.

  韩佳:是啊,在鸣炮之前要摇四下铃铛,

  Yes. They ring the bell for four times

  鸣炮之后呢再摇四下。

  before and after firing gun.

  这就表示今天上午的工作结束啦。

  It means that your morning work

  is over.

  大牛:这可是你说的。走喽,玩去了。

  You said that. Let’s go now.

  大牛在这儿给您报时。

  Daniel announces the hour here.

  刚才一响,北京时间十二点整。

  It’s Beijing time 12 o’clock now.

  韩佳:学说中国话,朋友遍天下。

  Learn to speak Chinese and

  make friends everywhere.

  合: 明天见。

  See you tomorrow.

  赏心悦目:

  香港素有”东方明珠”的美称

  Hong Kong enjoys the laudatory name

  of Oriental Pearl.

  繁忙的货运码头

  It has busy cargo wharf

  现代化的都市生活

  and modern urban life.

  在这里 传统与现代交融

  Here, tradition and modernism co-exist

  多彩的文化生活

  with colorful cultural life

  如画的自然美景

  and picturesque natural beauty.

  香港 正向世人展现着她的万种风情

  Hong Kong shows her diverse elegance

  to the world.

  香港的明天将更加辉煌

  Hong Kong will have a more splendid future.

     (Source: cctv.com)

Chinese Culture – Karuo Site

Monday, October 27th, 2008

 

Archaeological site of the Neolithic Age

 

Location: Changdu County, the Tibet Autonomous Region 

 

Period: 3,000-2,000 BC

 

Excavated from 1978 to 1979

 

Significance: The Karuo Culture is named after the site. It is the first excavation of the settlement site in the Tibetan Plateau.

 

 Introduction

 

Living on the “roof of the world” and at the foot of the snow mountains, the Tibetan people in the Tibet Autonomous Region have created splendid culture and arts, including a sea of rare cultural relics, with unique ethnic style from generation to generation.  

Remains of house no. 12: (in the background, length 540 cm); Pottery jar in the shape of two animals: food container or water vessel (mid, length 32 cm); Necklace made of marble and clay rock: ornament (on the right of the background, length 52 cm)

 

Karuo Site is the only archaeological site of the Neolithic Age among the 20 cultural relics in Tibet. The site covers an area of about 10,000 square meters and is considered by the archaeological world as one of the three Tibetan aboriginal cultural relics. The foundation of houses, paved roads, stonewalls, stone altars and pits were unearthed from the well-preserved site and a great number of stoneware, pottery, bone ware and other ornamental articles were discovered.

 

The pottery pot unearthed in Karuo, Qamdo Prefecture, was a rare relic of the Neolithic Age. It is made up of yellow clay and micro sand. Its surface is decorated with cutting strokes and black painting, and its body is in the shape of two beasts standing opposite to each other.

Source: chinaculture.org

Chinese Conversation – lesson 242

Monday, October 27th, 2008

许多人担心克隆对社会带来影响。他们想象可能会出现一大群长得一模一样的人,和因战争或苦役需要而制造出的“完美”人类。我们甚至可能看到,存放在医院中作备用的无头人体。在21世纪具有如此能激发思考的种种可能性的情况下,克隆人类毫无疑问会继续受到广泛的关注及审视。

Many people fear the effects cloning could have on our society. They imagine masses of identical people, and the production of “perfect” humans for warfare or slave labor. With such thought-provoking possibilities for the 21st century, human cloning will no doubt continue to receive widespread attention and scrutiny.

 

(Source: wwenglish.com)