Archive for November 1st, 2008

Chinese Conversation – lesson 247

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

鲍伯:由穷至富吗?我看报导说她写第一本小说时靠领失业救济金过活。
怡君:现在看看她。她可是亿万富翁呢。
鲍伯:我猜她的计算机才有真正管用的魔法,而不是魔杖和扫帚。
怡君:你不能跟我说你不喜欢她的故事了。
鲍伯:我的小孩让我受够了《哈利波特》。此外,我自己是个《魔戒》迷。
怡君:你怎么能拿他们比在一起?《哈利波特》好太多了。
鲍伯:托尔金早《哈利波特》五十年就写了《魔戒》,谢谢你喔。

Bob: Rags to riches, right? I read she was on the dole when she wrote the first book.
Yijun: Now look at her. She’s a billionaire.
Bob: I guess the true magic at work involved her computer rather than a wand and a broom.
Yijun: Now you can’t tell me you don’t like her story.
Bob: I get enough of Harry Potter from my children. Besides, I’m a Lord of the Rings man, myself.
Yijun: How can you compare them? Harry Potter is way better.
Bob: Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings fifty years before Harry Potter, thank you very much.

(Source: wwenglish.com)

Chinese Culture – Dongxiafeng Site

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

 

Site of the Xia and Shang dynasties

 

Location: Xiaxian County, Shanxi Province

 

Period: 1900-1500 BC

 

Excavated in 1974

 

Significance: The find has contributed enormously to the study of the contents of the Erlitou Culture and the Xia Culture in the southern part of Shanxi province. 

Stone qing (chime stone): musical instrument (up, length 68 cm); Bronze jue (three-legged vessel with handle and open spout): wine vessel (height 12 cm)

 

 Introduction

 

Dongxiafeng Site is the typical representative of Erlitou Culture during the Xia and Shang dynasties. It has an  area of about 250,000 square meters. The ruins of ash pits, houses, tombs, wells and kilns were discovered during excavation of the site. Dongxiafeng Site abounds in cultural relics like pottery, bone wares, copper and stone ware. More importantly, ruins of city walls of the Erligang Period were accidentally discovered here, which makes Dongxiafeng Site of even greater archaeological value.

Source: chinaculture.org

Beijing Olympic – Shanghai World Expo considers emergency response system

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

The organizing committee of the 2010 World Expo is considering a system to cope with possible emergencies, including natural disasters and food security, during what will be the largest-ever exposition in the world, an official said on Tuesday.

“We are considering an emergency response system, which will handle possible crises at exposition venues, such as fires, trampling incidents, food security, VIP security and information security, during the 2010 World Expo,” said Zhou Hanmin, coordination official with the committee.

It is expected that a large proportion of the exposition’s budget will be devoted to public security, Zhou said, adding the organizing committee would draw up plans to quickly close the exposition venues if crises occur.

The expo, which runs from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2010, is expected to draw 70 million visitors, an average of 400,000 a day.

The number of countries and international organizations committed to attending the expo has reached 200 so far, surpassing the previous record held by Hanover, Germany, in 2000.

It will be the first time that the event is being held in a developing country since the inaugural fair in London in 1851. Shanghai won its bid for the expo in December 2002.

(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)