Archive for November 2nd, 2009

Chinese Conversation – lesson 613

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

今天,罗马人民在维护那些令人赞叹的罗马历史遗产。学生们在曾是奥古斯都皇帝家庭陵园的公园里遛狗;拉斐尔风格的圣母像矗立在繁华的市区的角落,仿佛在那 儿排队等公共汽车;身着飘逸长袍的牧师打着手机穿过中世纪的广场。现代的罗马,一只脚踩在过去,另一只脚踩在现代–这种令人愉快的姿态让你能在贝尔尼尼 设计的广场上品味香浓的咖啡,然后乘地铁回到由文艺复兴时期的宫殿翻修而成的旅馆房间。

Today, Rome’s formidable legacy is upheld by its people. Students walk dogs in the park that was once the mausoleum of the family of the Emperor Augustus; Raphaelesque madonnas line up for buses on busy corners; a priest in flowing robes walks through a medieval piazza talking on a cell phone. Modern Rome has one foot in the past, one in the present –a delightful stance that allows you to have an espresso in a square designed by Bernini, then take the Metro back to your hotel room in a renovated Renaissance palace.

(Source: wwenglish.com)

Beijing Olympic – Flash: Dobrynska grabs Heptathlon lead

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Three out of the seven Heptathlon events have now concluded and Nataliia Dobrynska from Ukraine takes the lead with a combined score of 3052 following the Shot Put discipline of the Heptathlon hosted at the National Stadium on August 15th. Hyleas Fountain of the United States falls from first to second place with 3002 points and Anna Bogdanova from Russia follows close behind with a combined score of 2964.

(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)

Cir – Lesson 495

Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Mài kè: Wǒ jīn tiān kāi chē wéi zhāng, bèi jǐng chá lán zhù le.
麦克: 我今天开车违章,被警察拦住了。
Mike: I broke a traffic rule and was stopped by a policeman today.
Lì li: Zhēn wèi nǐ nán guò. Nǐ zěn me wéi zhāng le?
丽丽: 真为你难过。你怎么违章了?
Lili: Sorry to hear that. What rule did you break?
Mài kè: Zài yí gè hóng lǜ dēng lù kǒu, wǒ qiáng xíng zuǒ guăi le.
麦克: 在一个红绿灯路口,我强行左拐了。
Mike: I forced my way into the left lane at a traffic light crossing.
Lì li: Nán guài ne! Nǐ bèi fá kuăn le ba?
丽丽: 难怪呢!你被罚款了吧?
Lili: No wonder! You were fined, weren’t you?
Mài kè: Shì de. Nà wèi jǐng chá shì yì wǒ tíng chē, bìng chū shì jià shǐ zhèng.
麦克: 是的。那位警察示意我停车,并出示驾驶证。
Mike: Yes. The policeman motioned for me to stop and show my driver’s license.
Lì li: Jǐng chá de tài dù hăo ma?
丽丽: 警察的态度好吗?
Lili: Was the policeman polite?
Mài kè: Fēi cháng hăo. Tā gěi wǒ kāi le fá kuăn dān. Wǒ bèi fá kuăn èr băi yuán.
麦克: 非常好。他给我开了罚款单。我被罚款二百元。
Mike: Yes, he was. He wrote me a ticket. I was fined 200 yuan.
Lì li: Wǒ yě céng jīng bèi fá guò, shì yīn wéi chāo sù jià shǐ.
丽丽: 我也曾经被罚过,是因为超速驾驶。
Lili: I was once fined for speeding.
Mai kè: Shàng zhōu wǒ de yí gè péng yǒu yě bèi fá le, shì yīn wéi jiǔ hòu jià chē.
麦克: 上周我的一个朋友也被罚了,是因为酒后驾车。
Mike: Last week one of my friends was fined for drunk driving.
Lì li: Tā bèi yán lì chǔ fá le ba?
丽丽: 他被严厉处罚了吧?
Lili: He got a heavy penalty, didn’t he?
Mài kè: Shì de. Tā bèi fá kuăn wǔ băi yuán, diào xiāo jià zhào sān gè yuè.
麦克: 是的。他被罚款五百元,吊销驾照三个月。
Mike: Yes. He was fined 500 yuan and they suspended his license for three months.
Lì li: Měi wèi gōng mín dōu yīng gāi zūn shǒu jiāo tōng guī zé.
丽丽: 每位公民都应该遵守交通规则。
Lili: All citizens should observe traffic rules.
Mài ke: Shì de, ān quán jià shǐ fēi cháng zhòng yào.
麦克: 是的,安全驾驶非常重要。
Mike: Yes. Safe driving is very important.

(Source: china.org.cn)