‘近者悦，远者来’”。 Para2

The prosperous Tang Dynasty best exemplified the open and inclusive spirit of Chinese culture as advocated by Confucius.Instead of denial or confrontation, the Tang,from the reign of Emperor Taizong onwards, tolerated and absorbed elements from all cultures that it came into contact with,leading to prosperity in all aspects of social life.

由唐太宗开启的大唐盛世，正体现了孔子所表述的这种中国文化精神。大唐盛世在文化上显示了开放和包容的姿势。 没有拒绝和冲突，唐代包容吸纳了所接触的外来文化的众多元素，促使社会各个领域呈现繁荣景象。 7.Unit9 page82, para .4

Compared with these explorers,Zheng He’s voyages took place much earlier and on a much larger scale. On each of the seven voyages to the Western Seas,his fleet consisted of more than 100 ships, with 62 large and medium-sized ships forming the main body.Crews and other personnel added up to more than 20000. Columbus’ fleet had only three ships and an 88-member crew.Obviously,Zheng He’s fleets were unparalleled during his time in terms of size,navigation technology,organization and amenities（便利设施）,in order to be capable of making those successful long trips.

与这些人类航海史的创举相比，郑和下西洋，时间上比他们早，规模上也比他们大得多，郑和每次下西洋，船队都由一二百艘船组成，其中以62艘大中型宝船组成船队主体。船上船员及其他人员总共两万人以上。而后来哥伦布的船队只有3艘船，乘员只有88名。郑和远航的规模之大，技术之先进，组织之严密，设施之便利都是同时代其他远航活动无法比拟的。 8.Unit 15 page129,para.1

Today,anyone who knows a little bit about Chinese culture usually knows about Chinese calligraphy.This unique art is related to writing, but speaks of much more than simple,even attractive, penmanship. Actually, although we use “calligraphy” to refer to this art of writing,this English word is unable to cover all its connotations.

今天，对中国文化少有了解的人，都或多或少地知道中国书法这种独特的艺术。书法艺术与写字有关，但不等于说，将字写得好看一些，就是书法艺术了。事实上，尽管我们使用英语calligraphy 一词来指书法艺术，但calligraphy 一词还是无法涵盖书法艺术的内涵。 9.Unit 19 page171 ,para.2 ;

Cloisonne is a traditional art widely known in and outside China.It is a kind of superb local expertise from Beijing,which combines the skills of bronze art,porcelain,carving,and other types of folk arts.It is deemed valuable in the eyes of collectors, as well as providing refined ornaments for daily use.

景泰蓝是驰名中外的传统工艺，集青铜艺术，瓷器和雕刻诸种工艺制作技巧于一身，是一门道地的北京绝活。它是收藏家收藏的佳品，又是人们居家使用的精美物品。 page .172, para .7

Spring Festival(or Chinese New Year)is the most important traditional festival in China.People celebrate it with lanterns and streamers,no matter where they live, in the countryside or in the city.New Year pictures are an indispensable part of this celebration for each and every household.People put up New Year Pictures in their homes to enhance the lively festive atmosphere.

春节是中国最重要的传统节日，一到春节，无论城市农村，人们都要张灯结彩庆贺，张贴年画，是家家户户春节必不可少的节目。人们用年画将家里布置得热热闹闹，增添过年的气氛。 page .172, para .8

Most New Year pictures feature designs symbolizing good fortune,auspiciousness（吉利）and festivity.A popular New Year picture entitled Surplus in Successive Years depicts a cute plump baby holding a big carp（鲤鱼）in his arms and a bouquet of lotus flowers in his hand.”Fish”and”surplus”in Chinese have the same pronunciation (yu).Through the homophony（同音异义）of the two words, people express their wishes for affluent（富裕的） lives.

年画在内容上多表现为祝福，吉祥和喜庆之意。如一幅广为流传的年画《连年有鱼》，画一个可爱的胖娃娃，，怀里抱着一条大鲤鱼，手里拿着一束莲花。“鱼” 和 “余”在汉字中读音相同，通过谐音，以表示生活富足，年年有余。 10.Unit22 page207,para.2

It is widely acknowledged that from Ming and Qing dynasties onwards,there are eight major schools of cuisine based on regional cooking.they came from Shandong,Sichuan,Guangdong,Fujian,Jiangsu, Zhejiang,Hunan,and Anhui provinces.In addition to these traditional cuisines,the culinary industry in China has undergone great changes,as almost every place has its own local specialties,and the different cuisines gather in big cities such as Beijing.

说起中国饮食，明清以来，公认的有八大菜系，这它们分别是：鲁菜,川菜，粤菜，闽菜，苏菜，浙菜，湘菜，和徽菜。除了这些传统菜系，当今中国，美食地图发生了很大的变化，几乎全国各地都有自己的拿手菜，在北京这样的大城市汇聚了各种地方名菜。 11.Unit23 page215,para.1

Tea is a wonderful beverage originally produced in China about 4000 years ago.During the Tang Dynasty,Japanese monks introduced tea seeds to Japan,and by combining tea with Zen Buddhism,created the world-famous Japanese tea ceremony.In the 17th century,the Dutch took to Europe the Chinese habit of tea drinking,which then became a tradition

of the Europeans.In England in particular,people developed the custom of afternoon tea.Prior to the 19th century,all the tea in the world was grown in China,and even the English word “tea” was a transliteration（音译）of the pronunciation of “tea” in the Fujian dialect of China.Tea is an important contribution of the Chinese people to the world.

茶，这一美妙的饮品原产地在中国。 四千多年前，中国人就开始有饮茶的习惯。唐代时，日本的僧人从中国引入茶种，与同时引入的禅宗思想相结合，形成了闻名世界的日本茶道。17 世纪时荷兰人将中国人饮茶的习惯带到欧洲，进而形成了欧洲人喝茶的传统。尤其在英国，下午茶的习俗由此而生。 在19世纪之前，世界各地饮用的茶叶都来自中国。英文中茶叶译为tea,就是根据中文的音译（福建方言“茶”的读音）。茶，是中国人对世界的重要贡献。

IV. Short Answer questions

1. How did the ancient Silk Road influence Chinese culture?/ What is the significance of the ancient Silk Road?

The Silk Road functioned not only as a trade route,but also as a bridge that linked the ancient civilizations of China,India,the Mesopotamian plains,Egypt,and Greece.It also helped to promote the exchange of science and technology between east and west.The Silk Road served as the main channel for ancient China to open up to the outside world, as well as for fresh impulses from other cultures to enter the country,which contributed a significant share to the shaping of Chinese culture.