英语四级篇章翻译训练及答案(2)

形文字(pictogram)的萌芽。甲骨文(Oracles)是刻在龟壳和兽骨上的古老文字，是汉字最早的形式。汉字的创造和应用对中华文明的发展起到了重要作用。汉字对世界文明的发展也产生了深远的影响。例如，日本、朝鲜等国家的文字都是在汉字的基础上创造的。

⑨公务员热（craze for civil servant jobs）是指越来越多的人参加政府机构招聘考试（recruitment examinations）的社会现象。据报道，近几年每年的报考人数都超过百万，平均每个岗位有50-60名竞争者，最热门的职位能达到5000：1。报考公务员的主要是大学毕业生。他们认为公务员工作轻松稳定，收入较高，社会地位也高。另外，就业难问题也是促使他们做出该选择的另一个原因。

⑩刺绣(embroidery)是中国的民间传统手工艺之一，有超过两千年的历史。刺绣就是用针线在织物上绣上(embroider)各种装饰性的图案。中国刺绣与养蚕业(sericulture)紧密相连，中国是世界上最早使用蚕丝的国家。刺绣的用途主要包括生活和艺术装饰，如服装、床上用品(bedclothes)、台布和舞台装饰。刺绣在国外也享有很高的声誉，是中国文化艺术的杰出代表之一。

①The Great Wall of China is a great project in ancient China constructed to defend against the attacks of enemies. It locates in the northern part of China and stretches for 8,851.8 kilometers. First built in the Spring and Autumn Period over 2,000 years ago, it was united to become the “the Wall of 10,000 li” after Qin Shi Huang unified China. The Han and Ming Dynasties saw extensive re-buildings and maintenance of the Great Wall. Thus it is an ancient project which consumed the longest time in the world. As one of the greatest constructions in the history of human civilization, the Great Wall has been listed as one of the Eight Wonders of the World and a world cultural heritage site.

②Holiday Economy, a term to describe the nation-wide consumption during holidays, contributes significantly to Chinese economic growth. It is a social phenomenon accompanying the “Golden Week”, a seven-day long holiday with Chinese characteristics. Owing to the changes of people’s life notion, an increasing number of people are choosing to travel, shop, and relax during the seven-day holiday. The nation-wide consumption boosted tourism, retail, transportation, cinemas, exhibitions, sports and other related industries, thereby benefiting both people and the country.

③Confucius Institute is an institute of education and cultural communication established by China all over the world. Its aim is to promote Chinese language and spread Chinese culture. The most important task of Confucius institute is to provide standard textbooks and a formal channel to learn Chinese for learners all over the world. The first Confucius Institute opened in 2004 in Seoul, South Korea. At present, it has been established in 106 countries. Confucius Institute has greatly promoted the exchange and integration of cultures between China and the rest of the world.

④Aging population is one of the most severe challenges in China. According to the experts, within four decades, China will have nearly 500 million elderly people, which accounts for one third of the total population. Such a situation will undoubtedly put huge pressure on the economic growth of China, but it also means more business opportunities. The fast-growing numbers of elderly people will bring a very good prospect for the industry of nursing homes. Based on rough statistics, half a billion elderly people can at least bring the industry an economic benefit of 500 billion every month.

⑤Online shopping is a new shopping mode increasingly popular in China in recent years. People search for goods they want in shopping websites, then make electronic orders and pay online. The sellers deliver commodities to customers’ homes via the express company. The major groups who shopped online were primarily university