Model 1
长城是中国古代规模浩大的军事防御工程。修筑长城最初是为了抵御北方游牧民族（nomadic groups）的入侵。长城东西绵延8800千米，跨越17个省份，主要由城墙、关隘、烽火台(watchtower)组成。今天我们看到的长城多数可追溯到明朝。保存最完好、最为壮观的部分是北京的八达岭。长城已有两千多年历史，某些部分现已毁坏或消失。然而它仍然是世界上最吸引人的景观之一。长城是耗时最长、付出生命代价最高的建筑工程。它位列世界新七大奇观，当之无愧。 Model 2
中国航天工程神舟号宇宙飞船以其十次成功发射给全世界留下了印象。1992年，中国载人航天工程正式获得批准。1999年11月20日，中国首只无人操作飞船“神舟一号”成功发射，这标志着中国在太空探索中取得首个巨大突破。在接下来的三年，无人操作飞船的几次试验飞行（test flight）相继执行。第五次发射的“神舟五号”在2003年10月15日第一次将中国首位宇航员送入太空。自此，中国成为继俄罗斯和美国之后第三个具备自主载人航天能力的国家。 Model 3
在中国，元宵节（The Lantern Festival）在农历元月十五这一天庆祝，标志着新年庆祝活动的结束。关于元宵节的由来，说法不一。有一个传说是这样讲的：一些村民射杀了一只来自天庭的仙鹤，这激怒了天庭玉帝（Jade Emperor）。于是，他命令天兵在农历十五这一天火烧村庄。他的女儿把这个计划告知了村民。一位智者建议每家每户都在房子周围挂上红灯笼，在街上燃放鞭炮，制造村里着火的景象。在这一天，玉帝看到村子已经是一片火海，决定不去烧毁村庄了。从那天开始，人们悬挂灯笼、放鞭炮和焰火来庆祝这个节日。 Model 4
能源是人类社会赖以生存和发展的重要物质基础。人类文明跨出重要的每一步都伴随着能源的革新和更替（Substitution）。能源的开发利用（utilization）极大地推进了世界经济和人类社会的发展。中国是目前世界上第二位能源生产国和消费国。能源供应的持续增长，为经济增长和社会发展提供了重要的支撑。能源消费的快速增长，为世界能源市场创造了广阔的发展空间。作为世界能源市场不可替代的重要组成部分，中国在维护全球能源安全上，正在发挥着越来越重要的积极作用。 Model 5
茶对中国文化有着深远的影响。在中国社会，年轻一辈常常向老一辈敬茶以表示对他们的尊敬。中国人在家庭聚会时也会喝茶。子女们很少有时间回来探望父母，父母也很少见到他们的孙子。因此，去餐馆和喝茶成了家庭聚会的一项重要活动。此外，在中国文化里，人们会以倒茶的方式，向别人表示深重的歉意。向老一辈敬茶以表示谢意同样是婚礼上的重要礼仪（etiquette）。在中国传统婚礼上，新郎和新娘都要跪在父母面前，向他们敬茶。 Model 6
秦始皇是中国历史上杰出的政治家、战略家和改革家。13岁继承王位，39岁统一中国并自封“始皇帝”（First Emperor），建立第一个统一的，多民族、中央集权制国家。统一中国之后，他推行了一系列改革，比如统一度量衡单位和货币标准、统一文字（the Chinese script）。他在位期间还进行多项浩大工程，比如修建长城和他的陵墓等。为了加强统治，他禁止、焚烧经典书籍，坑杀儒士（Confucian scholars）。虽然他的一些举措给人民带来沉重的灾难，但他的功绩远大于过失。 Model 7
北京大学于1898年在北京成立，原名为京师大学堂（the Imperial University of Peking）。该大学的成立标志着中国近代史上高等教育的开始。在中国近代史上，它是进步思想的中心，
对中国新文化运动、五四运动及其他重要事件的发生颇有影响。今天，国内不少排名将北京大学列入国内顶尖大学之列。该校重视教学和科学研究。为提高本科生教育和研究生教育质量、为保持其领先研究机构的地位，学校已做了很大努力。此外，学校尤以其校园环境及优美的中国传统建筑而闻名。 Model 8
春运（Chunyun）是指中国春节前后一段时期里出现的一种高负荷交通运输，一般从春节前15天开始，持续约40天。对大多数中国人来说，在春节期间与家人团聚是一个悠久的传统。人们从工作、读书的地方回到家里，在除夕夜与家人一起吃团圆饭。春运期间的客流量(passenger flow)在近10年来每年都已超过中国的总人口。春运被称为每年世界上最大的人类迁徙活动。在这期间，铁路运输往往经历最大的考验。 Model 9
有钱消费的新兴中产阶层快速崛起、交通枢纽的改善、签证限制的逐渐减少以及有利的政府政策，所有这些因素促成中国旅游业在国内外的繁荣。从2010年至2020年，中国旅游业有望以每年6个百分点的速度增长----全球最快的速度。这吸引了国外许多公司前来中国开设度假胜地（resort）。与此同时，中国旅游消费的很大份额流到境外。2009年中国大陆人到海外旅游达到4700万次。政府预计在接下来十年中，到国外旅游的人数将达到1亿，使中国成为全世界最大的出境（outbound）游市场。 Model 10
中国人的姓名有自己的传统和特点。与西方人不同，中国人的姓名是姓在前，名在后。名通常为1~2个汉字。中国人的姓名传达特殊意义，名字往往表达对新生儿的美好祝愿。有一些名字暗示出生的地点、时间或自然现象，如晨（早晨）、冬（冬天）；有些体现希望具有某种美德，如（忠心）；其他则表达对生活的愿景，如健（健康）。如今中国共有3500个姓氏被普遍使用，使用最多的前三位是李、王、张。中国人有使用自己名字的平等权利，受法律保护。 Model 1
Great Wall of China was an ancient gigantic defensive project. It’s built originally to resist invasions of northern nomadic groups. The wall stretches for 8,800 km and spans 17 provinces from east to west. The Great Wall mainly comprises walls, passes and watchtowers. The Great Wall we see today mostly dates back to the Ming Dynasty. The best-preserved and most imposing section is at Badaling in Beijing. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world. The Great Wall is the building project with the longest duration and greatest cost in human lives. It deserves its place among “the New Seven Wonders of the World”. Model 2
Shenzhou spacecraft of China’s space program has already made a worldwide impression with 10 successful blastoffs. China’s Manned Space Program was formally approved in 1992. On November 20, 1999, China’s first unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou 1, was successfully launched, which marked China’s first great breakthrough in space exploration. In the following three years, several test flights of unmanned spacecraft were successively carried out. The fifth launch, Shenzhou 5, was the first to carry first Chinese astronaut into space on 15 October 2003. Since then, China have became the third country in the world to have independent manned space flight capability after Russia and the United States. Model 3
The Lantern Festival in China is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar
calendar, marking the last day of the New Year celebration. There are different beliefs about its origin. One legend tells that a crane from heaven was shot dead by some villagers, which angered the Jade Emperor in heaven. So, he ordered his troops to set fire to the village on the fifteenth lunar day. His daughter warned the villagers of her father’s plan. A wise man suggested that every family should hang red lanterns around their houses and explodes firecrackers in streets to give the village the appearance of being on fire. On the very day, Jade Emperor saw that the village was already ablaze and decided not to burn it down. From that day on, people celebrate the festival by hanging lanterns and exploding firecrackers and firework. Model 4
Energy is an essential material basis for human survival and development. Every significant step in the progress of human civilization has been accompanied by energy innovations and substitutions. The development and utilization of energy has enormously boosted the development of the world economy and human society. China is now the world’s second-largest energy producer and consumer. The sustained growth of energy supply has provided an important support for the country’s economic growth and social progress, while the rapid expansion of energy consumption has created a vast scope for the global energy market. As an irreplaceable component of the world energy market, China plays an increasingly important role in maintaining global energy security. Model 5
Tea has a profound influence on Chinese culture. In Chinese society, the younger generation always shows their respect to the older generation by offering a cup of tea. Chinese also drink tea at a family gathering. Sons and daughters have few times to visit their parents, and parents may seldom meet their grandchildren as well. Therefore, going to restaurants and drinking tea becomes an important activity for family gatherings. Besides, in Chinese culture, people make serious apologies to others by pouring tea for them. Serving tea to express thanks to your elders is also an important etiquette on one’s wedding day. In the traditional Chinese marriage ceremony, both the bride and groom kneel in front of their parents and serve them tea. Model 6
Qin Shi Huang is an outstanding statesman, strategist and reformer in the history of China. He inherited the throne at the age of 13. At the age of 39, he unified China and proclaimed himself the First Emperor, establishing the first united, multi-ethnic and centralized country. After the unification of China, he passed a series of reforms, for example, standardizing the units of measurements and the currency, unifying the Chinese script. He also undertook gigantic projects such as the construction of the Great Wall and his tomb in his reign. To strengthen his rule, he outlawed and burned classic books and buried some Confucian scholars alive. Although some of his measures brought people heavy disaster, his achievement is far more than his error. Model 7
Peking University was established in Beijing in 1898 and was originally known as the Imperial University of Peking. The establishment of the university marked the beginning of China’s modern history of higher education. In modern history of China, it was a center for progressive thought and was influential in the birth of China’s New Culture Movement, May Fourth Movement and many other significant events. Today, many domestic rankings place Peking University amongst the top universities in China. The university lays emphasis on both teaching and scientific research. Great efforts have been made to improve the quality of undergraduate and
graduate education and maintain its role as a leading research institution. In addition, the University is especially renowned for its campus environment and the beauty of its traditional Chinese architecture. Model 8
Chunyun refers to the extremely high traffic load in China around the time of the Spring Festival. It usually begins 15 days before the Lunar New Year’s Day and lasts for around 40 days. It is a long-held tradition for most Chinese people to reunite with their families during Chinese New Year. People return home from work or study to have Reunion dinner with their families on New Year’s Eve. The passenger flow during the Chunyun period has exceeded the population of China each year for the recent decade. Chunyun has been called the largest annual human migration in the world. Rail transport experiences the biggest challenge during the period. Model 9
A fast-emerging middle class with money to spend, improving transport links, diminishing visa restrictions and favorable official policies, all these factors lead to a boom in domestic and outbound Chinese tourism. The tourism sector in China is expected to expand by 6 percent a year between 2010 and 2020, the fastest rate in the world, which has attracted companies from abroad to open resorts in China. Meanwhile, a large share of China’s tourist spending is already flowing beyond its borders. Mainland Chinese made 47 million trips overseas in 2009. In the next decade, the government expects 100 million people to tour abroad, and China will become the world’s biggest outbound tourism market. Model 10
The names of Chinese people have their own tradition and characteristics. Unlike westerners, the family name in China is put first, followed by the given name. The given name usually contains one or two Chinese characters. Chinese names convey special meaning, with the given names often expressing the best of wishes on the new-born. Some imply the birthplace, birth time or natural phenomenon, like Chen(morning), Dong(winter);Some embody the hope of virtue, like Zhong(faithful) while others express the wishes of life, like Jian(health). Together 3,500 family names are commonly used nowadays in China and the most popular three are Li, Wang and Zhang. All Chinese people have equal rights to use their own names, which are legally protected.