Unit5
沈括是宋朝的著名官员、军事将领。他的不朽名著《梦溪笔谈》(Dream Pool Essays)记载了包括地质学、天文学、活字印刷（movable type printing）、植物学和动物学等各种学科。该书是中国历史上最早使用“石油”这一名称的著作，为自然科学做出了卓越贡献。沈括与当时的很多人不同，他以一种客观而思辨的态度观察自然现象。他提出了用阳历代替阴历的主张，立春为岁首，大月31天，小月30天。
Shen Kuo was a highly renowned government official and military general of the Song Dynasty. Shen Kuo’s immortal masterpiece Dream Pool Essays records various fields of study including geology, astronomy, movable type printing, botany and zoology etc. In the book, the word “shiyou” (petroleum) was used for the first time in the literature of Chinese history, which was his remarkable contribution to science. Unlike most people in his time, Shen Kuo took an objective and speculative viewpoint on natural phenomena. He advocated that the solar calendar be used to replace the lunar calendar, with thirty-one or thirty days a month and “lichun” (“Start of Spring” according to lunisolar calendar) as the beginning of a year.
Unit6
中国龙是吉祥的生灵，象征着力量、智慧、好运和掌控风和水的威力。 The Chinese dragon is an auspicious creature, symbolizing strength,
wisdom, good luck and power over the elements of wind and water. 因此，中国人自豪地称自己是龙的传人（descendants）。
Hence, Chinese people proudly claim they are the descendants of the dragon. 龙被尊崇为雨神（the God of Rain）。在干旱或水灾发生时，人们会去当地的龙王庙（dragon-king temple）烧香(burn incense) 祈求情况的好转。
The dragon was worshiped as the God of Rain, and in times of drought or floods, locals would visit a dragon-king temple and burn incense to pray for more favorable conditions.
龙对雨水和海浪的控制也和其在12生肖中的地位密切相关。 The dragon's power to control rain and waves is also closely related to its rank in the 12 zodiac animals.
关于这12种动物为确保能榜上有名所进行的竞赛有各种传说，但顺序是按动物最活跃的时间点确定的。
Various tales describe the race of these 12 animals to secure their place on the list, but the sequence is determined by the time of a day when the animal is most active.
龙对应于7点至9点，此时最有可能会雾气蒙蒙，而龙却能腾云驾雾。 The dragon corresponds to 7 am to 9 am, when it is most likely to be foggy, allowing the dragon to ride atop clouds and mist. Unit7
风水，字面意即为“风和水”，可追溯至中国战国时期（公元前475-221）。
Feng shui, literally “wind and water”, dates from China’s Warring States Period (475-221 BC). 在古代，也被称为堪舆。
In ancient times, the practice was also called kanyu. 按传统，建造房屋、楼群、定居点和陵墓前都要先咨询风水大师。
Traditionally, a feng shui master was consulted before houses, buildings, settlements or tombs were constructed风水一度是中国传统文化中的重要组成部分，它依据诸如道家和《易经》等中国古代哲学学说，强调了人与环境的和谐共存。
Based on ancient Chinese philosophies, including Taoism and Yijing, feng shui was once an important part of traditional Chinese culture and it emphasizes the harmonious coexistence of humans and their environment.
看风水的做法从地理、建筑、伦理和预言等方面，提倡了道家的天、地、人合一的理念。
Following the disciplines of geography, architecture, ethics and prophecy, the practice also promotes the Taoist principle that the earth, sky and mankind are part of a single whole.
风水被赋予神秘感。事实上，古时它是被广泛应用于东方建筑的一种古老艺术。
Feng shui is considered mysterious. In fact, it is an ancient art widely
used to orient buildings in ancient times.
中国的许多著名的文化名胜，包括北京的故宫，都是按照风水原则设计的。
Many of China’s well-known cultural monuments(或places of historic interest and scenic beauty 或scenic spots and historic sites), including the Forbidden City in Beijing, were designed using feng shui principles. 风水学对中国社会产生了深远的影响并为大众所接受。
Feng shui has a profound effect on Chinese society and is widely embraced by the public. Unit8 1）
首都北京是中华人民共和国政治、文化和行政管理的中心，是
一个新旧交融、魅力无限的大都市(metropolis)。北京作为人类居住地的历史已超过了3000多年。作为世界上少数未傍主要河道而建的内陆首都之一，北京将自己长期显赫的历史归功于战略性的地理位置。北京位于北纬39o56'，东经116o20', 雄踞于华北平原(the North China Plain)的最北部；西北部是山西省和内蒙古大草原(he Inner Mongolian Steppe)，东向是渤海(the Bohai Sea)。 1）
Beijing, as the capital city, is the political, cultural and
administrative center of the People’s Republic of China, as well as a fascinating metropolis that mixes the old and new. Beijing as a settlement has a history of more than 3,000 years. It is one of the few
inland capitals in the world that is not built beside a major river, which owes its long prominence to its strategic geographical position. Beijing is situated at 39o56' North Latitude and 116o20' East Longitude, majestically reposing on the northmost part of the North China Plain; to the northwest lie Shanxi Province and the Inner Mongolian Steppe, and towards the east is the Bohai Sea. 2）
胡同即狭窄的街道或巷子，在中国北方的城市很常见，其中又
以北京的胡同最为著名。在北京，很多街区是这样形成的：四合院(Chinese quadrangle)彼此相连形成胡同，进而胡同彼此相连形成街区。胡同是北京文化要素的代表。由于北京悠久的历史和六朝古都的地位，几乎每个胡同都有其轶事趣闻(anecdotes)，一些胡同甚至还与历史事件紧密相关。与紫禁城、颐和园和天坛所代表的宫廷生活和精英文化(elite culture)相比，胡同反应了北京的平民文化。
2）Hutongs are a type of narrow streets or alleys, commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, most prominently Beijing. In Beijing, many neighborhoods were formed by joining one Chinese quadrangle (siheyuan) to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. Hutongs represent an important cultural element of the city of Beijing. Thanks to Beijing’s long history and status as capital for six dynasties, almost every hutong has its anecdotes, and some are even