1、风筝古时在中国风筝也称作“鸢（hawk) ”。春秋战国时期(the Spring and -Autumn Period),东周哲人墨子(Mo-tse )曾“费时三年，以木制木鸢，飞升天空”, 但这只木鸢只飞了一天就坏了。墨子制造的这只“木鸢” 就是世上最早的风筝， 已有2400 多年的历史。唐代时，风筝传人朝鲜、日本及其他周边国家。十三世纪末，风筝的故事首次被意大利探险家马可 波罗带到欧洲，至此，中国风便逐渐开始传到世界各地。The KiteIn ancient time, kites were also called “Yuan (a hawk)in China. In the Spring
2、 and Autumn Period, Mo-tse, a philosopher in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty spent three years making a wooden glede that could fly in the sky, but it broke down only in one day. That wooden glede Mo-tse made has a history of over two thousand and four hundred years, which was claimed to be the first kite
3、in the world. In Tang Dynasty, kites were introduced to Korea, Japan and other surrounding countries. Stories of kites were first brought to Europe by Marco Polo, an Italian adventurer, towards the end of the 13th century. Since then, the Chinese kite was gradually introduced to the whole world.算盘（a
4、bacus)是一种手动操作计算辅助工具形式。它起源于中国，迄今 已有 2 600 多年的历史，是中国古代的一项重要发明。在阿拉伯数字(Arabic numerals )出现前，算盘是世界广为使用的计算工具。现在，算盘在亚洲和 中东的部分地区继续使用，尤其见于商店之中，可以从供应中国商品和日本 商品的商店里买到。在西方，它有时被用来帮助小孩子们理解数字，而一些 数学家喜欢体验一下使用算盘计算出简单算术（arithmetical) 问题的感觉。AbacusAn abacus is a form of manually operated counting aid. It has originated
5、 in China over 2,600 years ago. It is one of the most important inventions of ancient China. The abacus used to be the most widely used calculation tool before the appearance of Arabic numerals. At present, abacuses continue to be used in parts of Asia and the Middle East, especially in the shops, a
6、nd they are available in stores which stock Chinese or Japanese goods. In the West, it is sometimes used to help young children grasp numbers, and some mathematicians enjoy experimenting with the abacus to work out simple arithmetical problems.指南针（compass)中国是举世公认的发明指南针（compass)的国家。最初的指南针叫做司南 ( Sinan
7、, a south-pointing ladle ),出现在战国时期。一般在指南针上标有东南西北四个方位，并且还有刻度。北对应零度，刻度随顺时针方向而增加。作为中国古代的四大发明之一，指南针对人们的生活，尤其是航海业的发展，起到了重要的作用。指南针对西方世界也产生了显著的影响，这些国家由此开始了大规模的海外冒险活动。The CompassChina is universally acknowledged as the country where the compass was invented. The compass, originally called Sinan, a south-poi
8、nting ladle, appeared during the Warring States Period. Generally, the directions of north, east, west and south are shown on the compass, and so are the angle markings in degrees. North corresponds to zero degree, and the degrees increase clockwise. As one of the four great inventions of ancient China, the compass played an important role in peoples life, especially in maritime undertakings. It also had a significant influence on the western world, as thereafter those countries began large-scale overseas adventures.
