1、Chapter One: 文化与传统1. 继往开来 The New Beginning of an Old Story(English into Chinese)词汇：fellow citizen 同胞transfer of authority 权力移交 oath 誓言affirm old tradition 肯定旧传统slave-holding society 蓄奴社会flawed and fallible people 有缺点有错误的民族grand and enduring ideal 伟大永恒的理想scapegoat 替罪羊a call to conscience 对良知的呼唤commi
2、tment 责任 civic duty and family bonds 公民职责家庭纽带uncounted, unhonored acts 默默无闻的行为decency 正派/正直saint of our times 我们时代的基督教圣徒never yielding 永不屈服 We can do no great things, only small things with great love Mother TeresaText:Distinguished guests and my fellow citizens, the peaceful transfer of authority i
3、s rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old tradition and make new beginnings. 尊敬的各位来宾, 同胞们, 政权的和平移交史上罕见, 在我国却不足为奇。我们以简单的宣誓肯定老传统, 开创新未来。I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of Americas leaders have come before me, and so many will follow. 我站在这里感到荣
4、幸和谦卑, 因为在我之前，许多美国领导人就曾来到这里,而且还会有许多人早我之后相继而来。We have a place, all of us, in a long story a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old, a story of a slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom, the story of
5、a power that went into the world to protect but not to possess, to defend but not to conquer. 我们每个人在历史长河中都有一席之地，我们在延续这一历史，却看不到它的尽头。这是一个新世界成为旧世界的朋友和解放者的历史；一个蓄奴社会成为自由之仆的历史；一个强国保护而不占有、防卫而不征服的历史。It is the American story - a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and
6、enduring ideals. 这就是美国的历史, 一个有不足、会犯错误的民族的历史, 伟大而永恒的理想将这个民族世世代代团结在一起。The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise that everyone belongs to, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born. Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our
7、laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course. 其中最伟大的理想是美国展现给世人的一个诺言, 每个人都应遵守，即：机会人人均等，没人生来低人一等。美国人有责任在生活和法律中实践这一诺言。虽然我们国家有过停滞, 有过延迟, 但是我们决不选择其他的道路。While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise, even the justice, of our own cou
8、ntry. The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools and hidden prejudice and the circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our differences run so deep that it seems we share a continent, but not a country. 在许多国人获得成功的同时, 也有人怀疑自己国家的诺言、甚至公正。一些美国人的抱负受制于失败的学校教育、潜在的偏见以及出身。有时候我们之间差别大得好像我
9、们同属于一个洲但不在同一个国家。We do not accept this, and we will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation. 我们不接受这种状况, 我们不允许这种状况存在。我们的团结, 我们的联合, 是每一代领导人和国民的严肃使命。America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected. Encourag
10、ing responsibility is not a search for scapegoats; it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment. We find the fullness of life not only in options, but in commitments. And we find that children and community are the commitments that set us free. 最好的美国尊重
11、、期待个人的责任。鼓励承担责任, 不是在寻找替罪羊, 而是唤起良知。尽管这需要付出代价, 但能带来更大的成就感。生活的充实不仅在于能选择, 还在于承担义务。我们感到致力于儿童和社会事业使我们获得了自由。Our public interest depends on private character, on civic duty, family bonds and basic fairness, and on uncounted, unhonored acts of decency which give direction to our freedom. 我们的公共利益依赖于个人品格、公民职责、
12、家庭纽带和基本公平原则, 依赖于将我们引向自由的无数默默无闻的高尚行为。Sometimes in life we are called to do great things. But as a saint of our times has said, every day we are called to do small things with great love. The most important tasks of a democracy are done by everyone. 生活中有时我们被召唤去做大事。但正如当代的一位圣人所言, 我们每天都被召唤去以大爱做小事。一个民主政体中
13、的最重要的使命是靠大家来完成的。What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek the common good beyond your comfort, to defend needed reforms against easy attacks, to serve your nation beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens, not subjects, responsible citizens, building com
14、munities of service and a nation of character. 你们的作为与政府的作为同样重要。我请求你们为大众谋利而不计较个人安逸,捍卫所需的改革不受随意攻击, 服务国家从帮助邻居做起。我请求你们做公民，不做臣民, 做负责的公民, 建设有奉献精神的社区、有高尚品格的国家。Americans are generous and strong and decent， not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of
15、 citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it. 美国人慷慨、坚强、正直 , 不是因为我们相信自我, 而是因为我们有超越自我的信念。失去了这种公民精神, 政府的任何规划都将无法取代。有了这种精神, 任何邪恶都无法与之较量。Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our cou
16、ntry more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and of every life. 不倦、不屈、不止，今天我们再次重申这一宗旨，让我们的国家更为公正、慷慨, 维护我们及每个人的人生尊严。2. 传统节日 Traditional Holidays(Chinese into English)词汇：烹调 cooking节庆膳食 holiday meals象征意义 symbolic significance昏君 贬官放逐 in exile农历 lunar calendar端午节 the Dragon Boat Festiv
17、al忠臣 loyal minister糯米棕子 glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves 祭祀亡灵 sacrificial offerings to the departed soul龙舟比赛 dragon boat race中秋节 Mid-autumn Festival满月 the full moon蜜钱 candied preserved fruits豆沙 bean paste蛋黄 duck egg yolk家禽 poultry饺子 boiled dumplings年糕 New Year cake八宝饭 谐音 be homonymous
18、with耍龙灯 dragon dance舞狮子 lion dance踩高跷 walk on the stilts吉祥如意 propitious and happy贴对联 put up an antithetical couplet团圆饭 reunion dinner词汇：我很高兴有机会向各位介绍中国的主要传统节日, 尤其是介绍中国最重要的传统节日一一春节。 Im very happy to have the opportunity to talk to you about major traditional Chinese holidays and in particular about th
19、e Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday.同世界其他地区一样,节日在中国是人们勤于烹调、饱享口福的时候。菜市场鱼肉满架, 购物和烹调成了人们的主要活动。但是节庆膳食除了在数量和质量上与平日不同之外, 一些历史悠久、具有象征意义的特色食物也是节日必不可缺的伴侣。Like in the rest of the world, holidays in China are a time to enjoy good cooking and eating. Grocery markets are well stocked with all k
20、inds of fish and meat and shopping and cooking become major activities. But in addition to the quantitative and qualitative differences apparent in holiday meals, some special traditional foods with their symbolic significance are indispensable on these occasions. 例如农历 5 月 5 日的端午节, 人们过端午节是为了纪念被昏君贬官放
21、逐而抱石投江自尽的古代诗人和忠臣屈原。最初人们将以芦苇叶包扎好的糯米棕子投入屈原自尽的那条江, 以祭祀亡灵。今天,人们在端午节时举行龙舟比赛, 而棕子则由活生生的人来享用。The Dragon Boat Festival on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month (around early June) is celebrated in memory of Qu Yuan, an ancient poet and loyal minister who drowned himself while in exile from a corrupt court. Zon
22、gzi, a kind of glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves, were originally prepared as sacrificial offerings for Qu Yuans departed soul and dropped into the river where he drowned himself. Today, however, dragon boat races are held during the festival and the Zongzi are consumed by the living.农历
23、 8 月 15 日的中秋节是观赏满月的日子。圆圆的月亮象征着圆满, 进而象征着家庭团聚。中秋节日的特制食品是一种圆形的月饼, 内含核桃仁、蜜钱、豆沙或蛋黄等食物。The Mid-autumn Festival which occurs on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (around mid-September) is an occasion for viewing the full moon. The round moon is a symbol for completeness, and by extension, family reunion.
24、 The specialty of the day is the yuebing (moon cake), a round pastry filled with nuts, candied preserved fruits, bean paste, duck egg yolks, etc.春节是中国最重要的传统节日, 标志着农历新年的开始。春节的日期按农历而定, 通常出现在公历2 月份前半个月的某一天。过春节又叫做“过年”, 意思是避开“年”这个怪物。The Spring Festival, the most important traditional Chinese festival, ma
25、rks the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year. The Spring Festival is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, and generally occurs sometime in the first half of February. The Spring Festival is also called Guo Nian in Chinese, meaning keeping off the monster of Nian.相传“年”是古时候的一种凶猛的怪物。它的样子像强壮的公
26、牛, 长着狮子一样的头。这个怪物通常待在深山里。但每到冬末春初, 它在山里找不到足够的食物就会闯入村庄找东西吃。村民们见之非常害怕, 于是纷纷搬家, 逃离这个怪物。The legend has it that Nian was a fierce monster back in ancient times. It looked like a strong bull with a head like that of a lion. Usually the monster stayed deep in the mountains. But at the turn of each spring, th
27、e monster, unable to find enough food in the mountains, came out of its mountain lair and entered villages to eat whatever it could catch. Villagers were so scared that they moved away to escape the ferocious monster.后来人们发现, “年” 非常害怕三样东西: 红色、明亮火焰以及大声喧哗。人们为了阻止“年”进村,就把大门漆成红色, 还点火烧竹子, 发出噼噼啪啪的响声。从此以后, “
28、年”再也不来村里了。一个传统就这样形成了。竹子燃烧时发出的这种响声被后来的鞭炮声所取代。这就是中国人燃放鞭炮欢庆春节的来历。Later people found that Nian was afraid of three things: red color, bright flame and loud noise. To prevent Nian from entering their villages, villagers painted their doors red, and burned stalks of bamboo, which gave out cracking sounds.
29、 Ever since then, Nian never again came to the villages. Thus, a tradition was established. Later, the noise of the cracking bamboo was replaced by the bang of firecrackers. This is how the Chinese people began to set off firecrackers for the Spring Festival. 春节期间人们通常猛吃畅饮。春节的食物比较讲究, 除了常见的海鲜、家禽和肉类之外,
30、 人们还要按各自的地方习俗烹制一些传统菜肴。因为春节标志着新年的第一天, 所以第一顿饭是相当重要的。Customarily, lavishly consuming food and drink is a major activity during the Spring Festival. People are usually particular about their food. In addition to the popular seafood, poultry and meat, regional custom dictates that traditional favorites s
31、hould be prepared and consumed. Since the festival marks the first day of a brand new year, the first meal is rather important.饺子、汤圆、年糕和八宝饭是过年时家家户户必不可少的吉祥食品。 “年糕”这个词里的“糕”字与“ 高”谐音, 寓意来年“ 节节高” 。香甜的汤圆则是合家团圆的象征。Such foods as jiaozi (boiled dumplings), tangyuan (soup of small rice balls cooked with filli
32、ngs), niangao (New Year cake, thick steamed pudding of glutinous rice flour) and babaofan (steamed sweet glutinous rice pudding) are signs of good luck and indispensable in every household. The Chinese character gao in the word niangao is homonymous with the word “tall”, suggesting “growing up and p
33、rospering” in the new year, and the round sweet dumpling is a symbol of family reunion.春节期间的娱乐活动多种多样, 丰富多彩。耍龙灯和舞狮子是春节期间的传统项目。还有一种至今仍受人欢迎的传统表演活动, 叫踩高跷。根据记载, 中国人的祖先开始使用高跷是为了从树上采集水果。如今, 熟练的高跷表演者能够在高跷上展示惊人的技艺 , 表演高难度的动作。The recreational activities during the Spring Festival are varied and colorful. The
34、Dragon Dance and Lion Dance are traditionally performed during the festival. Walking on stilts is another traditional performance event popular in China. According to the archives, Chinese ancestors began using stilts to help them gather fruits from trees. Todays skilful performers can perform truly
35、 amazing feats and extremely difficult movements on stilts. 现在,随着生活水平的不断提高, 人们采用了新的方式庆祝新年。但不管庆祝方式怎么变, 春节的精华不会变, 那就是为了祈求新年吉祥如意, 家家户户都会打扫得干干净净, 门上都会贴上对联, 人人穿上新衣裳, 拿出最精美的食物, 团聚在一起, 互道吉利, 表示祝贺。最重要的是, 春节是一个合家欢聚的日子, 出门在外的人总要想方设法在除夕夜到来之前赶回家, 吃上一年中最重要的一顿饭一一“团圆饭”。Nowadays, with the improvement of living stan
36、dards, people have taken up new ways to celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year. No matter what changes there might be, the traditional highlights of the Spring Festival will remain the same: hoping for a propitious and happy new year, each family will clean up the house and put up an antithetica
37、l couplet on each side of the door. Dressed up in their best, people will get together, treat each other to the most delicious foods and exchange auspicious greetings. Most important of all, the Spring Festival is the occasion for a family reunion. People away from home for various reasons will alwa
38、ys try their best to come back home before the New Years Eve for the family reunion dinner, the most important meal of the year. 从传统意义上说, 春节以元宵节为终结日。每年农历正月十五的元宵节又被称之为“灯节”, 自古以来就是展览和观赏花灯的盛大节日。这一节目正如宋词所描写的那样“鱼灯万里耀长空, 闹灯元宵处处同。顶马狮龙人物好, 街歌巷舞尽儿童。 ” Traditionally, the Spring Festival season ends with the L
39、antern Festival which falls on the 15th of the first lunar month. The Lantern Festival has been the great occasion to display and watch lanterns since antiquity. A poet of the Song Dynasty wrote these lines, “The sky is ablaze with myriads of fish-shaped lanterns. It is fun everywhere on the Lantern
40、 Festival Lanterns in shape of horse, lion, dragon and human figure are all attractive. Streets and lanes are packed with singing and dancing children.”我今天简要介绍了一下中国的传统节日, 希望各位朋友有机会去亲身体验一下我国传统节日的欢乐气氛。I have given a brief introduction of traditional Chinese festivals. I sincerely hope that you have th
41、e chance to experience for yourself the happy festival atmosphere in China.Chapter Two: 历史与未来1. 共创未来 Our Future (English into Chinese)词汇：Luncheon 午餐会business council 商会beckon 召唤acknowledge 承认ideology 意识形态institution 制度/ 体制minimize 轻视/对某事不以为然dwell on 评说distinctly different 截然不同的heritage 传承/传统dignity
42、尊严revere elders 尊老potential 潜力dawning 拂晓/黎明的曙光industrious 勤劳的frugal 节俭的crackle with dynamics of change 日新月异，生机勃勃horizon 地平线salute 向 -致敬vitality 活力optimism 乐观countrymen 同胞in a mighty enterprise 在一项伟大的事业中break down barriers 冲破障碍suspicion 猜疑bond 纽带shared optimism 共有的乐观精神Text:Your Excellency Mr. Preside
43、nt, Ladies and gentlemen, 尊敬的主席阁下, 女士们、先生们:It gives me great pleasure to attend this luncheon, meeting all the friends, old and new. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the National Committee on U. S. -China Relations and the U. S. -China Business Council, as well as others present h
44、ere, for your dedicated efforts over the years to increase the understanding and friendship between the two peoples and to promote the relations between the two countries. 我很高兴出席今天的午餐会, 与新老朋友欢聚一堂。我愿借此机会感谢美中关系全国委员会、美中贸易全国委员会以及在座的诸位, 感谢你们多年来的积极努力,增进美中两国人民的相互了解与友谊、促进美中关系的发展。History beckons again. We ha
45、ve begun to write a new chapter for peace and progress in our histories, with America and China going forward hand-in-hand. 历史又在召唤。美中两国携手并进 , 已开始在我们的历史上谱写和平与进步的新篇章。We must always be realistic about our relationship, frankly acknowledging the fundamental differences in ideology and institutions betwe
46、en our two societies. Yes, let us acknowledge those differences; let us never minimize them; but let us not be dominated by them. I have not come to China to hold forth on what divides us, but to build on what binds us. I have not come to dwell on a closed-door past, but to urge that Americans and C
47、hinese look to the beautiful future. I am firmly convinced that, together, we can and will make tomorrow a better day. 我们必须始终现实地看待我们的关系 , 坦率地承认我们两国在意识形态和制度上的根本差异。是的, 让我们承认这些差异,让我们永远不要轻视这些差异,但是我们不要被这些差异左右。我来中国不是为了评说我们之间的分歧, 而是为了奠定双方关系的基础; 不是为了回顾封闭的过去,而是为了推动美中人民展望美好的未来。我坚信, 携起手来,我们能够而且也一定会使明天更美好。We ma
48、y live at nearly opposite ends of the world. We may be distinctly different in languages, customs, and political beliefs; but on many vital questions of our time there is little distance between the American and Chinese people. 我们可以生活在近乎世界的两端, 我们可以有截然不同的语言、习俗和政治信仰, 但是在我们时代许多重大问题的看法上, 美中人民之间几乎没有距离。In
49、deed, I believe if we were to ask citizens all over this world what they desire most for their children, and for their childrens children, their answer, in English, Chinese, or any other language, would likely be the same: We want peace. We want freedom. We want a better life. Their dreams, so simply stated, represent humanitys deepest aspirations for security and personal fulfillment. And helping them make their dreams come true is what our jobs are all about. 我的确相信,假若我们询问世界上的所有公民,他们最希望留下什么东西给自己的后代、给后代的后代,那么他们的回答无论是用英语、汉语还是其他语言来表达, 可能都是一致的: 我们要和平, 我们要自由, 我们要更美好的生活。他们的愿望,说得简单,却代表了
