1.中国是茶的故乡。唐代以前，中国茶叶通过陆路和水路出口，先是出口到日本和朝鲜，之后出口到印度和中亚。明清时期，出口到了阿拉伯半岛(Arabian Peninsula)。17世纪早期，中国茶叶出口到欧洲，自此，欧洲的上层阶级开始饮茶。 中国文化渗透着茶的精神，全国有很多种茶叶、茶馆、茶的传说、茶工艺品和饮茶习俗。杭州西湖以产上等绿茶著称;在云南等中国西南省份，少数民族受外国文化影响较小，原始茶产地仍然保留着饮茶仪式和习俗。

　　翻译：China is the hometown of tea. Before the Tang Dynasty, Chinese tea was exported by land and sea，first to Japan and Korea, then to India and Central Asia,and in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, to the Arabian Peninsula. In the early period of the 17th century, Chinese tea was exported to Europe，where the upper class started to drink tea. Tea spirit permeates Chinese culture, and throughout the country there are many kinds of tea，teahouses, tea legends, tea artifacts and tea customs. The West Lake in Hangzhou is famous for its excellent green tea; and provinces in southwest China like Yunnan where flie ethnic groups were less affected by foreign cultures still keep tea ceremonies and customs in original tea-growing areas.

　　2.汉字(Chinese characters)是世界上最古老的文字之一，也是使用者最多的文 字。汉字多达6万个，但常用的基本汉字只有6000个左右。据权威专家估计，汉字有5000多年的历史，最初源于记录事情的图片。从古至今，从甲骨文(Jiaguwen) 到我们今天书写用的楷体(Kaiti)，汉字的形式和结构发生了很大改变。历史上， 汉字被朝鲜、日本、越南等国借鉴，因此也促进了国际交流。在现代，中国人民用 各种方法将汉字输人电脑，进行信息处理。事实证明，汉字充满了生机与活力。

　　翻译：The Chinese characters are one of the oldest characters in the world, and are used by the most users. Chinese characters are up to 60,000, but only about 6,000 basic ones are often used. As authorities estimate, Chinese characters have a history of over 5,000 years, and they originate from pictures for keeping records. From ancient to modern times, the forms and structures of Chinese characters have changed much, evolving from Jiaguwen (oracle bone script), to Kaiti(regular script) we use now. In history, Chinese characters were borrowed by Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, thereby improving international communication. In modern times, Chinese people have by many means solved the problem of inputting Chinese characters into computers to serve information processing. It has been borne out that Chinese characters are full of vigor and vitality.

　　3.曲艺是指民谣、说书和相声等民间说唱艺术形式。作为中国古代的表演艺术，曲艺是不同表演类型的统称，表现形式为说、唱或二者兼有。作为独立的艺术，曲艺兴起于唐朝中期，繁荣于宋朝。曲艺深植于中国，分为三大类型、 400个曲种。三大类型是:说书、说唱艺术、笑话。说书既可以只用语言，也可以配乐。北方最典型的无伴奏类型是评书(Pingshu)。笑话最重要的形式是相声。说唱艺术似乎听众最多。在口音或音乐方面，每种类型都有强烈的地方色彩。

　　翻译：Quyi refers to folk vocal art forms such as ballad singing, story-telling and crosstalk. As an ancient performing art in China, quyi is a general term that covers several different types of performances in which speech, singing or both are used. As an independent art, it was formed in the middle Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. Deeply taking root in China, the art is divided into three styles and subdivided into 400 parts. The three major styles are story-telling, story-singing, and joke-telling. Story-telling can be either words only, or words with music. One of the most representative non-music styles in the North is called Pingshu. The most important form of joke-telling is crosstalk. Story-singing seems to have the largest audience. Each style has a strong local flavor in either its accent or music.

　　4.24节气(24 solar terms)是统称，包括 12节气(12 major solar terms)和 12中气 (12 minor solar terms),它们彼此之间相互关联。24节气反映了天气变化，指导农 业耕作，也影响着人们的生活。春秋战国时期，人们开始使用节气作为补充历法 (calendar)。公元前104年，24节气最终确立。众所周知，中国是个有着悠久农业发 展史的国家。农业生产受自然规律影响极大。在古代，农民根据太阳的运动安排 农业生产活动。24节气考虑到了太阳的位置，这就是我们重视它的原因。

　　翻译：The 24 solar terms is a whole name of the system that consists of 12 major solar terms and 12 minor solar teims linked with each other. It reflects the climate change, guides agriculture arrangements and also affects people's life. In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people began to use solar terms as the supplementary calendar. It was in 104 B,C. that the 24 solar terms were finally set down. As we all know, China is a country with a long history of agriculture. Agricultural production is largely influenced by the laws of nature. In ancient times, farmers arranged their agricultural activities according to the move of : the sun. It is the fact that the 24 solar terms takes into account the position of the sun that makes us attach importance to it.

　　5.当来中国的游客发现一桌标准的8人晚宴有4道凉菜、4道热菜，并配以汤和米饭时，他们往往会感到惊讶。一桌标准的宴席(banquet)包括4~8道准备好的凉菜，8道热菜—每次只上1道热菜，以及2-4道观赏大菜(whole-sized showpiece dish)。同坐一张桌子的人互相敬酒时通常会“干杯(Gan Bei)”。“干杯”是指举起酒杯,将酒全部喝完，让玻璃杯或酒杯“连最后一滴也干了”。人们干杯时传递给别 人的信息是：自己是真诚、快乐的。向主人敬酒时，国人更愿意接受的方式是喝一小口而不是喝干整杯。

　　翻译：Visitors to China are often surprised when a standard dinner for a table of eight people consists of four courses of cold dishes and four courses of hot dishes,coupled with soup and steamed rice. A standard banquet consists of four to eight prepared cold dishes, eight hot dishes served one at a time, and two to four whole-sized showpiece dishes. People at a table usually “Gan Bei" when toasting to each other. “Gan Bei” means to raise one's wine glass and drink it all the way down so that the glass or cup is “dried up to the last drop”. People drink up their wine to communicate the message to others that they are sincere and joyful. It is quite acceptable for a foreign guest to take a sip instead of emptying the glass when toasting to his or her host.

(责任编辑：田学江)