大学英语六级翻译练习

　　中国古代四大发明(the Four Great Inventions)—造纸术、火药、印刷术、指南针对全世界产生了巨大而深远的影响。纸张的发明大大促进了文明的传播与发展。火药的发明非常偶然，炼丹师(alchemist)在制作长生不老药(elixir)的时候偶然制成了火药。唐代末期，火药被用于战争，13世纪时传到了全世界。在唐代印刷术的基础上，北宋毕昇发明了活字印刷术(movable-type printing),开启了印刷史上的伟大革命。中国古人利用天然磁石制成了第一台可以辨别方向的指南针，大大增强了船只的远航能力。

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　　Papermaking, gunpowder, printing and compass arethe Four Great Inventions of ancient China that haveexerted a great and far-reaching impact on theentire world. The invention of paper greatlycontributed to the spread and development ofcivilization. The birth of gunpowder was quite accidental. It was invented inadvertently byalchemists while attempting to make an elixir. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, gunpowder wasused in military affairs, and was spread to all over the world in the 13th century. On the basisof printing in the Tang Dynasty, BiSheng in the Northern Song Dynasty invented the movable-type printing, which lauched a great revolution in the history of printing.Natural magnets weremade into the first direction-finding compass by ancient Chinese people, which greatlyimproved a ship's ability to navigate over long distances.

　　在中国,送常是为了表示尊重、感恩、友谊、一种普遍的礼节(Courtesy)。这其实是世界各地一种普遍的礼节。中国礼仪(etiquette)已有几千年的历史，代代相传。对于中国人来说，礼貌要求互惠(reciprocity)，这意味着对别人彬彬有礼的人将收到别人的友善和恩惠。如果他们收到礼物、邀请或款待，他们会在适当的时机回赠别人。互惠的习俗也被认为是建立和维持友谊的传统方式。与其他国家一样，在中国，从前会在生日、婚礼或聚会时赠送合适的礼物。礼物是否昂贵、是否很大，都不重要。

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　　In China，gifts are usually given to show respect,gratitude, friendship, love or hospitality. It isactually a common courtesy in the world. With ahistory of thousands of years, Chinese etiquettehas formed and been passed down from generationto generation. For Chinese people, courtesy demands reciprocity, which 'means people whoare well-mannered to others will receive kindness and favors. If they receive a gift, aninvitation or hospitality treatment from someone, they will :offer back to the one when it issuitable. The custom of reciprocity is also considered a traditional way to build and maintainfriendship. For birthdays,weddings or parties, giving suitable gifts in China is just as any othercountries else i do. It does not matter whether your gift is expensive and big or not.

　　中国结(Chinese knots)是中国传统的装饰结。它是中国特有的民间艺术。中国结是以其形状或者按照其寓意来命名的。中国结有许多不同的形状，最常见的有蝴蝶、花、鸟、龙、鱼等。在中国，“结”代表着团结、友爱、和平、婚姻和爱情等。中国结与中国人的日常生活紧密相关，表达了他们对更美好生活的企盼。兼具实用性和装饰性的中国结具有传统的雅致和不断变化的形式，它充分反映了 中国文化的魅力和精髓。

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　　Traditional Chinese decorative knots, also known as Chinese knots, are typical folk arts of China. Chinese knots are named after their shapes or in accordance with what they suggest. There are many different shapes of Chinese knots, the most common being butterflies, flowers, birds, dragons, fish, etc. In China, “knot” means unity, friendship, peace, marriage, love, etc. Chinese knots are closely related to the everyday life of the Chinese people and express their wishes for a better life. So title Chinese knots, with their classic elegance and ever-changing variations, are both practical and ornamental, fully reflecting the grace and essence of Chinese culture.