Unit5
Inside view
Conversation1
Andy: I loved the question you asked Tim Pearson about financial crisis. Janet: Well, I shouldn’t have asked it. After all he is an expert!
Andy: There you go again, you’re always putting yourself down. You don’t know how to take a compliment（称赞，恭维）.
Janet: True. I never find it easy to accept praise. Do you think women have been conditioned to accept criticism（批评，指责）
Andy: Well, I think that’s gender stereotyping（对...产生成见，模式化）. Do you think that men are good at accepting compliments
Janet: Well, they seem to be able to deal with criticism much better.
Andy:Don’t you believe it!
Janet: Anyway, thank you, I accept your compliment.
Andy: Not only that, but I think you’d make a really TV presenter.
Janet: I’m not so sure. I haven’t seen many women in television here. Andy: Well, in the media in general, I can assure（确保，使确信） you that there are lots of women in presenting and management roles.
Janet: Well, maybe, but I’m Chinese as well. I don’t think I’ll be accepted as a presenter on a British TV programme.
Andy:Gender and racial stereotyping. I mean, it depends on what job and sometimes where you work in London, of course, but generally, Londoners are proud of their multi-ethnic community. Especially the Chinese, because cook great food! Janet: Now who’s doing the stereotyping! But seriously, look at all these smart women walking to work. Are they all secretaries or managers
Andy:OK, it’s a good point. I think that many women manage to get middle management
jobs in most professions. But it’s true that a lot of them talk about the glass ceiling.
Janet:What’s the glass ceiling
Andy: It’s the situation where a woman is successful in a company, but then she hits the glass ceiling- this invisible（不可见的，隐形的） barrier which stops her going any higher in her career.
Conversation 2
Janet: So what do you think causes the glass ceiling
Andy: It’s partly prejudice by men about women’s abilities in management. But it’s also when women take time off to have children; they don’t always recover the same power when they return to work.
Janet: It not fair.
Andy: You’re right, it’s not fair. I read here that only five to ten percent of the top companies in America and British are run by women.
Janet:That’s extraordinary! In China there appears to be more women in top jobs, but I may be wrong.
Andy: And look, here are some more statistics. About 60 percent of university graduations in Europe and North America are women. And something like 75 percent of the eight million new jobs in Europe have been filled by women.
Janet: So the percentage of women in the total workforce is growing.
Andy:You got it! But women in the UK are in a slight majority—there are more women than men.
Janet: Do you think it’s especially bad in the UK, and in London especially Andy: Not really. Some jobs which were traditionally done by women, like nursing, are now also done by men, and like engineering which are done by women. And there
are plenty of women’s football teams!
Janet: Women’s football! We have women’s football in China too.
Andy: Mind you, their matches don’t get many spectators!
Janet: I give up. What else has changed
Andy:I think fathers spend more quality time with their children today. But I bet you it’s still the women who spend most looking after the children and the home. Janet: I guess that’s true everywhere.
Andy: Anyway, I am going home to watch the match on TV. The local women’s team, of course.
Janet: It’s typical of you men! You always bring it back to football!
Andy:And that’s typical of you women! You always bring it back to gender stereotyping.
Outside View
In South Korea, women are participating more in the economic and political sectors than they were a decade ago. But career aspirations for female students in South Korea still tend to be based on the traditional division of gender roles. They are accustomed to thinking of such jobs as teaching and nursing, what their male counterparts aim to become scientists and judges. Many of these young women are aware that if they want to be independent they need to train so they can have their own source of income. In the previous generation, women did not have the right to speak, because they did not have their own financial support. Therefore, our generation of women must work to be financially independent. The growth in the number of women who work has caused the typical South Korean household to change. For example, there are more women living alone. This is because they can make their own money rather than depend on a man to support them. There has also been a rapid rise in the number
of families in which both parents work. Married women increasingly want to participate in society but they need to balance family life and work. After marriage, we all struggle with how to take care of our children and work. The introduction of day care centers at some work places, such as the Chohung bank, has helped to make it possible for mothers to work. Whilst these women are at work, their children are in the day care center. There they are usually very well looked after, receiving a balanced diet, playing lots of games and doing plenty of exercise. Day care centers are increasingly popular all across the world because they enable parents to work. Women employees at Chohung Bank find it a big help, although the system is far from perfect. So far, my children have been well taken care of by our day care center. However, it will be difficult when my children go to elementary school because I often have to work late. Who will take care of them Our family recently decided to live together with our grandparents who might be able to take care of my children. Mothers also face other problems when they go to work. Women have traditionally been responsible for raising their children and often feel a strong sense of guilt when they put their children into day care. Some worry that it will have a negative impact on their children and that they may fail as a parent. On top of this, South Korean women often end up being less well paid than men with the same education. Korean women’s status in the labor market has not been much improved in spite of a continuing rise in their presence in the labor force and the level of their education. The majority of working women are still crowded in low wage and low status jobs many of which are found in the secondary market. So there are still lots of issues facing women going to work--- they are still having to choose between their families and their careers. What can be done to ensure that women are rewarded for their valuable contribution to the working world
Sector 部门，行业，领域
Aspiration 志向，抱负
Whilst 在……时，虽然
Counterpart 植物相当的人，职能相当的物
Guilt 负罪感，内疚，自责
Presence 存在，在场，出席
Listening in
Presenter: Has feminism(女权主义，男女平等主义） gone too far in the way men are shown in advertisements Do you think there are too many ads now in which men are shown as stupid or weak
Speaker 1:Definitely, yes. I can think of three ads right now where men are shown as stupid. The one that annoys me most is the one where this guy is doing this DIY job and he’s no good at it. And his girlfriend is standing by waiting to do the job herself. Fine, if it was one ad, but it’s not, it’s a whole attitude now to men. It’s not good for us, it’s not good for women either.
Speaker 2:Um, well, yes, I do feel that feminism has gone too far. I mean, great, women have made a lot of progress in the last 40 years, but it shouldn’t mean we treat men as inferior(等级或地位) 低等的，次要的）, which is what we see in quite a few ads these days. So no, I don’t really like the way men are portrayed in advertisements.
Speaker 3: Has feminism gone too far in advertisements No way! Feminism has only just begun, there’s no real equality of pay in this country, and men still have all the top jobs. Women continue to be shown as objects in ads rather than as real people, and until that stops I really don’t think we can say that feminism has gone too far. I agree that in advertisements these days men aren’t always shown as super-masculine, but that’s good and much nearer the truth.
Speaker4：Ads are about selling and I guess selling the idea that men are weak
makes people laugh. And if people laugh at an ad they are more likely to remember it and therefore more likely to buy the product. But on the whole, I’d disagree;
I think men are still shown driving expensive cars and working, you know-looking powerful. Then coming home to their wives who look after children.
Speaker5: Well I find the way men are shown in ads annoying. There’s that one where this woman is angry with her partner for his choice of car insurance. The idea is that she’s smart and he’s dumb（笨的，愚蠢）.
Speaker6:I’ve never really thought about it, I think it’s just to make people laugh, isn’t, to show the guy as a bit of an idiot and the woman as the boss. It’s just a joke. I don’t really know much about feminism. I don’t think so, no.
Passage 2:
The differences between men and women interest everyone. What are these differences exactly How great are they To what extent are they due to biology and how much the result of upbringing A lot of research has been done on the subject. Tests show, for example, that men tend to be more logical and analytical than women. Their spatial skills are better and they‘re better at problem-solving and mathematics. Girls, on the other hand, learn to speak earlier than boys and in general women have better verbal skills than men .They are more nurturing ,have more empathy and have better social skills.
Research suggests that at least some of these differences are a result of our biochemistry and brain function. Brain scans show that men have bigger brains than women. Before men get too excited about this we should point out that both sexes do equally well in intelligence tests. So the fact that men have bigger brains does not mean they‘re more intelligent. But there are other important brain differences. Men have more grey matter in their brains and women have more white matter. Because
of the different ways in which white matter and grey matter function, this could explain why men are better at spatial tasks and mathematics, and women are better at language skills.
Now let’s take a look at the effect of hormones on the brain. Testosterone is the hormone that makes the body masculine .It‘s present in both men and women but obviously there‘s a lot more of it in men .It seems that testoste rone has the effect of making men more interested in systems and less interested in people .This would explain why women have better social skills than men. All this is not to say that it‘s biological differences alone that make men and women different. Upbringing is very important too and parents treat boys and girls quite differently. For example, up to the age of two, mothers make more eye contact with daughters and talk to them more. Men are a lot more physical with their sons and play rougher and noisier games with them. Both men and women speak more loudly to boys than to girls and girls are stroked(轻抚) more than boys. We will probably never be able to decide exactly how important upbringing and biology are in creating male and female differences. But the journey of discovery is fascinating.
Unit 3 Outside View Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3
Listening in News Report Activity 1 Script Prince George is influencing education just by going to school. Since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s announcement that the little prince will be attending a Montessori nursery school, more people have been interested in the Montessori method of education. The Maria Montessori Institute in London, which runs several schools and a Montessori teacher training centre, reports that there has been a 65 per cent increase in parents signing up for information about their schools compared to last year. Many are curious about the Montessori method, which focuses on the individual development of each child rather than tests and grades. Many people are also now interested in being a Montessori teacher. There is a specific training required for teachers at Montessori schools. There has been a 45 per cent increase in people looking to attend information sessions for teachers. The Maria Montessori Institute offers an open afternoon every so often when people can go and observe students, and those events have been fully booked since Prince George joined. 1. What is the news report mainly about? 2. What do we learn about Montessori schools from the news report?
01:解决问题的多种途径 In recent days, we have to face I problem-----A, which is becoming more and more serious. First, ------------(说明Ａ的现状)．Second, ---------------(举例进一步说明现状) another -------------(解决方法二). Finally, --------------(解决方法三). Personally, I believe that -------------(我的解决方法). Consequently(因 此 --------------(带来的好处). 02：对比选择型 When it comes to ＿＿＿＿ ,different people hold different views . Some contend(主张) that＿＿＿＿. For one thing,＿＿＿＿ .For another, ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿，They point out[指出] that＿＿＿＿ .Another instance[情况] often cited[引用] is that＿＿＿＿ . ＿＿＿＿＿. 03：说明利弊题型 二）. ----------------(Ａ的第一个缺点)．To make matters worse,------------------(A 的第二个缺点)．
Through the above[上文的] analysis, I believe that the positive aspects overweigh[比..更重] the negative ones. Therefore, I would like to ---------------(我的看法)． (From the comparison[比较] between these positive and negative effects of A, we should take it reasonably[合理的] and do it according to the circumstances we are in. Only by this way, ---------------(对前景的预测)．) 04：议论文框架 (1) 不同观点列举型（选择型） There is a widespread[广泛的] concern over the issue that __作文题目_____. But it is well known that the opinion concerning this hot topic varies from person to person. A majority of people think that _ 观点一________. In their views there are 2 factors contributing to this attitude as follows: in the first place, ___原因一_______.Furthermore, in the second place, ___原因二_____. So it goes without saying that ___观点一_____. People, however, differ in their opinions on this matter. Some people hold the idea that ___观点二_______. In their point of view, on the one hand， ___原因一_______. On the other hand, ____原因二_____. Therefore, there is no doubt that ___观点二______. As far as I am concerned, I firmly support the view that __ 观点一或二______. It is not only because ________, but also because _________. ( 3 ) 答题性议论文 Currently, there is a widespread concern over (the issue that)__作文题目_______ .It is really an important concern to every one of us. As a result, we must spare no efforts to take some measures to solve this problem. As we know that there are many steps which can be taken to undo this problem. First of all, __途径一______. In addition, another way contributing to success of the solving problem is ___途径二_____.
最牛英语口语培训模式：躺在家里练口语，全程外教一对一，三个月畅谈无阻！ 洛基英语，免费体验全部在线一对一课程：https://www.doczj.com/doc/868000573.html,/ielts/xd.html（报名网址） [范文9] importance of education the prosperity of a nation depends on the development of education. throughout the world whatever advance has been made in science and technology is due to education, which brings forth by scientists and inventors. it is never overdone no matter how one emphasizes the importance of education. there is no doubt that countries with undeveloped education will remain poor. education is as vital to the development of an individual as it is to that of a nation. of all the elements of success in our careers none is more vital than education. it is not the genius that makes the difference between success and failure. education is the driving power. in fact, most of the famous people in our times spent many years in studies. can you name any great men you admire who are not educated persons? yet some people are still ignorant of its importance. some parents, especially in the countryside, think that it is unnecessary to send their children to school. some other parents are so selfish that they have their children work for money. in consideration of the situation, compulsory education must be enforced to ensure that there will be enough educated young people for the future of our country. [范文10] the importance of self education self education brings success. though we students have teachers to help us, still we should pay more attention to self study. here are some suggestions. first, read outside our class. every new book one reads will benefit him in one way or another. the more we read, the more we are benefited. as life is short and knowledge is infinite, we should try to read as many books as we can. second, improve our memory and reasoning powers. if we read more and more, we can make our memory and reasoning powers improve to some degree. moreover, we shall be able to write more clearly and correctly. third, develop our character. when we have formed the habit of reading, we can put into practice what they have taught and build up a good character. in a word, if we want to educate ourselves, the most important thing for us to do is to read not only our textbooks, but also any other books that are within our reach. 五、图表、信函及其他 [范文1] should women have equal job opportunities with men? this table shows the different opinions about whether women should have equal job opportunities in the following three countries, china, the u.s.a. and japan. as can be seen in the table, the people who agree with this point exceed those who disagree, especially in china. however, there are still some people in the three countries, especially in japan who are against women’s equal job opportunities with men.
1. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Private Tutoring Private tutoring is “in”. A recent investigation shows that about 80 percent of pupils have private tutors. While private tutoring has both advantages and disadvantages, I feel that we should give more thoughts to its negative effects. Such a popular practice clearly indicates that people are attaching greater importance to education. Many parents either missed the chance of obtaining a good education themselves or have been too busy with their own business. When their children meet with difficulties in study, they are helpless. Private tutoring seems to be the only solution. As private tutoring is usually given on the one-to-one basis, the teacher knows the strong points as well as the weak points of the pupil; and teaching is, in most cases, directly to the point. Private tutoring benefits a lot of pupils, indeed. While on the other hand, private tutoring has its own disadvantages. For one thing, it takes up so much of the pupil’s time that they can hardly find enough time for rest or entertainment, which is essential for kids’ physical and mental health. Besides, some teachers, busy “shuttling” from one family to another, tend to neglect their regular teaching duties. What is more, some teachers are eager to help pupils do well on the test, offering the so-called tips for test-taking instead of helping them acquire
四级英语作文模板(精选多篇) 第一篇：四级英语作文模板 四级模板(一般均为议论文) 正文模板: recently,**has become a hot topic of general public in our soceity，especially for those who are faced with this situation. some people take it for granted that......。however ,other people reckon that...... those people who hold the former opinion believe that ……however ,there are still other people who advocate the latter opinion because…… as for me , my favor goes to the former/latter opinion .first of all ,……..what’s more ,……what we must do is to make sure that the positive ones are encouraged and the negative ones are minimized as much as possible. reasons(原因) why should this phenomenon take place ? there are generally many factors , accounting for it . to start with ,svo. moreover , svo. there are some other reasons for it , but i think the factors mentioned above are sound and reasonable . example(举例) while generalization are dangerous , it is quite safe to present solid
1995年1月 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Can Money Buy Happiness? You should write no less than 100 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below: 1.有人认为金钱是幸福之本(source of happiness) 2.也有人认为金钱是万恶之源(root of all evil) 3.我的看法 [范文]Can Money Buy Happiness? Can money buy happiness? Various people have various answers. Some people think that money is the source of happiness. With money, one can buy whatever he enjoys. With money, one can do whatever he likes. So, in their minds, money can bring comfort, security, and so on. Money, as they think, is the source of happiness. But there are still a lot of others who think that money is the root of all evil. Money drives people to steal, to rob, and to break the law. A lot of people became criminals just because they were in search of money. And in the Western countries, there is nothing that can’t be bought by money. Many people lose their own lives when hunting it. I think that money is essential to life and we cannot do without money. But even though money is necessary to life, it can’t buy happiness. Happiness is not something that can be measured by money. It is a state of mind. One can have plenty of money, with which he can buy whatever he wants, and at the same time he is not happy because he is never satisfied or he is troubled by various kinds of problems. Therefore, although money is necessary for a happy life, it can’t buy happiness. 1996年1月作文题目及范文 Directions: For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic The Two-day Weekend. You should write at least 100 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below: 1. 双休日给大学生带来的好处。 2. 双休日可能给大学生带来的问题。 3. 我应当怎样过好双休日。 [参考范文]The Two-day Weekend The two-day weekend has brought a lot of benefits to college students. It not only offers us more time to get rid of tiredness and have a good rest, but also gives us more chances to take up some hobbies, such as fishing, reading, or gardening. From these activities we can learn many things outside the classroom, which will add to our knowledge. Despite the convenience it brings us, the two-day weekend has also given rise to quite a few problems. The most serious one is that the weekdays are filled with more lesson, sometimes too many. Because our classes are limited to Monday through Friday, we have to take more lessons each day than in the past. This leaves us little time to catch our breath during the weekdays. In order to benefit most from the two-day weekend, I have decided to make a good plan for the two-day weekend. Of course I should take this chance to relax. But during
作文1 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Online Games. You should write at least 120 words, and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below: 1)现在有一些大学生沉迷于网络游戏，家长和学校对此忧心忡忡 2)但有人认为网络游戏并不是一无是处 3)你对此的看法是…… 【思路点拨】 本题属于提纲式文字命题。提纲第1点指出对于某问题的一种反面看法，提纲第2点指出对于该问题的正面看法，提纲第3点要求谈谈“我”对该问题的看法，由此可判断本文应为对比选择型作文。 根据所给提纲，本文应包含如下内容：指出大学生沉迷于网络游戏的问题，阐述家长和老师对该问题的否定态度和他们的担忧；指出一些人对待网络游戏的肯定态度，并阐述网络游戏的好处；表明“我”对网络游戏的看法。 【参考范文】 Online Games As a product of modern computer and the Internet, online games have become very popular among college students. Many students have enjoyed great pleasure and satisfaction from these games. But as we see, some students lacking self-discipline are too much indulged in these games so that their health and academic performances are affected. This phenomenon has caused much worry from the teachers and parents。 However, some others argue that online games are not always harmful. They can train the ability of youngsters to respond to things quickly. Moreover, they can stimulate their imagination and their interest in computer science. More importantly, it does bring college students much pleasure and release their pressure greatly。 From my point of view, online games are a wonderful entertainment if you play them in a clever way. When they interfere too much with your study, it is better for you to give them up at once. But if you have enough self-control over them, you can certainly obtain real pleasure and benefit a lot from them。 作文2 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Machine Translation and Human Translation. You should write at least 120 words, and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below: 1)现在诸多的电子辞典及相关翻译软件被开发出来，人们不再需要翻阅厚重的字典 2)有人认为以后机器翻译会完全取代人工翻译 3)你是否同意这种观点，为什么？ 【思路点拨】 本题属于提纲式文字命题。提纲第1点指出一种新兴事物，提纲第2点针对该事物提出一种有争议的观点，提纲第3点要求表明“我”是否同意这种观点，由此可判断本文应为对比选择型作文。 根据所给提纲，本文应包含如下内容：描述电子辞典和翻译软件的使用现状，引出机器翻译会代替人工翻译的观点；表明“我”对这一观点的态度并说明理由；总结“我”的观点，提出建议。
2006年12月23日英语四级作文真题及参考范文 【Direction】 １．许多人喜欢在除夕夜观看春节晚会 ２．但有些人提出取消春节晚会． ３．我的看法． 【参考范文】 The approach of the Chinese Lunar New Year poses a national issue concerning the necessity of holding the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. Its established status is being challenged by a growing number of people, especially by younger generations. It is increasingly difficult to cater for all tastes. Some individuals deem that it should be canceled or replaced by other programs. These young people focus their attention on other forms of celebration instead of immersing themselves in TV. Despite that, the majority of mid-aged people and senior citizens uphold the importance of the traditional performance. The most striking feature of this gala is its traditionally close link with ordinary people's lives. Most of people view this gala as an annual staple on the traditional Chinese Spring Festival Eve. They all have a restless night and glue their eyes on the television. I am not supportive of the view that the grand gala should be abandoned. Undoubtedly, it plays a vital role in the celebration of Chinese New Year. To increase its appeal and meet young adults' need, the upcoming performance should invite some big names including super stars from Hongkong and Taiwan. We are all eagerly anticipating this unforgettable evening show. 【点评】 本次四级考试作文总体上来说并不是很难。但表现出两个出人意料：一是体裁，二是题材。 对于体裁来说，本次四级作文属于正反对比论证类的文体。比较出人意料，又回到了老的考查模式。很多学生把考前死背的作文模板派上了用场。但是这只能得到最基本的分数。虽然
For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Attend Your Classes Regularly。You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese. 1. 现在大学校园里，迟到、早退、旷课是常见的现象 2. 保证学生的出勤率对大学教育的重要性 3. 作为一个大学生应该怎样做 Attend Your Classes Regularly Nowadays it is a very common phenomenon that some university students are late for or even absent from classes. And still there are some students who slip out of the classroom before the class is over. Class attendance has become a thorny problem to both the students and teachers. In fact, it is very important for the students to attend their classes regularly. First, it will ensure you to catch up with the teachers in your learning. That is very helpful to you if you want to do a good job in your study. Second, attending classes regularly is a way of showing respect to your teachers ,too. Your teachers will feel bad if the students do not attend their classes, which, in turn, will affect their teaching and be no good for the students. Third, attending classes regularly will help to form a good habit of punctuality, which is of great importance for the students to do a good job in the future. Therefore, we university students should form the good habit of attending our classes regularly from now on. And some day we’ll benefit from it. 点评：2008年元月三日，中山大学博士发帖称遭导师虐待；2008年元月四日，中国政法大学爆“杨帆门”事件；近几年，中小学老师或打学生或猥亵学生、体罚学生等各类新闻不断曝光，进而引发了师生关系的大讨论。本范例题为四级考试传统的问题解决型的写作，与校园生活密切相关。 范例二 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Students’Rating of Their Teachers。You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese. 1. 学生给老师打分已经普遍 2. 人们对其持不同态度 3. 我的看法 Students’ Rating of Their Teachers Nowadays, it has become as common in colleges and universities for students to grade teachers as for teachers to grade students. In some universities students’ rating has even become the only source of information on teaching effectiveness.. This, however, has caused great controversy. Some are in favor of the rating system, They hold that since students attend t he teachers’ classes every day, they should have their opinion about their teachers’ effectiveness. Others, on the contrary, are strongly against it. They believe that there is much more to teaching than what is shown on students’ rating forms. Students sh ould not be expected to judge whether the materials they use are up to date or how well the teacher knows about the subject. These judgments require professional knowledge, which is best left for the teachers’ colleagues. I think students’ rating of their teachers is necessary, but it should be conducted in a way that can really shed meaningful light on teachers’ performance. Instead of rating the teachers’ knowledge on the subject, students should be asked to estimate what they have learned in a course, an d to report on such things as a teacher’s ability to communicate with students, his or her relationship with students, and his or her ability to arouse students’ interest in the subject. 点评：越来越多的高校采取让学生给老师打分的形式来了解教学反馈，并以此作为促进教学质量的有效手段。对此做法，管理部门及教学双方褒贬不一，看法迥异。本范例题为校园生活热议话题，值得关注。
国际上最有最有影响力的反腐败国际组织是“透明国际”，2016年的最新数据表明丹麦是世界第一清廉国。在丹麦没有腐朽的理念和文化。政府会大力对国民，公务员进行廉洁教育，丹麦那句“不要认为你有什么特殊，你和我们每个人都一样”的谚语就是平等的精神最好的诠释。我们都知道丹麦是福利性国家，丹麦国民通过交税可以获得免费的教育，医疗和养老金等社会福利。虽然高额税收几乎达到个人收入的50%，但社会福利体系最大限度得减少了“谋生型腐败”的可能性，也就是说，高福利大大压缩了腐败的边际收益。金钱的诱惑减少了，人们就更趋向于做他们感兴趣的工作。 中国是世界上最古老的文明之一。构成现代世界基础的许多元素都起源于中国。中国现在拥有世界上发展最快的经济，并正经历着一次新的工业革命。中国还启动了雄心勃勃的太空探索计划，其中包括到2020年建成一个太空站。目前，中国是世界最大的出口国之一，并正在吸引大量外国投资。同时，它也在海外投资数十亿美元。2011年，中国超越日本成为世界第二大经济体。 China is one of the most ancient civilizations across the world, from which many elements that construct the foundation of the modern world are derived. Now China has the world's fastest growing economy and is experiencing a new industrial revolution. It has also launched an ambitious space exploration plan, including the building of a space station by 2020. Currently, being one of the largest exporters in the world, China is attracting massive foreign investment Meanwhile, it has invested billions of dollars overseas as well. In 2011, China surpassed Japan, largest economic entity in the world. 为了促进教育公平，中国已投入360亿元，用于改造农村地区教育设施和加强中西部地区农村义务教育(compulsory education)。这些资金用于改善教学设施、购买书籍，使16万多所中小学受益。资金还用购置音乐和绘画器材。现在农村和山区的儿童可以与沿海城市的儿童一样上音乐和绘画课。一些为接受更好教育而转往城市上学的学生如今又回到了本地农村学校就读。 In order to promote education equity, China has invested 36 billion yuan to improve the education facilities in rural areas and strengthen rural compulsory education in the central and western regions. The funds is used to better the school's teaching facilities and purchase books, from which more than 160,000 middle and primary schools have gained benefits. The money is also spent on acquiring musical and painting instruments. Nowadays, children in rural and mountainous areas can have access to music and drawing lessons just like children in coastal cities. Some students who had once transferred to urban schools for better education now return to the local rural schools.