Take Away English-National Symbols 民族象征

A dragon - the national symbol of Wales

When many people in the west think of China, the animal that they think of is the dragon. For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell of how dragons killed brave knights¹ and ate beautiful maidens².

For Chinese people however, the dragon is not an evil monster. It's a cultural and spiritual symbol for prosperity and good luck. The dragon’s main task is to create harmony and bring rain. Dragons are celebrated⁴ in art and architecture, and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual³. Millions of Chinese have the word ‘long’, meaning dragon, as part of their name.

China isn't the only country to have the dragon as its symbol. Wales, one of the four countries in the UK, has a red dragon proudly displayed on its flag. The only other country in the world with a dragon on its flag is Bhutan, the tiny country between China and India.

Almost all countries in the world have an animal symbol to represent their country, and it is particularly obvious during sports. The English see lions as brave, proud animals and the England football team have three lions on the front of their football shirts.

Australia is famous for kangaroos, of course. The national rugby team is more commonly know as the Wallabies, a kind of small kangaroo. Similarly, the South African team are known as the Springboks, a type of African antelope⁵, and the New Zealanders, whether playing sports or not, are commonly known as Kiwis. A kiwi is a native New Zealand bird that can't fly.

All countries are proud of their symbols, which they feel reflect national characteristics or the beauty and variety of their natural environments. Recently, a Shanghai professor claimed that using the dragon as a national symbol could make western countries have a negative view of China. But in an internet survey 90% of Chinese people wanted to keep the dragon, and as we are all familiar with that Chinese symbol, people in the west would no doubt want China to keep the dragon too.

GLOSSARY 词汇表
dragon 龙 legends 传说 maidens （未婚）女子 spiritual 精神（上）的 harmony 和谐；和睦 ritual 礼仪；民俗 flag 旗子 kangaroos 袋鼠 antelope 羚羊 characteristics 特点；特征	aggressive monster 狰狞的猛兽 knights 骑士 evil 邪恶；罪恶 prosperity 繁荣 architecture 建筑（学） proudly 自豪的 brave 勇敢的 rugby 橄榄球 native 本土；当地的 survey 统计；调查

 

1 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

2 maidens   

处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• Transplantation is not always successful in the matter of flowers or maidens. 花儿移栽往往并不成功，少女们换了环境也是如此。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

3 ritual   

adj.例行的，老规矩的，惯常的

参考例句：

• This was the monthly ritual.这是每月一次的例规。
• I realized that here the conventions required me to make the ritual noises.我意识到此时按照惯例我应该说些客套话。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 antelope   

n.羚羊；羚羊皮

参考例句：

• Choosing the antelope shows that China wants a Green Olympics.选择藏羚羊表示中国需要绿色奥运。
• The tiger was dragging the antelope across the field.老虎拖着羚羊穿过原野。