VOA标准英语10月-Pride, Patriotism Mark China's National Day

Most of China began a three-day public holiday Wednesday and more than 50 million Chinese travelers have taken to the roads, to celebrate the country's National Day. Despite several serious crises, earlier in the year, China has many recent reasons to be proud. Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing.
　

Crowds walk towards Beijing's Tiananmen Gate, on China's National Day, 01 Oct 2008

As China marks the 59th anniversary of the founding of modern China, the national mood is definitely upbeat.

A Chinese manned mission to space returned safely to earth, earlier this week. The highlight was a successful spacewalk, which put China in an exclusive club, with the United States and Russia.

China also is celebrating its hosting of what many observers say was a technically¹ impressive Olympics.

Chinese President Hu Jintao honored Chinese Olympic athletes and others involved in organizing the huge event, at a ceremony Monday at the Great Hall of the People. Hu says the Chinese people shared exciting and inspiring Olympic moments with all people of the world and have written a new page in the history of the Olympics.

At a National Day reception, Chinese Premier² Wen Jiabao pointed³ to the challenges China faced in the past year. The hardships include a huge ice storm in January that cut off roads and left hundreds of thousands of people stranded⁴ at train stations. In May, there was a huge earthquake in southwestern Sichuan Province that killed or left missing tens of thousands of people.

The premier spoke⁵ positively⁶ about the economy.

Wen says this year marks the 30th anniversary of China's reform program. He called this path crucial to China's development and said it is the only way to achieve what he called the "great rejuvenation⁷ of the Chinese nation."

At the same time, China is embroiled⁸ in a widening scandal over tainted⁹ milk, which has already killed at least four babies and sickened tens of thousands of others at home. It also has found its way into products like cookies, candy and chocolate, that have been exported around the world.

David Zweig, from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, says this is a huge problem for an export powerhouse like China.

"We were talking about concerns that 'Made in China' may be translated into 'Buyer Beware.' We have certainly seen that with the milk crisis, the milk powder crisis and the candies and everything, so that's clearly been a problem," said Zweig.

Zweig also pointed to unrest this year in two Chinese minority areas - Tibet and Xinjiang. There were violent riots in Tibet in March, as peaceful Tibetan protests turned into deadly clashes. Meanwhile, before and during the Olympics, Beijing said terrorists in the far western region, Xinjiang, attacked government facilities.

The professor praises China for maintaining overall stability, but says the Chinese government will face even greater domestic dissatisfaction if it continues to suppress public expression.

"People who are dissatisfied with the problems and inequalities that have emerged under the reforms, those people need to have a mechanism¹¹ through which to express their concerns, in a way that does not destabilize the system," he said.

Finally, Zweig says he believes China is headed for a smooth leadership transition. He points to last October's Communist Party Congress, which put forth¹² people slated¹⁰ to make up the next round of Chinese leaders. The meeting, which takes place once every five years, is the most significant event on China's political calendar.

1 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

2 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

7 rejuvenation   

n. 复原，再生, 更新, 嫩化, 恢复

参考例句：

• Prolonged starvation and aging might lead to rejuvenation of embryogenic potential. 长期的饥饿和衰老可以导致胚胎发生能力的复壮。
• All this signs rejuvenation of agriculture. 所有这些都预示着农业将复苏。

8 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

11 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

12 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。