of porcelain, coal, gunpowder, printing, paper money, and silk for the first time. The wealth of new geographic information recorded by Polo was widely used in the late 15th and the 16th centuries during the age of the European voyages of discovery and conquest (征服)。 In the centuries since his death, Marco Polo has received the recognition that failed to come his way during his lifetime. Marco Polo’s story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world. 译文：
作为通过中国游历亚洲的首批欧洲人之一，马可?波罗可能是中国人最熟知的外国商人和航海家。从1271年到1295年，他和他的家人游历广泛，遍及欧洲和亚洲。期间，他在中国留居了17年。他的著作《马可?波罗游记》描述了他游历亚洲的旅程，让欧洲人首次全面领略了包括中国、印度和日本在内的远东地区的情况。从他的文字叙述中，西方人第一次了解到瓷器、煤炭、火药、印刷术、纸币以及丝绸。在15世纪末和16世纪欧洲发现与征服的大航海时代，马可?波罗所记录的大量新的地理信息得到了广泛使用。在他去世的这个几个世纪里，马可?波罗获得了他在有生之年未曾获得的赞誉。马可?波罗的故事鼓舞了其他无数的探险者去踏上征程，发现世界。
11. Translate the following paragraph into English.
郑和是中国历史上最著名的航海家（maritime explorer）。公元
1405年，明朝的统治者为了稳固边防（border defense）和开展海上贸易，派郑和下西洋（the Western Sea）。在此后的28年里，郑和带领船队七下西洋，前后出海的人员有10多万人，访问了30多个国家和地区。船队纵横南亚、西亚，一直到非洲大陆。郑和下西洋是世界航海（navigation）史上的壮举，它展现了郑和卓越的航海和组织才能，同时展现了明朝的国力和国威（national strength and prestige）, 加强了明朝和海外各国之间的关系。 Translation：
Zheng He was the most famous maritime explorer in Chinese history. In 1405 AD, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty sent Zheng He on a voyage to the Western Seas in order to strengthen border defense and develop trade by sea. In the following 28 years, Zheng He led his fleet, made seven voyages to the Western Seas with over 100,000 crew members in total, and visited more than 30 countries and regions. The fleet traveled far into South Asia and West Asia, and made all the way to the continent of Africa. Zheng He’s voyages to the Western Seas were a great feat in the world’s navigation history. It showed Zheng He’s outstanding navigation and organization talents; meanwhile, it exhibited the national strength and prestige of the Ming Dynasty, and strengthened the relationships between the Ming Dynasty and the overseas countries.
Unit Five
10. Translate the following paragraph into Chinese.
The first written records of the ancient Olympic Games date to 776 BC. The ancient Olympics were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 during a religious festival honoring Zeus(宙斯).The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The Olympic symbol consists of five interlaced rings of equal dimensions, representing the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. The Olympic truly took off as an international sporting event after 1924, when the 8th Olympic Games were held in Paris. Some 3,000 athletes from 44 nations competed that year, and for the first time the Games featured a closing ceremony. The Winter Olympics debuted (问世)that year, including such events as figure skating, ice hockey, bobsledding and the biathlon. Eighty years later, when the 2004 Summer Olympics returned to Athens for the first time in more than a century, nearly 11,000 athletes from 201 countries competed, breaking the record of participating countries. 译文：
有关古代奥林匹克运动会的最早文字记载课追溯至公元前776年。古代奥运会每4年举办一次，在8月6日与9月19日之间的一个纪念宙斯的宗教节日期间举行。第一届现代奥运会于
1896年在希腊雅典举办。奥运会的标志由五个大小相同的套环组成，代表着五大洲的联合和来自世界各地运动员的大聚会。奥运会真正腾飞、成为一项国际体育盛会是在1924年之后，即第8届奥运会在巴黎举办之后。这一年，来自44个国家约3,000名运动员同场竞技，并且第一次在奥运会增加了闭幕式这一仪式。同年，冬季奥运会首次亮相，比赛项目包括花样滑冰、冰球、雪橇和冬季两项运动。80年后，2004年夏季奥运会在相隔一个多世纪再次在雅典举办，来自201个国家的近11,000名运动员展开竞技，创下参赛国数量之最。
11. Translate the following paragraph into English.
太极拳（Tai Chi）是一种武术（martial arts）项目，也是一种健身运动，在中国有着悠久的历史。太极拳动作缓慢而柔和，适合任何年龄、性别、体型的人练习。太极拳既可防身，又能强身健体，因而深受中国人喜爱。太极拳在发展的过程中，借鉴并吸收了中国传统哲学、医术、武术的合理内容（elements）,成为特色鲜明的一项运动。作为中国特有的一种运动形式，太极拳也越来越受到众多外国朋友的喜爱。 Translation：
Tai Chi is a kind of martial arts, and a fitness exercise as well. It has a long history in China. With slow and gentle movements, Tai Chi is suitable for people of any age, sex, or body type to practice. It can be used to provide self-defense as well as build the body.