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英语社团第十讲------中国古代四大发明（The Four Great Inventions）
What are The Four Great Inventions
The Four Great Inventions are: The Compass，Gun powder，Papermaking，Printing Techniques.
中国古代四项伟大的发明是指南针、火药、造纸术、印刷术。
The Four Great Inventions of ancient China are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historic significance and as signs of ancient China’s advanced science and technology. These four inventions greatly promoted the development of China’s economy, politics, and culture.
中国古代的四大发明因其历史意义和作为中国古代先进科学技术的标志而在中国文化中受到赞扬。这四大发明大大促进了中国经济、政治和文化的发展。
The Compass
The history of the compass can be dated back to the Warring States Period (476–221 BC), when Chinese people used a device called si nan to point the direction.
指南针的历史可以追溯到战国时期（公元前476-221年），当时中国人使用一种叫做司南的装置来指明方向。
After constant improvement, a round compass with a tiny needle made of magnetized steel were invented during the early Song Dynasty. One end of the tiny needle points to the south and the other points to the north. The compass was then introduced to the Arab world and Europe during the Northern Song era (960–1127).
经过不断的改进，在宋朝初期发明了一种带有磁化钢制成的小针的圆形罗盘。小针的一端指向南方，另一端指向北方。在北宋时代（960-1127年），罗盘被介绍到阿拉伯世界和欧洲。
Before the invention of the compass, people depended on reading the positions of the sun, moon, and pole stars to tell directions on open water or unfamiliar territory. Travelling was difficult in cloudy or bad weather.
在指南针发明之前，人们依靠太阳、月亮和北极星的位置来判断开阔水域或陌生地区的方向。因此，在阴天或恶劣的天气下，旅行是很困难的。
After the invention of the round compass, people could easily find a direction when sailing on the vast oceans and traversing new territory, which led to the discovery of the New World as well as the development of sailing ships.
罗盘发明后，人们在广阔的海洋上航行和穿越新的领土时可以很容易地找到方向，这导致了新大陆的发现以及帆船的发展。
Gun powder
Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists during the Tang Dynasty. In medieval China, alchemists were people who tried to make an elixir of immortality as their supreme goal. They inadvertently found that a mixture of sulphur, saltpeter, and charcoal could induce an explosion.
火药是由中国的炼金术士在唐代发明的。在中世纪的中国，炼金术士是试图制造长生不老药的人，这是他们的最高目标。他们无意中发现，硫磺、硝石和木炭的混合物可以诱发爆炸。
Gunpowder was originally used for making fireworks to celebrate festivals and important events. Later, it was used as an explosive material for cannons, fire-arrows, and other weapons in military use. Gunpower was in great need as there were frequent wars during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960–1368) and mass production was developed.
火药最初是用于制造烟花，以庆祝节日和重要事件。后来，它被用作大炮、火箭和其他军事用途武器的爆炸材料。由于宋朝和元朝（960-1368年）期间战争频繁，对火炮的需求很大，大规模生产得到了发展。
The technique of making gunpowder spread to Arab countries, and then to European countries from the 12th century to the 13th century.
制造火药的技术传到阿拉伯国家，然后从12世纪到13世纪传到欧洲国家。
Papermaking
Paper was improved in about the year 105 AD by Cai Lun, who was an imperial court official of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD).
纸张大约在公元105年由蔡伦改进，他是汉朝（公元前206年-公元220年）的一名朝廷官员。
Before the invention of paper, ancient people from all over the world wrote words on many kinds of natural materials, such as leaves, animal skins, rocks, and earthen plates. Chinese people used bamboo or wooden strips, tortoise shells, or shoulder blades of an ox to record important events. Books written on bamboo strips were very heavy and took up lots of space.
在发明纸张之前，世界各地的古人在许多种自然材料上书写文字，如树叶、兽皮、岩石和土盘。中国人用竹条或木条、龟甲或牛的肩胛骨来记录重要事件。写在竹条上的书非常重，占据了很多空间。
Later, Chinese people invented a kind of paper made of silk, which was much lighter than the strips. The paper was called bo (帛). It was so expensive that it could only be used in the imperial court or governments.
后来，中国人发明了一种由丝绸制成的纸，它比条状纸轻得多。这种纸被称为 "帛"。这种纸非常昂贵，只能在朝廷或政府中使用。
To make a cheaper kind of paper, Cai Lun used old rags, fishing nets, hemp waste, mulberry fibers, and other bast fibers to make a new kind of paper. This kind of paper was much lighter and cheaper than what came before. And it was more suitable for writing on with a Chinese brush.
为了制造一种更便宜的纸，蔡伦用旧布、渔网、废麻、桑树纤维和其他韧皮纤维来制造一种新的纸。这种纸比以前的纸要轻得多，也便宜得多。而且它更适合于用中国毛笔书写。
From the Tang Dynasty (618–907) to the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), Chinese papermaking techniques spread all over the world, which made a great contribution to the civilization of the world, alongside movable type printing.
从唐朝（618-907）到明朝（1368-1644），中国的造纸技术传播到世界各地，与活字印刷一起为世界文明做出了巨大贡献。
Printing Techniques
The moveable, reusable, clay-type printing technique was invented by Bi Sheng (970-1051) in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) after numerous tests. Before the emergence of this printing technique, manuscripts were all handwritten by scholars which took lots of time and always included mistakes.
可移动、可重复使用的泥版印刷技术是由宋朝（960-1279年）的毕昇（970-1051年）经过多次试验发明的。在这种印刷技术出现之前，手稿都是由学者们手写的，这需要大量的时间，而且总是有错误。
Earlier, Chinese people had invented block printing (雕版印刷), which employed engraved words on wooden blocks to print with ink on a board/paper. Block printing used lots of wooden boards and became useless after one usage. Errors on the board couldn’t be changed either.
早些时候，中国人发明了雕版印刷，即在木块上刻字，用墨水在木板/纸上印刷。雕版印刷需要大量的木板，使用一次后就没有用了。木板上的错误也无法改变。
During the Song Dynasty, Bi Sheng carved individual characters on fine clay pieces, which could be used again after the printing was finished. Bi Sheng’s great innovation gave birth to a revolutionary printing method, so he is called the “father of typography”. His technique then spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Europe.
在宋代，毕昇在精细的泥块上刻下单个的字符，在印刷完成后可以再次使用。毕昇的伟大创新诞生了一种革命性的印刷方法，因此他被称为 "印刷术之父"。他的技术随后传播到韩国、日本、越南和欧洲。
语法填空
China has once again showed its ability to change the world with its“ four great new 1.____________ (invent)” —highspeed rail, electronic payment, shared bicycle, and online shopping.
China's newgeneration highspeed train, the Fuxing Hao, is now one of the 2.____________ (fast) trains in the world，which can travel at a speed of 350 km/h. Besides highspeed rail, China 3.____________ (improve) people's lives in many other innovative ways over the last decade.
Bike sharing, for example, is not new itself. But China has made 4.____________ much more convenient and popular both in China 5.____________ overseas. The leading Chinese bikesharing companies Mobike and Ofo are now operating in foreign countries such as Singapore and Britain.
And back in China, when riding a shared bike, you can stop 6.____________(buy)and eat whatever you want 7.____________ (simple) with a tap on your phone. You could easily pay with your smartphone by 8.____________ (scan) the seller's QR code. Cashless payment has grown into a 9.____________(choose) for Chinese people—even a pancake seller is using Alipay.
Besides, the four innovative ways of life are most appealing 10.____________ youths from 20 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, and they wish their countries would emulate (模仿) China in terms of technological achievements.
[语篇解读]　本文是一篇说明文，介绍了中国的“新四大发明”。
1．解析：考查名词和名词的数。前面有four great new修饰，故用该词对应的名词的复数形式，故填inventions。
答案：inventions　
2．解析：考查形容词的最高级。根据后面的比较范围in the world可知，这里应用最高级形式。
答案：fastest　
3．解析：考查时态。over the last decade表示“在过去十年”，常和现在完成时连用，主语是China，故用has improved。
答案：has improved　
4．解析：考查代词。这里it指代前面的Bike sharing，充当动词made的宾语。
答案：it　
5．解析：考查固定搭配。both...and...表示“两者都……”。
答案：and　
6．解析：考查非谓语动词。stop to do sth.表示“停下来去做另一件事”，这里表示停下共享单车去买东西吃，故用不定式充当宾语。stop doing sth.表示“停止做某事”。
答案：to buy　
7．解析：考查副词。分析句子结构可知，空处修饰with介词短语，故用所给词的副词形式。
答案：simply　
8．解析：考查非谓语动词。介词by后面的宾语是动词，故用动名词形式。
答案：scanning　
9.解析：考查名词。冠词a后面用所给动词的名词形式。
答案：choice　
10．解析：考查固定搭配。be appealing to表示“对……有吸引力”。
答案：to　
口语练习
三句话来介绍中国四大发明
1.Papermaking, Printing, Gunpowder, and Compass have altered the face and state of the world.
造纸术、印刷术、火药和指南改变了整个世界面貌。
2.The concept of Four Great Inventions originated with European Scholars and later adopted by the Chinese.
四大发明的概念是由欧洲学者提出的,然后被中国人接纳。
3.The Four Great Inventions are celebrated in Chinese culture for their significance.
四大发明因其历史上的重大意义而在中国文化中备受推崇。
二．情景模拟对话 Talk about
01模拟对话
Talk about
A:What are The Four Inventions
四大发明是什么
B:It's a piece of cake. They're Papermaking, Printing, Compass, Gunpowder..
小菜一碟。它们是造纸术、印刷术、指南针和火药。
02模拟对话
Talk about
A:Have you heard about the Four Great Inventions of China
你听说过中国的四大发明吗
B:Oh, yeah. They had a large impact on the development of our civilization.
是的， 听说过。它们对我们的文明发展有着广泛的影响。
03模拟对话
Talk about
A:Do you know how the gunpowder was invented in ancient time
你知道火药在古代是怎么发明的吗
B:Um, it was first invented accidentally by alchemists while attempting to make an elixir.
额，火药最初是由炼丹术士尝试炼制长生不老药时意外发明的。
拓展---四六级翻译话题预测
中国古代四大发明(the Four Great lnventions)——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。
参考翻译
Four great inventions of China include the compass, gun powder, the paper-making technique and the printing technique. They are one of the marks that China occupies an important position in the history of human civilization. The first compass was invented during the Warring States Period. It was a simple device employing natural magnets to identify directions. Gunpowder was invented in Sui and Tang Dynasties and was mainly used in military areas. The paper-making technique was developed by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty, making paper a commonly used writing material. The Printing technique, also called movable type printing, promoted the spread of culture significantly. The four great inventions of China made tremendous contribution to the development of the world's economy and the progress of the culture of mankind.

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