第八单元教育交流 EducationExchange第一部分背景知识Chinesecharactershaveevolvedthroughtime.IfyoulookatthehistoryofChinesecharactersasawhole,youwillfindthatsimplificationisthegeneraltrend.Asamatteroffact,simplificationdevelopedsequentially.First,theChinesecharactersfontschangedthenthecharacter'sstructurechanged.Font-wise,modernChinesecharactershavefewercurvesandmoreverticalandhorizontalstrokesanddashescomparedwiththeirancestors.Structure-wise,theyhavefewerstrokesanddashes,appearingmoreabstractthantheirtraditionalversions.However,calligraphyexpertsandlinguistsdidnotcreatethesimplifiedformofthecharacters.Theyevolvedasacommunicativetoolinordinarypeople'sdailylives.Asfarbackasthefourthcentury,therewerealreadysimplifiedChinesecharacters.IntheSuiandTangdynasties(581-907)simplifiedcharacterswereextensivelyused.Thesewerecalled“folkcharacters”.About80percentofsimplifiedcharactersinusenowadaysdatebacktobeforetheQingDynasty(1616-1911).ThepromotionofsimplifiedChinesecharactersinmoderntimesbeganwiththeNewCultureMovementinthecreationofanewChinesecharactersreflectingWesternconceptsofdemocracyandscience.In1956,theStateCouncilissueditsSimplificationPlanforChinesecharacters.Intheplan,atotalof515simplifiedChinesecharactersand54radicals,orChinesecharacterscomponents,werehighlightedbythegovernment,makingmorethantwothousandsimplifiedChinesecharactersofficial.Previously,“folkcharacters”wereusedonlyonhandwrittenbillboardsandpersonalnotes.Nowtheyweredeemedbythegovernmentasofficial.第三部分：单句口译1•哈佛是最早接受中国留学生的美国大学之一。中国教育界、科学界、文化界直同哈佛大学保持着学术交流。哈佛为增进中美两国人民的相互了解做出了有益的贡献。HarvardisamongthefirstAmericanuniversitiestoacceptChinesestudents.TheChineseeducational,scientificandculturalcommunitieshaveallalongmaintainedacademicexchangeswiththisuniversity.HarvardthushasmadecontributionstotheenhancedmutualunderstandingbetweentheChineseandAmericanpeoples.2.Onaverage,Australiansspendmoreyearsinprimaryandsecondaryschoolthanthe...
