The Great Wall is not only the magnificent architecture of human beings but also the soul of China!

And the Badaling Great Wall is the most representative one of the Great Wall. On the peak of the Badaling, the Great Wall is towering.

The Great Wall is one of the wonders of the world that created by human beings! If you come to China without climbing the Great Wall, it's just like going Paris without visiting the Eiffel Tower; or going to Egypt without visiting the Pyramids! Men often say, "He who doest not reach the Great Wall is not a true man."

Do you know the history of the Great Wall?

The wall was originally built in the Spring and Autumn, and the Warring States Periods as a defensive fortification. In fact, it began as independent walls for different states when it was first built, and did not become the "Great Wall" until the Qin Dynasty. The First Emperor succeeded in his effort to have the walls joined together to fend off the invasions from the Hu people in the north after the unification of China. It went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties.

Since then, the wall has served as a monument of the Chinese nation throughout history and a marvelous engineering feat in human history. However, the wall we see today, starting from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east to Jiayunguan Pass in the west, was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

长城不但是人类伟大的建筑工程而且还代表了中国人民的精神。

其中八达岭长城是最具有代表性的一段长城。这段长城位于八达岭之上，看起来高耸入云。

长城是人类创造的世界奇迹之一。如果你到了中国却没有去过长城，就像到了巴黎没有去看埃菲尔铁塔，到了埃及没有去看金字塔一样。人们常说：“不到长城非好汉。”

但是你知道长城的历史吗？

它始建于2000多年前的春秋战国时期，作为抵御外族入侵的防御工事。实际上，长城最初只是一些断断续续的城墙，直到秦朝统一中国之后才将其连成长城。中国的第一位皇帝——秦始皇成功地将这些城墙连接起来，用来抵御北方胡人的侵袭。此后，历朝历代又曾大规模修筑。

自此，长城成为历史上中华民族的纪念碑和人类巧夺天工的技艺典范。然而，今天我们看到的长城东起山海关西至嘉峪关，大部分都是在明代修建的。尽管如此，由于长城雄伟壮丽的建筑风格和深远的历史意义，它仍是当今世界上最引人瞩目的建筑。

magnificent adj. 壮丽的，宏伟的

representative adj. 代表性的

originally adj. 本来的，原来的

fortification n. 防御工事

independent adj. 独立的

feat n. 壮举，功绩

appealing adj. 引起兴趣的，动人的

Jane和Shirley 是对中国文化很感兴趣的一对姐妹。她们经常去唐人街游玩。一天，她们在那儿淘到一幅中国长城的挂画。

J = Jane 简 = 简 S = Shirley 雪 = 雪莉

J: Oh, it's hard for me to take a breath. What a long wall!

S: Yeah, beyond my imagination as well.

J: Do you know how long the wall is?

S: It's a piece of cake for me. I happened to read something about the Great Wall last weekend. It says that the wall, just like a gigantic loong, winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching approximately 7,600 kilometers from east to west. The wall has long been incorporated into Chinese mythology and popular symbolism. Have you ever heard of Meng Jiannu?

J: Of course not. Who is the person?

S: She is one character of the tales of the Great Wall. It is about the collapse of a section of the wall caused by Meng Juangnu, who cried bitterly over the death of her husband in the construction of the wall. It has been spread widely through textbooks, folk songs and traditional operas.

J: It's very interesting, and it's worth reading.

简：哦，长城真长！我激动得呼吸都困难了。

雪：嗯，真是超乎想象。

简：你知道长城有多长吗？

雪：这个问题可难不到我。我上周末碰巧读到一本关于长城的书。书上描述说：长城像一条巨龙，蜿蜒在崇山峻岭中。从东到西，全长约7600公里。长城成为了中国的象征，关于它还有许多传说。听说过孟姜女的故事吗？

简：当然没有。这个人是谁呢？

雪：它是关于长城的传说中的一个人物。传说孟姜女为修建长城而死去的丈夫哭泣，哭得很伤心，最后把这段长城都哭倒了。许多教科书、民歌、戏曲中都记载了这个故事。

简：这个传说很有意思，值得一读。

loong n. 龙

incorporate vi. 合并

bitterly adv. 怨恨地，悲痛地

grasslang n. 牧草地，草原

collapse vi. 倒塌，崩溃，瓦解

假设你刚看了影片《塞伦盖蒂不会灭亡》，有外国朋友让你给他介绍一下塞伦盖蒂国家公园，你该如何介绍呢？试着完成下面的对话。

1. 外国朋友：What kind of park is the Serengeti?

你：____________________________________________

2. 外国朋友：What is the most spectacular scene in the park?

你：____________________________________________

3. 外国朋友：Who write this book Serengeti Shall Not Die?

你：____________________________________________

1. The Badaling Great Wall stretches approximately 7,600 kilometers from east to west.

2. " He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man."

3. She is a heroine of the tales of the Great Wall. It is about the collapse of a section of the wall caused by Meng Jiangnu, who cried bitterly over the death of her husband in the construction of the wall.

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