大学教育是人类文明的体现，大学教育水平则反映社会的文明程度。中国的大学教育近些年快速发展，有助于普及高等教育。大学的数量和大学生的人数增长迅速，在2010年，在校大学生人数就已经达到了3000万。大学教育为社会培养了大量的专业人才，他们是国家未来发展的核心动力，因此，大学教育极大地促进了社会的进步。但中国的大学教育也面临着不少的问题，如专业设置不合理、教学质量下降、毕业生就业难等。

 

体现 embodiment

文明 civilization

普及 popularize

培养 cultivate/foster

核心动力 motive force

专业设置 specialty set-up

就业难 tough employment situation

 

University education is an embodiment of human civilization, and the level of university education reflects the degree of social civilization. University education in China booms rapidly in recent years, which helps to popularize higher education. The numbers of universities and undergraduates surge quickly. In 2010, there were already 30 million undergraduates at college. University education has cultivated a substantial number of professionals for society, who are the core motive force of a country’s future development; thus it promotes social advancement remarkably. But some issues are also bothering university education in China, such as the unreasonable specialty set-up, the declining teaching quality as well as the tough employment situation of graduates.

苏州是一个具有悠久丝绸文化历史的城市。它有栽桑、养蚕、缫丝和织造的传统。苏州的丝绸是皇家贡品，早在唐宋时期就在世界范围内享有盛名。苏州市有自然优势，日照充足，雨量充沛，土壤肥沃，这些给蚕茧的高产和丝的高质量提供了合适的环境。它一直是中国丝绸原料的主要产地和集散中心。

　

丝绸文化 silk culture

栽桑 plant mulberry

蚕 silkworm

养蚕 sericulture / silkworm raising / silkworm rearing

缫丝 silk reeling

织造 weave

皇家贡品 imperial tribute

享有盛名 enjoy a high reputation

蚕茧 silkworm cocoon

主要产地 main producing area

集散中心 distributing center

 

Suzhou is a city with a long history of silk culture. It has a tradition of mulberry planting, sericulture, silk reeling and weaving. Suzhou’s silk was an imperial tribute and gained a worldwide reputation from as early as the Tang and Song dynasties. Suzhou city also abounds in natural gifts, abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall and rich soils, which offer a pleasant environment for high yield of cocoons and high qualities of silk. It has been the main producing area and distributing center of raw silk materials in China.

 

 

原文：联合国下属机构世界旅游组织(World Tourism Organization)公布的数据显示，中国游客对全球旅游业的贡献最大。中国人去年花在出境游上的支出膨胀至1020亿美元，同2011年相比增长了40%。联合国世界旅游组织在其网站上发布的一份声明中说，这一增幅令中国迅速超越德国和美国。后两者在之前是出境游支出最高的两个国家。2012年德美两国出境旅游支出均同比增长6%,约840亿美元。

 

 

The figures from the United Nations World Tourism Organization show that Chinese travelers are making the most contributions to the global tourism industry. Chinese travelers spent a record $102 billion on outbound tourism last year, a 40% rise from 2011. That surge sent China screaming past Germany and the U.S. —the former No. 1 and No. 2 spenders, respectively 一which both saw tourist outlays increase 6% year- on-year to around $84 billion in 2012, the UNWTO said in a statement on its website.