China

China, written by Judy Brause.

《中国》，朱迪·布劳斯 著

China, an amazing country. If you were to travel west to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, you'd come to Asia. Asia is the largest continent on the planet, with more land and people than anywhere else in the world. Asia is also home to one of the biggest, most diverse countries in the world, China.

中国，一个神奇迷人的国家。 如果你一路向西走到太平洋岸边，就来到了亚洲。 亚洲是地球上最大的洲，面积和人口都超过世界上其他任何地方。 亚洲也拥有世界上面积最辽阔、风貌最多样的国家之一——中国。

China has an incredible mix of people, landscapes, and wildlife. It is the third largest country in the world. Only Russia and Canada are bigger. And it has the largest population in the world. In fact, one out of every five people in the world live in China. That's more than 1 .3 billion people.

中国有着多样的人口、地貌和野生动植物。 它是世界上国土面积第三大的国家。 只有俄罗斯和加拿大比它更大。 同时它也是世界上人口最多的国家。 实际上，世界上每五个人里就有一个生活在中国。 总人口超过13亿。

China is also a country alive with art, music, dance, food, and celebrations. And it's known for amazing cultural sites, from temples and palaces to statues, canals, and the longest hand -built wall in the world. The Chinese also have a long, rich history of learning and inventing. They were the first people to make and use paper, ink, writing, silk cloth, printing, kites, porcelain, gunpowder, the compass, and much more.

中国的艺术、音乐、舞蹈、美食和节日活动也丰富多彩。 中国还拥有诸多令人惊叹的文化遗迹，从庙宇宫殿到雕像运河，还有世界上最长的人造长城。 中国在求知与发明领域，也有着悠久灿烂的历史。 中国人最早发明并使用了纸、墨、文字、丝绸、印刷术、风筝、瓷器、火药、指南针，还有许许多多创造。

Wild China. One thing that makes China special is that it has many different kinds of natural places. There are rugged mountain peaks, rocky deserts, tropical forests, and lush valleys. And because China is such a big country with so many different habitats, it has many different kinds of living things. There are giant pandas in the bamboo forests of central China. There are tigers and monkeys in the tropical forests in the south. and there are all kinds of animals and plants that live in and near China's many rivers and streams, including the giant salamander.

野性中国。 中国的特别之处，在于它拥有多种多样的自然地貌。 这里有险峻的山峰、多石的荒漠、热带雨林和葱郁的山谷。 中国幅员辽阔生境多样，因此孕育了形形色色的生物。 中国中部的竹林里生活着大熊猫。 中国南部的热带雨林里生活着老虎和猴子。 在中国众多河流溪涧内外，还生活着各种各样的动植物，其中就包括大鲵。

Unfortunately, China's population has grown so quickly that many plants and animals are losing their habitats. For example, scientists say there are fewer than 1 ,600 pandas left in the wild. The bamboo forests where pandas live are being cut down for farming and houses.

遗憾的是，中国人口增长过快，许多动植物都在逐渐失去栖息地。 比如科学家发现，野生大熊猫的数量已经不到1600只。 大熊猫栖息的竹林被砍伐，改作农田和建房用地。