#151. What is the most important animal in your country?
Animals have the power to be iconic symbols for a country. Every country has its own symbolic animal, which is supposed to represent the values and ethics of that country. For example, Americans have enlisted the eagle as their national animal. The Germans represent themselves with the Black Bear. In China, however, our national animal is the Panda.
The Panda is a great source of pride in China. It is an animal that is on the verge of extinction; however, it has had a long and great history. Scientists have traced this curious creature's roots back to the time of the dinosaurs, hundreds of thousands of years ago. Because of this long history, the Panda has lovingly been termed the "living fossil." Today, scientists can study the panda and discover many interesting facts about the history of our planet and its habitats.
Another reason why the Panda is the animal ambassador for China is that it represents peace and friendship. In ancient times, a flag with a panda on it would be raised at the border between two countries to represent peace, love, unity and respect between the two neighbors. In modern society, China often offers a panda to a friendly country as a sign of kinship. For example, China has presented both the United States and Japan with pandas.
Finally, the history of pandas is profoundly intertwined with the history of China. In ancient times, emperors used to keep pandas as pets. These animals were seen as magical and mystical by all who knew them. Some emperors kept pandas to ward off evil spirits and also believed that they prevented natural disasters.
Thus, the giant, black and white panda is the national symbol of China. These graceful animals are a joy to all who see them, and are a source of pride for the Chinese. The government is so concerned about keeping these animals in existence that it is spending millions of dollars trying to determine how to artificially inseminate the giant panda. Hopefully, they will succeed and this animal will be on earth for another million years.
151. 贵国最重要的动物是什么？
动物有权成为一个国家的图标象征。每个国家都有自己的象征动物，它代表着该国的价值和道德规范。例如，美国人把鹰作为他们国家的标志，德国人用黑熊来代表自己，而我们国家的象征动物是熊猫。
在中国，熊猫能给人带来极大的自豪。这是一种濒临灭绝的动物，然而它有着悠久而辉煌的历史。科学家已经把这种稀有动物的根源追溯到了数十万年前的恐龙时代。因为有着如此悠久的历史，熊猫的爱称是“活化石”。今天，科学家通过研究熊猫，发现了关于我们这颗星球的历史及其栖息者的很多有趣情况。
另一个为什么把熊猫作为中国动物大使的原因，是它代表着和平与友谊。在古代，两个国家的边境会升起一面画有熊猫的旗帜，代表着两国之间的和平、友爱、团结以及对彼此的尊重。在现代社会，中国经常把熊猫送给友好国家，作为亲密关系的标志。例如，中国就曾把熊猫赠给美国和日本。
最后，熊猫的历史和中国的历史紧紧缠绕在一起。在古代，皇帝曾经把熊猫作为宠物来饲养。所有见过它们的人都会觉得它们是不可思议的神秘动物。有些皇帝饲养熊猫来避邪，而且还相信它们能防止自然灾害。
因此，我国把黑白相间的大熊猫作为中国的标志。这些优雅的动物能给所有见到它们的人们带来欢乐，它们也是中国的骄傲。政府非常重视保护这种动物的生存，花费了数百万美元进行大熊猫人工受精的研究。希望这些研究能够成功，也希望这种动物能够在地球上继续生存一百万年。
- iconic ［aiˈka:nik］ adj. 图标的
- ambassador ［æmˈbæsədə］ n. 大使
- symbol ［ˈsimbəl］ n. 象征
- kinship ［ˈkinˌʃip］ n. 亲密关系
- ethics ［ˈeθiks］ n. 道德规范
- intertwine ［ˌintəˈtwain］ v. （使）缠绕
- on the verge of 在…的边缘
- magical ［ˈmædʒikəl］ adj. 不可思议的
- extinction ［iksˈtiŋkʃən］ n. 灭绝
- mystical ［ˈmistikəl］ adj. 神秘的
- trace ［treis］ v. 追溯
- ward off 挡住；防止
- fossil ［ˈfa:səl］ n. 化石
- artificially ［ˌa:təˈfiʃəli］ adv. 人工
- habitat ［ˈhæbitæt］ n. 栖息地
- inseminate ［inˈseməˌneit］ v. 向…授精