The Great Wall
长城
The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest wonders of the world.
中国长城是世界上最伟大的奇观之一。
The entire wall, which has many branches, is about 8 800 kilometers long.
长城有很多分支，总长度达8800千米。
It stretches from Shanghaiguan in the east to Jiayuguan in the west.
它从东部的山海关绵延至西部的嘉峪关。
The construction was begun during the warring states period, which was about 2 500 years ago.
长城的建造始于战国时期，大约是2500年以前。
The states of Qin, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Yan and Zhongshan all built walls to protect their people.
秦、魏、赵、齐、燕以及中山都曾建造长城保护自己的子民。
The first emperor, Qin Shihuang, joined all these smaller walls together to make the Great Wall.
第一位皇帝秦始皇将长城的所有小墙连接起来，建成长城。
These early walls that were made of packed earth and wood wore away in the rain and wind.
早期用泥土和木头做的墙经过风吹雨打后都有所磨损。
Little of these walls remain. Most of the Great Wall that can be seen today was built during the Ming dynasty.
很少一部分残留了下来。今天我们看到的长城多数都是建于明朝。
It was made of stone and brick that would last longer.
它是由石头和砖块造成的，持续时间更久。
The Great Wall was first built by ancient people to separate them from their enemies.
古代人建造长城是为了阻挡敌人。
Those Ming dynasty rulers did not expect that it would later be used to bring tourists into China.
明朝的统治者并没有想到长城日后竟然会吸引游客到中国来。
It is said that he who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.
据说不到长城非好汉。
The Great Wall is a treasure of Chinese civilization and it is regarded as a symbol of the Chinese nation.
长城是中华文化的瑰宝，也是中华民族的象征。
