Dialogues /monologues:
1、 Brief Account of the history of China . ( 中國歷史簡述 )
Account :在這裏應理解爲“說明”的'意思。
2、 China traces its origins as a clearly separate political and cultural unit to ancient times.
追溯到古代,中國是一個政治與文化劃分得很清楚的國家。
as :在這裏應理解爲“被看作”。
3、 The dominating class in the later dynasties was made up of scholar-officials, who were recruited to serve the government based on their intelligence and skills rather than their family background.
( 1 ) make up of sth 由……組成。如:
Farming and mining make up most of the country's industry.
( 2 ) rather than 與其(某人 / 某事),不願,不要,不是。如:
It's management that's at fault rather than the work-force.
錯在資方而不在勞方。
4、 Its downfall in 1911 led the country to be torn apart by warlords, civil war, and Japanese invasion for several decades.
tear sth apart :徹底毀滅或擊敗某物,嚴厲地批評某事物。如:
The critics tore her new play to pieces. (劇評家們把她的新戲批評得一無是處。)
5、 Governor Arthur Phillip directed the ships carrying “transported” convicts and jailors into Jackson , to the north.
transported 在這裏爲過去分詞作定語,修飾 convicts and jailors.