Unit 1 · The Changing World
A Term to Remember

Last summer I went back to my hometown with my parents, and I found that great changes had taken place there.

去年夏天，我和父母回到了老家，发现那里发生了很大的变化。

In the past the roads were rough, and in spring the fields were covered with sand. Sandstorms came all the time.

过去道路崎岖不平，春天田野被沙土覆盖，沙尘暴常常来袭。

There was a shortage of water and a real lack of technology; the sandy soil could not hold the roots of the bushes, so the farmland became smaller and smaller, and farmers had to dig a deep hole to keep rain.

那里缺水，也真正缺乏技术；含沙的土壤抓不住灌木的根，农田越来越小，农民只好挖一个深坑存雨水。

Even a junior high school student like me could feel the dirt on the window.

连我这个初中生都能感觉到窗上的尘土。

But the government gave the villagers strong support.

但政府给了村民有力的支持。

They planted thousands of bushes and trees, built high-tech greenhouses for corn and vegetables, and put up new housing for every family.

他们种下成千上万的灌木和树木，为玉米和蔬菜建起高科技温室，为每家每户盖起了新住房。

My uncle’s family has moved into a new flat.

我叔叔一家搬进了新公寓。

Today digital and audio guides help farmers sell their products online, and e-payment makes business much easier.

如今数字和音频导览帮助农民在网上销售产品，电子支付让生意容易了许多。

A new railway links the town with the port, and wide highways and clean tracks make travelling convenient, so lorries no longer carry everything by hand.

一条新铁路把小镇和港口连接起来，宽阔的公路和干净的轨道让出行更便利，卡车再也不必靠人力搬运一切。

My grandpa can reach the capital and come back in one day, and he does it with ease.

爷爷一天之内就能到省城再回来，而且轻轻松松。

In my opinion, this man-made green miracle has brought about a better life for everyone.

在我看来，这个人工的绿色奇迹给大家带来了更好的生活。

Our village has become a socialist new countryside and a tourist attraction, and every aspect of the change came up in our class discussion.

我们村成了社会主义新农村和旅游景点，变化的每一个方面都在我们的课堂讨论中提到了。

The manager of our tea factory says the new railway has greatly changed his business, and we came to the conclusion that hard work pays off.

茶厂的经理说新铁路大大改变了他的生意，我们得出结论：努力终有回报。

I have also read that Kenyan workers in Mombasa benefit a lot from a railway built with China’s support, and that they are happy with it.

我还读到，蒙巴萨的肯尼亚工人从中国帮助修建的铁路中受益良多，并且对此很满意。

That is the power of working together.

这就是合作的力量。