NORTH

Beijing, London sign friendship agreement
北京伦敦成姊妹

Wang Qishan, mayor of Beijing, and visiting London Mayor Ken Livingstone have signed a partnership agreement and vowed to promote exchanges and cooperation. The two major cities also agreed to enhance their cooperation on the Olympic Games. Beijing and London will be the next two hosts of the games, in 2008 and 2012 respectively.

Old ding returns home
千年宝鼎回故乡西安
A 2,300 year old antique has been returned to China from Europe after a century overseas. The bronze ding (three-legged tripod) was returned to China on April 10 and will be housed in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. It is believed to have been excavated in Shaanxi and smuggled to Europe about 100 years ago at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) .

Jilin man assists unsung heroes
长春私人设基金助英雄
Wu Shaoli, a 51 year-old resident of Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, has used RMB 50,000 (USD 6,250) of his personal savings to establish a center to help those who become physically or financially disabled from helping to protect others' lives and property. Six volunteers have joined Wu in his work.

Return of the ″prodigal″
“浪子”回头

Chinese basketball player Wang Zhizhi has just returned home from the United States after being expelled from the national team four years ago. Wang, the first Asian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2001, was welcomed by top Chinese basketball officials at the Beijing International Airport. He was expelled from the Chinese national squad after he refused to come back for the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, in October, 2002. It is not yet decided whether Wang will be reinstated in the national team, although he is badly needed to play in the World Championships in August in Japan and in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

 

 

WEST

Rural Tourism Festival opens
首届乡村旅游节成都开幕

China's first Rural Tourism Festival has opened in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. The National Tourism Administration has officially recognized the city as the "Cradle of the Happy Rural Family." The festival will last until April 30.

Yunnan to build ‘silicon valley’
云南开工建硅谷
Asia’s biggest processing center for high purity multi-crystal silicon has started construction in Qujing City, as part of the plan to build a “silicon valley” in Yunan Province. The new project is expected to end China’s dependence on imports of silicon products.

Tibet to test railway
西藏测试铁路
The Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway will start unmanned test runs on May 1 in preparation for its trial operation on July 1. China will complete the construction of a number of key railway projects in the second quarter this year.

 

 

MIDDLE

Charter flight from Seoul
黄山迎来国外包机游客

Huangshan, a popular tourist destination in east China famous for its imposing Huangshan Mountain, has recently received the first charter flight from Seoul. The flight brought a total of 121 tourists to the city in Anhui Province. Last year, a total of 183,600 Koreans visited the city. Huangshan Airport is scheduled to open its runways to airlines from the ROK this summer. They will be the first foreign planes to use the airport.

 

 

SOUTH

Guangzhou fair opens
第99届春季广交会开幕

The 99th session of China's largest export commodities fair opened on April 15, with a record number of exhibitors. A primary indicator of foreign trade, this year's fair boasts 30,058 booths. Of the 13,868 exhibitors, about 29 percent are state-owned companies, and 58 percent are privately-owned and foreign-invested companies.

Hainan fights measles
海南抗击麻疹
Hainan, an island province in South China, has taken precautions to battle an outbreak of measles among teenagers in parts of the province. In addition to launching a major public health emergency response, the provincial government has also set up a headquarters to control the campaign, with leading provincial officials in charge.

New garbage sorting sites
深圳设新垃圾处理场
The municipal urban planning bureau of Shenzhen has set aside 16 sites for sorting garbage. The plan has been sent to the municipal government and is expected to obtain approval by the end of the year. When the sites begin operation,they will handle all of the city’s garbage.

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EAST

World Buddhist Forum
杭州举行世界佛教论坛

The first World Buddhist Forum has concluded in Hangzhou. A state leader said at the opening ceremony that all governments and peoples should help religions play an active role in building a peaceful world. The forum was the first major international Buddhist conference
in China since the founding of the PRC in 1949.

″Snakehead″ trial begins in Shanghai
上海开审“蛇头”
The trial of three men and two women charged with organizing illegal immigrations to Hong Kong has begun in Shanghai. The gang sent 43 individuals, most young women, to Hong Kong. If convicted, the five suspects could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.



Vocabulary
excavate 挖掘 [wa(1),jue(2)]
ROK 韩国 [han(2),guo(2)]
consecutive 连续的 [lian(2),qu(4),de(0)]
imposing 壮丽的[zhuan(4),li(4),de(0)]
multi-crystal 多晶体[duo(1),jing(1),ti(3)]
measle 麻疹[ma(2),zhen(3)]
charter flight 包机 [bao(1),ji(1)]
unmanned 无人的[wu(2),ren(2),de(0)]
reinstate 恢复原位 [hui(4),fu(4),yuan(2)wei(4)]
moulding 铸模[zhu(4),mo(2)]