World Heritage Sites

The famous ancient Silk Road and China's Grand Canal, the world's longest artificial waterway, were inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites here on Sunday.
著名的古代丝绸之路和世界上最长的人工河中国大运河周日已经正式被列入世界遗产名录。

Jointly submitted(联合申报) by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the application for adding part of the Silk Road(丝绸之路), which served as a corridor(走廊) for trade and cultural exchanges(商业文化交流) between Asia and Europe dating back to 2,000 years ago, to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list was approved(批准) by the World Heritage Committee(世界遗产委员会) at a session in the Qatari capital.
 
The application consists of 33 historical sites(遗迹) along the millennium-old trade route, including 22 in China, eight in Kazakhstan and three in Kyrgyzstan. They range from palaces(宫殿) and pagoda(宝塔) sites in cities to ruins(废墟) in remote, inaccessible deserts(沙漠).
 
Participants at the meeting said the 1,794-km canal(运河), which runs from Beijing to Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province, is a valuable fruit of the Chinese people's diligence(勤劳) and wisdom(智慧), adding that its inclusion has enriched(充实) the content of the World Heritage.

重点词汇 Key Words：

丝绸之路 sī chóu zhī lù
Silk Road

The Silk Road is a series of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time.

大运河 dà yùn hé
Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world; it is a famous tourist destination. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou, linking the Yellow River and Yangtze River. The oldest parts of the canal date back to the 5th century BC, although the various sections were finally combined during the Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD).

遗产 yí chǎn
heritage/legacy/inheritance/bequest
eg. 中国有丰富的文化遗产。
     China has a rich cultural heritage.

     他给他的孙辈每人留下一笔遗产。
     He left a bequest to each of his grandchildren.

批准 pī zhǔn
approve/approval/permission
eg. n.一切重大开支均须报请批准。
         You must ask permission for all major expenditure.

     v. 委员会已批准破土动工。
        The council has approved to start building.