A：We're approaching Badaling and you will see the Great Wall in a short while。
B：Wonderful！We've been waiting for it so long。
A：The Great Wall meanders from east to west for about 6，000 kilometers or 12，000 li。That's why we call it in Chinese“Wan Li Chang Cheng”，Which literally means“Ten Thousand Li Long Wall”。
B：And it was built more than 2，000 years ago？
A：Yes，construction of the Wall first began during the Warring States period about 2，500 years ago。Some kingdoms built huge walls hoping to protect their territories。When Qin Shihuang or the First Emperor unified China in 221B。C。，he decided to have the various sections of the walls linked up and also extended。From that we got the Great Wall。
B：And that's what we're going to see，right？
A：No，not really。The Qin Great Wall hasn't got much left today。In the subsequent dynasties，the Great Wall was rebuilt many times。The last massive rebuilding of the Great Wall was in Ming Dynasty。The Great Wall we shall see at Badaling was rebuilt then。Oh，here we are。
B：What are those towers on the wall spaced at regular distances from one another？
A：They are beacon fire towers。In ancient times，if attacked by enemies，the guards would set off smoke in the day-time and bonfire at night to alarm troops stationed along the wall。
B：I see Bob and Mark are already on the wall。Let's quicken our steps。
A：Please watch your step。It's very steep here and the surface is a little slippery。
B：I now understand why you told us to wear no high heeled shoes。
A：Now，this is the furthest point we can go。Beyond here，the wall has not been restored yet。Why don't we sit down and rest for a while？
B：This is such a lovely place！Green mountains roll over one another。Lush trees dot the slopes。
A：我们快到八达岭了，一会你就可以看见长城了。
B：太棒了！我们期待了这么久。
A：长城从东到西蜿蜒约6，000 公里，也就是12，000里。这就是为什么我叫它“万里长城”了，因为它字面上的意思就是“一万里长的城墙”。
B：是在2，000多年前建的吗？
A：是的，长城最早修建于约2，500年前的战国时期。一些王国建造它是为了保护疆域。秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国后，决定把这些不同的城墙连起来并加长，于是我们便有了长城。
B：那就是我们即将看到的长城是吗？
A：不一定，秦长城现在保留不多。在后来的各个朝代，长城又被多次修建。长城的最后一次大规模重建是在明朝。我们将要看到的八达岭就是那时建成的。我们到了。
B：城墙上每隔一段就有的那些塔是什么？
A：那是烽火台。古代的时候，如果遭到敌人的攻击，台上的哨兵就会在白天放烟雾，在晚上点野火以警告驻守城墙边的部队。
B：我看鲍勃和马克已经登上城墙了。让我们加快脚步吧。
A：小心台阶，这非常陡峭，台阶表面也非常滑。
B：我现在明白为什么你不让我们穿高跟鞋了。
A：现在这是我们可以到的最远的地方了，在这以上的城墙还没有被修建好，何不坐下休息。
B：这地方令人心旷神怡。青山层峦叠嶂，绿树点缀山岗。
Meander v。迂回曲折地前进
Territory n。领土，领域
Link up连结起来
Subsequent a。随后的
Slippery a。滑的，狡猾的
Banisters n。楼梯栏杆
Lush a。葱翠的
Dot v。点缀
Caress v。爱抚，抚摸
背景知识
The Great Wall is at the top of the“New Seven Wonders of the World”list！
China's more than 5，000-km-long engineering and architectural marvel is followed by the pink-colored ruins of Petra in Jordan，the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro，the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru，the Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico，the Coliseum in Rome，and the Taj Mahal in India。
A private Swiss foundation launched a worldwide poll in January to choose the new top seven wonders from 21 sites。A jury short-listed the 21 from the original 77 selected by the foundation。Nearly 100 million votes were cast before the results were declared in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon on Saturday night。
The top contenders that lost out are the Acropolis in Athens，Greece，the Stonehenge in Britain，Angkor Vat in Cambodia，the statues on Easter Island and the Eiffel Tower in Paris。
The private campaign was the brainchild of Swiss filmmaker and museum curator Bernard Weber，who said his initiative seeks to recreate the popularity of the Seven Wonders of the World。
Only one of the original seven wonders，the Pyramids of Egypt，can still be seen。The others，including the Hanging Gardens of Babylon，the Statue of Zeus at Olympia，the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus，the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus，the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria were all stories。
“The real cultural and historical value of a world heritage site should not be determined by online voting but by what they mean to human beings，”said a netizen。
China Great Wall Society's Deputy Secretary Zhang Ji welcomed the results。The Great Wall's name on the list could help preservation efforts，he said。
Han Guowei，a society official，addressed the gathering in Lisbon and appreciated the efforts of the organizers and people who voted for the Great Wall。He welcomed friends from across the world to experience the“eternity and greatness”of the Great Wall。
长城跻身“世界新七大奇迹”之首！
除中国的万里长城外，粉红色的约旦佩特拉古城、巴西里约热内卢的基督像、秘鲁的马丘比丘印加遗址、墨西哥的奇琴伊察玛雅城邦遗址、意大利的古罗马斗兽场和印度的泰姬陵也入选“世界新七大奇迹”。
长城近景长城远景 今年1月，瑞士一个民间基金会发起了一项面向全球的“世界新七大奇迹”评选活动，入围的21个世界名胜古迹是评委会从基金会筛选出的77个古迹中评选出来的。此次评选活动共收到近1亿张选票，评选结果于上周六晚在葡萄牙的首都里斯本揭晓。
希腊的雅典卫城、英国的巨石阵、柬埔寨的吴哥窟、复活节岛巨人像和巴黎的埃菲尔铁塔等几大热门候选古迹未能入选。
这一民间评选活动的想法是瑞士电影制作人、博物馆馆长伯纳德·韦伯提出的，他说他的初衷是想重振世界七大奇迹的人气。
在原先的七大奇迹中，除埃及金字塔依然屹立在地球上之外，巴比伦的“空中花园”、希腊奥林匹亚的宙斯神像、月亮女神阿尔特弥斯的神庙、摩索拉斯陵墓、罗得岛太阳神铜像和亚历山大灯塔其它几大奇迹都已被毁坏。
一位网友称：“一个世界文化遗址真正的文化和历史价值不应该由网友投票来决定，而应由它对人类的意义来决定。”
中国长城学会的副秘书长张骥对评选结果表示欢迎。他说，长城入选“世界新七大奇迹”有助于保护长城工作的开展。
中国长城学会官员韩国威在里斯本的揭晓仪式上发表了讲话。他对主办方和为长城投票的人们所做出的努力表示了感谢。同时，他还欢迎世界各地的朋友来长城亲自感受它的“不朽与伟大”。
