1、Unit 13 A Speech on GardeningUnit 13 A Speech on Gardening The Humble Administrators GardenThe Humble Administrators Garden（拙政园）（拙政园）After learning,you are supposed to:Know how to prepare a tour guide speech to foreign tourists on the subject of gardening.Master the basic skills in presenting yourse
2、lf better in front of the foreign visitors.Grasp the words,phrases and expressions that are useful in the communication with foreigners.Questions:1Who has ever been to Suzhou?What is the city famous for?2How do you like the Summer Palace?Why?(T=TouristR=Receptionist)T:Excuse me，is this the Suzhou Tr
3、avel Agency?R:Yes.What can I do for you,sir?T:Im Jack Stevens from America.This is my first trip to Suzhou.Would you please tell me something about the city?R:Certainly,Mr.Stevens.Suzhou is a beautiful city.It is called the Venice of the East for its network of canals and it is world-famous especial
4、ly for its gardens.There are about 150 gardens here in Suzhou.Some of them are more than 1,000 years old.These gardens are not large but very curious in their designs,and they display a good mix of the beauties of nature,architecture and paintings.T:Thats wonderful.Id like to take a one-day sightsee
5、ing tour around the city.R:Fine,we have several.Here are the brochures.They can give you more details.T:Thank you.Oh，I hope to visit these tourist attractions：Zhuozheng Yuan Garden,Shizi Lin Garden,Hanshan Si Temple and Huqiu(Tiger Hill).Do you have any tours that include all of them?R:Yes,this one
6、does.You can visit Zhuozheng Yuan Garden and Shizi Lin Garden in the morning.Right after lunch，the tour makes a stop at Hanshan Si Temple.Then the rest of the afternoon is spent at Huqiu.T:How long does the tour take?R:About eight hours.The bus starts from here at 8:30 in the morning.You will be bac
7、k by 4:30 in the afternoon.T:What is the cost of the tour?R:Its 160 yuan,including lunch.T:Do you have any English-speaking guides?R:Sorry,sir.But we do have this guidebook both in English and Chinese.It tells all about the places youll be seeing.Would you like to take it?Free of charge.T:Oh,thatll
8、be very helpful.Thank you very much.Ladies and gentlemen,I am pleased to serve as your guide today.We are now going to pay a visit to a place of interest.This scenic spot is Zhuozheng Yuan(the Administrators Garden).Eastern SectionCentral Section(Shiba Mantuoluohua Guan)Western SectionSuzhou,the bea
9、utiful waterside city in Jiangsu Province in South China,is famous for its classical gardens.Among these,the Humble Administrators Garden which covers an area of about 52,000 square.meters(12.85 acres)is the largest and best known.As a special tourist attraction in China,it was listed as a world cul
10、tural heritage site and a key cultural relic protection site of china relics.Along with the Summer Palace in Beijing,the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou,it ranks among Chinas four most famous gardens.SpeechSpeechThe Humble AdministratorThe Humble Administrators
11、 Gardens GardenThe Humble Administrators Garden was first built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644).It was initially a private garden owned by a former government servant named Wang Xianchen.It is said that the man had this garden built mainly because he expected to live an ordinary life by d
12、oing some gardening work like planting trees and vegetables after his retirement.Hence is the name of the garden.The garden was built upon the old relics of a residence and a temple.With water as the background,its landscape includes small woods,hills and rocks.It also has man-made pavilions,halls a
13、nd parlors.Unlike the Grand View Garden and other known gardens in Beijing,it is an example of the architecture in the Ming Dynasty.SpeechSpeechThe Humble AdministratorThe Humble Administrators Gardens GardenThe garden consists of Eastern,Central and Western sections as well as some residences of th
14、e former owners.The houses are typical style of Suzhou local residences whose features are shown by the houses in Zhouzhuang,a water township not far from Suzhou City.Eastern SectionThe Eastern Section of this garden is dotted with sheer hills,green grass,dense bamboo and pine trees and winding stre
15、ams as well.The main building is the Cymbidium Goeingii Hall(Lanxiang Tang).On its south wall there is a panoramic map of the entire garden.Another impressive structure is the Celestial Spring Pavilion(Tianquan Ting),which got its name from an ancient well whose water tastes very sweet.SpeechSpeechT
16、he Humble AdministratorThe Humble Administrators Gardens GardenCentral SectionThe Central Section is the main part of the garden with one-third of its area covered by water.There are trees,pavilions and courtyards here and there.The Hall of Distant Fragrance(Yuanxiang Tang)is the main building that
17、was named after a lotus pool nearby.In summer the pool is filled with lotuses and the fragrance is wafted into the building.The hall is equipped with oversize windows on all sides for a good view.Nearby is the Small Flying Rainbow Bridge(Xiaofeihong),an unusual type of bridge and the only one in the
18、 garden.SpeechSpeechThe Humble AdministratorThe Humble Administrators Gardens GardenWestern SectionThe main building in the Western Section is a grand hall which is set off by a large screen.The south part is called 18 Camellias Hall(Shiba Mantuoluohua Guan)and the north part is the 36 Pairs of Mand
19、arin Duck Hall(Saliu Yuanyang Guan).Close to a pool where the ducks were fed stands an octagonal pagoda called Pagoda Reflection Pavilion(Taying Ting).Here an optical illusion might occur to you it appears as if the pagoda was going up.However what we actually see is the reflection of the pavilion.S
20、peechSpeechThe Humble AdministratorThe Humble Administrators Gardens GardenLiLi:The Summer Palace is one of the most famous Imperial Gardens.During various periods of war,it suffered extensive damage.Tom:Its a surprise that the Summer Palace is so well-preserved.LiLi:It was rebuilt one hundred years
21、 ago and has been restored to its former glory after repeated restorations.Tom:Is that hill in the distance a part of the Summer Palace?LiLi:No,that hill is called Yuquan Hill.The only hill that is a part of the Summer Palace is Longevity Hill.Tom:What an ingenious layout!It makes full use of its na
22、tural surroundings.Tom:Could you please tell ue something about it,Miss Li?LiLi:OK.The summer Palace is the largest and the best preserved of the imperial gardens in China.It covers an area of 290 hectares,and has halls,pavilions,corridors and bridges almost everywhere.Tom:Thats marvelous!LiLi:But I
23、m afraid that one day is not enough to see all the interesting places.Tom:We can go up to the Longevity Hill and enjoy a broad view of all the interesting scenes from there.LiLi:Thats a very good idea.Tom:Now,here we are at the top of the hill.LiLi:Look,that is Kunming Lake.Tom:What a lovely view!La
24、dies and gentlemen,The Summer Palace is situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District,15 kilometers(9.3 miles)from the center of Beijing.Being the largest royal park and well preserved,it was designated in 1960 by the State Council as a key cultural relic protection site of China.As an examp
25、le of the ancient arts and an archetypal Chinese garden,the Summer Palace has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions,making it one of the most noted and classical gardens of the world.In 1998,it was listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites.SpeechSpeechThe Summer PalaceThe Summe
26、r PalaceConstructed in the Jin Dynasty(1115-1234),it was expanded during the reign of different feudal emperors.By the time of the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911),it had become a luxurious royal garden for the royal families to take rest and recreation.Originally called Qingyi Garden(Garden of Clear Ripples
27、),it was known as one of the famous“three hills and five gardens”,which include Longevity Hill,Jade Spring Mountain,and Fragrant Hill as well as Garden of Clear Ripples,Garden of Everlasting Spring,Garden of Perfection and Brightness,Garden of Tranquility and Brightness,and Garden of Tranquility and
28、 Pleasure respectively.SpeechSpeechThe Summer PalaceThe Summer PalaceLike most of the gardens in Beijing,it did not survive the ravage of the Anglo-French Allied Force and was destroyed by fire.In 1888,Empress Dowager Cixi appropriated the navy funds to have it rebuilt for her own interest,changing
29、its name to Summer Palace(Yiheyuan).Here she spent most of her later years.In 1900,it was ruined again by the Eight-Power Allied Force.It was not opened to the public until after the 1911 Revolution,SpeechSpeechThe Summer PalaceThe Summer PalaceComposed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake,the
30、Summer Palace occupies an area of 294 hectares(726.5 acres),three quarters of which is water.Any visitor will be amazed at the exquisite design and the sophisticated craftsmanship of the ancient artists.Centered round the Tower of Buddhist Incense(Foxiangge),the Summer Palace is made up of more than
31、 3,000 structures including pavilions,towers,bridges and corridors.It can be divided into four ares:the court areas,front-hill area,front-lake area as well as the rear-hill and back-lake areas.The front-hill area is the most magnificent with the most structures.Its layout is quite distinctive becaus
32、e of the central axis from Kunming Lake to the hilltop,on which important buildings are positioned including Gate of Dispelling Clouds,Hall of Dispelling Clouds,Hall of Moral Glory,Tower of Buddhist Incense,the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom,etc.SpeechSpeechThe Summer PalaceThe Summer PalaceThe rear-hill
33、 and back-lake area has a unique landscape with dense green trees and winding paths although there are fewer structures here.Visitors can feel a kind of rare tranquility and elegance.The attractions in this area include Garden of Harmonious Interest and Suzhou Shopping Mall.The court area is where E
34、mpress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu met officials,handled state affairs and rested.Entering the East Palace Gate,you can see the main palace buildings:the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity which served as the office of the Emperor,the Hall of Jade Ripples where Guangxu lived,the Hall of Joyful L
35、ongevity which was Cixis residence,and the Hall of Virtue and Harmony where Cixi enjoyed recreation.The front-lake area covers a larger part of the Summer Palace.Whenever a breeze gets up,waves will rise and gleam and the willows kiss the ripples of the vast water.In this area there are other attractions like the Eastern and Western Banks,the Seventeen-Arch Bridge,Nanhu Island and so on.On the western bank stand six distinct bridges,of which the Jade-Belt Bridge is the most beautiful.SpeechSpeechThe Summer PalaceThe Summer Palace
