人们说，真正的北京文化是胡同(hutong)和四合院(quadrangle courtyard)文化。它们比髙楼大吸引的海内外游客更多。现在，胡同已经成为北京文化的代表，因此对于想了解当地的历史文化的人来说，胡同是首选。胡同是蒙古词，意思是“水井”。在元朝，蒙古人髙度重视水，所以几乎每一个城市社区都围绕一口井设计。直到今天，人们仍然可以在胡同中找到枯井。每条小巷中都有故亊。在古代，它们的名宇是口口相传的，胡同里没有路标(signpost)。直到明、清两代， 胡同的名字才逐渐被书写下来。

 

 

People say that the real culture of Beijing is the culture of hutong and quadrangle courtyards.They attract more tourists from home and abroad than the high-rise buildings and large mansions.Now hutongs have become representatives of Beijing's culture; thus it is the first choice for people who would like to learn about the local history and culture.Hutong is a Mongolian word meaning “well”.In the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolians attached great importance to water, so almost every community in the city was designed around a well.Until now, one can still find dry wells in hutongs. Where there is such a lane, there is a story.In ancient times,the names of them were passed from mouth to mouth among people;there were no signposts in hutongs.It was not until the Ming and Qing Dynasties that the names of hutongs were written down gradually.

 

1.四合院：可译为quadrangle courtyard,也可以用courtyard house或者courtyard表达。

 

2.高楼大厦：此处可译为the high-rise buildings andlarge mansions,即“高层建筑和大厦”。

 

3.成为...的代表：可译为become representatives of。

 

4.首选：可译为first choice,而best choice则意为“最佳选择”。

 

5.高度重视：可译为attach great importance to。其中importance也可以用much修饰。

 

6.每条小巷中都有故亊：可译为Where there is such a lane, there is a story.地道，又与众不同。