Since the Sui Dynasty,the feudal government startedto select officials from the qualified candidates inthe imperial examinations.There were two kinds ofpeople taking the imperial examination.One wascomprised of students chosen by academies, whowere called shengtu; the other kind,called xianggong, was made up of those who had passedthe examinations held by counties.The imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty was usuallyheld by the Ministry of Rites.Those who passed the examination would be re-examined by theMinistry of Personnel and be conferred with relevant official positions according to theirexamination results.The imperial examination system was used throughout many dynastiesuntil China's last imperial dynasty,the Qing Dynasty.However, during the Ming and QingDynasties,the imperial examination system became a strict and rigid institution whichstopped China from adopting modern and scientific methods.

　　1.選拔官員:可譯為select officials。

　　2.學館:即古代的學校,此處的“學校”可以推薦當官,可見譯為school不合適, 能夠推薦當官的應該是高等學府,故譯為academy。

　　3.由…構成:可用詞組be comprised of來表達,還可以用詞組consist of, be made up of。

　　4.生徒:中國古代特有名詞,英語中沒有對應的詞,故可用漢語拼音譯為shengtu。后面的“鄉貢”也同理,譯為xianggong。

　　5.縣試:即由縣里組織的考試,故可譯為examinations held by counties。

　　6.復試:可以用re-examine表達。

　　7.呆板的:可譯為rigid。

　　8.阻礙了中國考試制度的現代化和科學化發展:可理解為“阻礙了中國采用現代化和科學的方法”,故可譯為定語從句which stopped China from adopting modern and scientific methods。

　　明朝(the Ming Dynasty)初期,中國是世界上最發達的國家之一。為了弘揚國力、加強與其他各國的聯系,明成祖多次派遣鄭和出使西洋。1405年,鄭和開始了第一次航行。他的艦隊由200多艘船構成,所載人數超過2萬人,包括水手、軍人、技術人員、譯員等,還有大量黃金和絲綢,用于交易和作為禮品。往返用了兩年時間。鄭和出使的一些國家隨船派遣使者(envoy),并帶來向明朝進貢的貢品(tribute)。鄭和下西洋是世界航海史上的一大壯舉(feat)。今天,東南亞仍有很多紀念鄭和的建筑。

　　In the early Ming Dynasty, China was one of themost developed countries in the world.In order totransmit its national power and strengthencontacts with other countries,Emperor Chengzu sentZheng He to the Western Ocean many times.In1405,Zheng He embarked on his first voyage.His fleet was composed of more than 200 shipsand carried over 20,000 men,including sailors,soldiers,technical personnel,interpretersetc.,and large amounts of gold and silk to be used for trade and as gifts.The round trip tooktwo years.Some of the countries Zheng He visited dispatched envoys bearing tributes to theMing court on his ships.Zheng He's voyages were a great feat in the world's navigationhistory.Today,there are still many buildings in Southeast Asia dedicated to his memory.

　　《清明上河圖》(Riverside Scene on Tomb-SweepingDay)為北宋末年，南宋初年的畫家張擇端所繪，展現了清明時分北宋都城東京汴河(Bianhe River)兩岸的景象。全畫分為三部分:第一部分描繪晨光下的景象，郊外岸邊緩緩行進的馱隊;第二部分描繪汴河橋一片繁忙的景象;第三部分描繪市區街道上的景象，商人來來往往。整幅畫卷寬24.8厘米，長528.7厘米，描繪的人物約500多個，動物50多個，樹木約170多棵。這幅出色的繪畫作品使我們更好地了解當時北宋都城的生活。

　　Riverside Scene on Tomb-Sweeping Day was paintedby Zhang Zeduan，a painter lived in the lateNorthern Song Dynasty and early Southern SongDynasty.It depicts scenes along the Bianhe River inDongjing，the capital city of the Northern SongDynasty on the Tomb-Swecping Day.The painting is divided into three parts.The first partdcpicts a team of pack animals walking slowly along the river bank in the suburbs in the morninglight; the second part portrays the bustling scene around the Bianhe bridge over the river; thethird part shows the downtown streets, crowded with people doing business.The whole scroll is24.8 centimeters wide and 528.7 centimeters long, and has approximately more than 500people, over 50 animals, and 170 trees depicted on it.This wonderful painting makes us studybetter the life of people at that time in the Northern Song capital city.