Protecting the Intangible Cultural Heritages

　1.保護非物質文化遺產很重要

　2.非物質文化遺產指的是……

　3.為保護非物質文化遺產我們應該……

　【精彩范文】

　Protecting the Intangible Cultural Heritages

　Like tangible cultural heritages such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, intangible cultural heritages like Peking Opera and Confucius-commemorating rituals are equally crucial. We should make our utmost efforts to preserve intangible heritages because, without their physical form of existence, they are in greater risk of extinction.

　According to UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), all forms of social customs and habits, folklore, performing arts, rituals, oral traditions, festivals, traditional crafts and various knowledge and practices about nature and universe can be classified as intangible cultural heritages. As a country consisting of a great diversity of ethnic groups and with time-honored history and civilization, China abounds in intangible cultural heritages. Cultural heritages connect modern people with the historical past, allowing them to acquire a cultural and historical identity. Without cultural heritages, we would be rendered absolutely rootless and we would find it hard to cope with challenges at present and in the future.

　However, the modernization process poses mounting threats to intangible heritages. Many people have a blind faith in the latest electronic devices. It is also pathetic to see elderly people in possession of such legacies pass away without transmitting them to the younger generation. Faced with those challenges, we should both preserve and renovate our ancestral heritages so that we can help contribute to the cultural diversity of the world and return to our spiritual homeland in this age of impersonal science and technology.

　【參考譯文】

　保護非物質文化遺產

　如同長城、故宮之類的物質文化遺產一樣，像京劇和祭孔儀式這類非物質文化遺產，也同樣至關重要。我們應不遺余力地去保護非物質遺產，因為它們在不具備物質存在的條件下，失傳的可能性更加岌岌可危。

　按照聯合國教科文組織2003年通過的《保護非物質文化遺產公約》的界定，各種社會習俗、民俗、表演藝術、儀式、口頭傳統、節慶、傳統手工藝、以及有關自然界與宇宙的知識與實踐，全都可被納入到非物質文化遺產的范疇。作為一個由眾多族群構成的國家，并擁有悠久的歷史與文明，中國有著極為豐富的非物質文化遺產。文化遺產將現代人與遙遠的歷史連接起來，使人們擁有某種文化和歷史的認同感。如果沒有文化遺產，我們的“根”便蕩然無存。我們也無法去應對當下及未來的挑戰。

　然則，現代化進程正在對非物質文化遺產構成日甚一日的威脅。許多人盲目崇拜最新的電子產品。另外，看著掌握非物質遺產的老者不斷逝去，而無法將其留傳給年輕的一代，實在令人痛心。面對這些挑戰，我們對祖輩的遺產既要繼承，又要創新，這樣，我們才能促進世界的文化多樣性，并在一個缺少人情味的科學與技術的時代，重返我們的精神家園。

　【值得熟記的句式與短語】

　1. tangible cultural heritages 物質文化遺產

　2. Confucius-commemorating rituals 祭孔儀式

　3. make utmost efforts to 不遺余力地去做……

　4. preserve intangible heritages 保護非物質遺產

　5. be in great risk of extinction 滅亡的可能性很大

　6. Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 《保護非物質文化遺產公約》

　7. oral traditions 口頭傳統

　8. traditional crafts 傳統手工藝

　9. a great diversity of ethnic groups 眾多族群

　10. time-honored history and civilization 悠久的歷史與文明

　11. cultural and historical identity 文化和歷史的認同感

　12. cope with challenges at present and in the future 應對當下及未來的挑戰

　13. a blind faith 盲目崇拜

　14. ancestral heritages 祖輩的遺產

　15. cultural diversity 文化多樣性

　16. spiritual homeland 精神家園

　17. age of impersonal science and technology 缺少人情味的科學與技術的時代