Wild China(Tasting Notes),Beyond the Great Wall Part 2,Warming Up,How much do you know about the Nadam Festival in Mongolia?,Background Information,the summer capital,Within these walls it is said that the leader of the Mongolians, the mighty Kubla Khan, welcomed Marco Polo to China. Mongolian warriors established the greatest empire in history, stretching to the borders of Europe.,Background Information,Nadam Festival,The annual Nadam Festival, held each July, is a chance for young Mongolians to show off their horsemanship. Its said that Mongolian people are born in the saddle. Even as children, they are consummate riders. Horsemanship was the core of the Mongolian success as warriores in the past, and is central to their lives as nomads today.,Background Information,Swan Lake,Its the worlds most important breeding site for whooper swans and arguably, mosquitos as well. The pastures at Swan Lake provide endless amount of lush grass for birds to nest in and for livestock to eat.,Background Information,Goitre Gazelles,In the semi-deserts lives a kind of animal, which is known as the goitre gazelles.When threatened by danger, they are as fast as a racehorse. But in this intense heat, they favor a gentler pace. There is little standing water here, but the gazelles have remarkable ability to extract moisture from dry grass. Although finding enough worth eating keeps them constantly on the move.,Background Information,Jiayuguan,Built in the Ming dynasty over 600 years ago，legend says that the construction of the fortress was so meticulously planned, that 100,000 bricks were specially made and only one brick was left unused. This fortress marks the end of the Great Wall of China. The greatest man-made barrier on Earth.,Background Information,Taklamakan,Its Chinas largest desert that stretch westward to the borders of Central Asia. Its name has been translated as “You go in, and you never come out.” This is a place of intense heat, abrasive wind-blown sand totally hostile to life.,Background Information,The ancient Silk Road linked Chinese culture with that of India, Greece, Rome and Persian from one century to the other, carried the great Chinese inventions of silk, gunpowder, papermaking and printing to the West and brought Buddhism, Nestorianism, and Islam and their related arts and cultures into China. From time immemorial, the Silk Road has been a route of friendly intercourse between the Chinese and foreign people.,Background Information,The camel is uniquely equipped for desert survival. Its nose humidifies the dry desert air as it breathe in, then dehumidifies it on the way out, conserving precious water. The camels thick fur keeps it warm at night while reflecting sunlight by day, and its body temperature can rise by 6 degrees Celsius before it even begins to sweat. With these adaptations, it can go for days without drinking. For the camel trains travel through the desert is about moving between one lifesaving oasis and the next. When they finally do reach a drinking hole, camels can drink up to 60 liters of water in ten minutes.,The Camel,Background Information,Aydingkol Lake,The lake bed is the second- lowest place on earth at 154 meters below sea level. Its the hottest place in China with air temperatures recorded as high as 50 degree Celsius and ground temperatures up to 80 degrees.,Background Information,karez,Over 2 millennia ago, local people in Turpan Oasis carved more than 3000km of these canals beneath the desert, diverting water from the distant mountains. Channeling the flow underground means that less water is lost to evaporation in the desert heat.,Background Information,Red-tailed gerbils,Red-tailed gerbils are hardy desert creatures, but those in Turpan have never had it so good. Once the grapes have been picked, some are sold in the market. But most are hung up to dry in the special drying houses. This place is far too tempting for any rodent to resist. Red-tailed gerbils are excellent climbers. But why bother when there is plenty of bounty lying around on the ground, unguarded?,Background Information,Kashgar,Kashgar is famous for selling everything under the sun. The local Sunday market is one of Asias largest and most exuberant gatherings. But looking around the market, its hard to believe you are actually in China. Kashgar is a melting pot of non-Chinese ethnic people, Uyghurs, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and many others.,New words&Expressions,steppestep n. 大草原，地理 干草原（特指西伯利亚一带没有树木的大草原） cornerstonek:nstn n. 基础；柱石；地基 supremacys(j)u:prems n. 霸权；至高无上；主权；最高地位 sparespe n. 剩余；备用零件 vt. 节约，吝惜；饶恕；分出，分让 adj. 多余的；瘦的；少量的 vi. 饶恕，宽恕；节约,New words&Expressions,consummateknsjmet; adj. 至上的；完美的；圆满的 vt. 完成；作成；使达到极点 wadingwed adj. 涉水的 v. 涉水（wade的ing形式）；艰难地通过 veneratevenret vt. 崇敬，尊敬 bisectbasekt vt. 平分；二等分 vi. 横贯；一分为二 parchedp:tt adj. 焦的；炎热的；炒过的；干透的 v. 烘干；使极渴（parch的过去分词） skittishskt adj. 轻佻的；活泼的,New words&Expressions,meticulouslymetik