历史与博物馆

　　1. Do you think museums should be free?

　　Um….yeah, ideally I think they should be, because they’re great educational resources. But if it’s not possible, then a small entrance fee I guess is acceptable, cos that will help a museum cover its costs and stay running. Alternatively, museums could be free and have a donation box, so that if you can afford to donate something towards the upkeep, then you have the opportunity to do so.

　　Ideally - 理想情况下

　　Cover its costs - 收回成本

　　Stay running – stay in operation维持运转

　　Alternatively- 要不然;You use alternatively to introduce a suggestion or to mention something different to what has just been stated.

　　Donation box - 捐款箱

　　Upkeep– 维护;保养;养护 The upkeep of a building or place is the work of keeping it in good condition

　　2. Are young people in your country interested in historical museums?

　　Yeah, I think most young people are, to a varying degree. So in other words, I think young people here have at least some level of interest in them, although it’s probably fair to say that they’re not that high up on the list of favourite things to do! You know, I’d say the young here are generally a lot more interested in stuff like computer games and foreign TV series, but history’s deeply rooted in our culture, so I think it will always hold some level of interest for anyone in my country, both young and old.

　　To a varying degree -在不同程度上

　　Deeply rooted in - 深深植根于

　　3. How can more people become interested in history?

　　I’m not that sure, but I suppose um… the way it’s taught at school could be improved, and possibly made more interesting. So for example, instead of simply staying in the classroom, teachers could take students out more to visit historical sites and anything of historical relevance. So that’s one thing, and as well as this I guess, um…, increasing the amount of history documentaries on TV could also have a positive effect on developing people’s interest in history.

　　And finally I think parents can play an important role by introducing history and all its wonders to their children, and if they do it well, then I’m sure it’s going to help children develop an interest in it.

　　History and all its wonders – 历史和所有的奇迹

　　4. Tell me some movies or music about history in your country.

　　There are countless! Um… where do I begin?! Let me have a quick think! Um… Ok, well, one that comes to mind is a film called Hong Gaoliang, which I think was directed by Zhang Yimou. And you might have heard of him, cos he also directed the Beijing Olympics. But anyway, going back to the film, it’s set in the early 1900s and it’s basically about what happened during that time, which included the War of Resistance against Japan. That’s about all I can remember because it was ages ago when I watched it.

　　Countless–无数的

　　One that comes to mind is – 一个想到的是…

　　(But) anyway -(用于转移话题或回到原话题)对了，好吧 You use anyway or anyhow to change the topic or return to a previous topic

　　The War of Resistance against Japan – 抗日战争

　　5. What do most people like to do when they visit a historical site?

　　I guess what the majority of people do is just, like, take photos of the place. That’s really the main thing. But as well as that, most people will also look at the things on display and uh, what else? Um… Oh yeah, and maybe buy one or two souvenirs to take back home as mementos. So that’s pretty much it really!

　　Like– here, “like”, has no meaning, it’s just said during a pause.

　　Memento-用以回忆的东西

　　So that’s pretty much it really – 差不多就这些。

　　6. Would you say movies help people develop more interest in history?

　　Yeah, I’d say they can, because after all, movies are quite vivid and so they make history come alive. And another thing is that a lot of people can’t be bothered to read a book about history, but they’d gladly go and watch a film about it, simply because movies are a bit more entertaining. So yeah, I’d say they generally do help people become more interested in history.

　　And another thing is that– 另外一点就是….

　　Can’t be bothered to… - 懒得做某某是

　　Gladly - 乐意地