(精)大学英语口译.pptVIP

1.3 Geography of China Click here to listen The Peoples Republic of China lies in East Asia on the western Pacific coast. Its area of 96 million square kilometers is almost as large as the entire European continent. The national inland boundaries total over 20,000 kilometers, with over 18,000 kilometers of coastline. There are more than 5, 000 islands in its vast territorial waters, the largest being Taiwan and the second largest, Hainan. In the extreme south are the South China Sea Islands.// The land descends from the west to the east like a flight of stairs. The highest step is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which averages over 4,000 meters above sea level. The worlds highest peak, Mt. Qomolangma, towers over the China-Nepal border at 8, 848.13 meters. East of the plateau the topography suddenly drops to 1,0002,000 meters. This second step is characterized by highlands alternating with basins. The third step stretches right down to the sea-coast, with hills and plains averaging 500 meters above sea level. Still further east lies the continental shelf.// Chinas geography is extremely varied and complex, including mountains, plateaus, plains, grasslands, basins, hills, islands, desert, glaciers, and frozen earth. Mountain areas cover about two-thirds of the total land area. There are more than 1, 500 large rivers, the principal ones being the Changjiang (Yangzi River 6, 300 kilometers), the Huanghe (Yellow River 5,464 kilometers), the Heilongjiang River and the Zhujiang River. China has 370 large lakes, of which the chief fresh-water lakes are Boyang, Dongting, Hongze and Taihu. Lake Qinghai is the largest salt-water lake.// The climate is varied, ranging from sub-arctic to temperate to tropical. However, the greater part of China is in the temperate zone, with four clearly-defined seasons. // * *