05-01-08

中国开通新大桥 (New Bridge Opens in China)

中国星期四将在长江三角洲正式开通号称世界最长的跨海大桥。

官方的新华社说，这座36公里长的大桥将跨越中国金融和商业中心上海附近的杭州湾。大桥将连接上海和浙江省的港口城市宁波。

新华社说，这座桥梁将把上海和宁波之间的行程缩短120公里。大桥预计将缓解这个经济蓬勃发展地区的交通堵塞问题。

这座桥梁在2003年11月开始动工。

China will officially open what is being described as one of the world's longest sea-crossing bridges today (Thursday) in the Yangtze River Delta.

State-run Xinhua news agency says the 36-kilometer bridge will span the Hangzhou Bay near China's financial and commercial hub, Shanghai. It will link Shanghai to the port city of Ningbo in Zhejiang province.

Xinhua says the bridge, will cut the length of the trip between Shanghai and Ningbo by 120 kilometers, and is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the booming economic region.

Construction on the bridge began in November 2003.

中国人在法国零售商店前举行抗议 (Chinese Stage Protests in Front of French Retail Outlet Stores)

数以百计的示威者星期四在四座中国城市集会，表达对北京奥运会的支持并谴责国际社会抗议在西藏的镇压行动。

官方的新华社说，示威活动在湖南省会长沙以及福州、重庆和沈阳的法国零售巨商家乐福的商店门外举行。

支持者挥舞中国国旗，呼喊支持奥运和谴责西藏独立的口号。

上个月，北京奥运火炬在巴黎接力传递，有支持西藏的示威者试图从一名座轮椅的中国运动员手中夺取火炬。从这以后，家乐福成为宣泄民族主义情绪的目标。

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in four Chinese cities today (Thursday) to express support for the Beijing Olympics and denounce international protests over the crackdown in Tibet.

State-run Xinhua news agency says the demonstrations took place outside stores belonging to French retail giant Carrefour in Changsha, capital of the province of Hunan, as well as the cities of Fuzhou, Chongquin, and Shenyang.

The supporters waved Chinese national flags and shouted slogans supporting the Olympics and denouncing Tibetan independence.

Carrefour has been the target of angry nationalist fervor since last month's relay of the Beijing Olympic torch in Paris, when pro-Tibetan demonstrators tried to snatch the flame from a wheelchair-bound Chinese athlete.