回帖：下面让我们向背诵挑战吧。
开始学习前请先深呼吸、放松。
1. 看着课文听CD TRACK 01（或14）.多次反复听，直到耳朵习惯为止。
2. 看着课文朗读，速度尽量快。多次练习直到能够从头到尾连贯地读下来。
请每天反复朗读这篇文章，并且背下来，达到不用看也能说出来的水平。这样文书的素质就会改善，并培养出说英语的能力。

Japan and Japanese
Japan , or Nippon, is made up of 6,800 islands including Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku ,and Kyushu. Mountains cover 67 percent of the land, while only 13 percent is flat. The entire landmass of the country is 378,000 sq. kilometers, an area smaller than that of California. As for population density, in Japan there are 324 people for every sq. kilometer, compared to 25 people per sq. kilometer in the United States.
According to Japanese myths, Emperor Jimmu was enthroned in 660 B.C., and from him, the current Emperor descended, becoming the 125th ruler of Japan.
Under the ancient Constitution of Japan, the Emperor had authority, but the current Constitution, which took effect in 1947, gave authority to the people, and the Emperor became a figurehead.
How can the Japanese people best be described in simple terms?
From ancient times, the Japanese have worshiped the Sun, appreciated its blessings, and strived to live round and bright lives. Even today, as in ancient times, people will travel to places where they can worship the first Sunrise of the year. In the past, it was even customary to worship the Sunrise each day.
The word Nippon refers to “Sun” and “source.” A father is sometimes called totosama, which refers to a man who is respected like the sun. And a mother is sometimes called, kakasama, referring to someone who shines brightly like the Sun.
日本由北海道、本州、四国和九州等6800个岛屿组成。日本67%的国土都是山地，平原只占13%。日本土地总面积为37.8万平方公里，比美国加利福尼亚州的面积还小。就人口密度来说，每平方公里上约有324人，和美国每平方公里上只有25人相比简直是人口过密。
根据日本神话，公元前660年神武天皇即位，其后他的直系子孙代代继任，现在的天皇是第125代。
古代日本的宪法规定，天皇掌握国家主权，1947年公布了新宪法，规定主权归人民所有，天皇只是国家的象征。
怎样概括日本人的特征呢？
日本人自古就有崇拜太阳、感激太阳的恩惠，努力活得像太阳一样圆满、明亮。所以自古以来就有在元旦那天祭拜太阳（第一次日出）的习俗。过去日本还有每天早晨祭朝日的习惯。
日本的意思就是“日之本源”。日本称父亲为“totosama”，意思就是“像太阳一样尊贵的人”；称母亲为“kakasama”，意思是像太阳一亲明亮地燃烧着的人。

The meaning of Konichiwa
Japanese greet each other with the word “Konichiwa”. This word is also related to the Sun. Japanese sometimes refer to the Sun as Konichi-sama. So saying “Konichiwa”to someone is like saying, “Hi Sun.” This comes from the traditional concept of Japanese being descendents of the Sun.
日本人见面打呼时说“Konichiwa”，这个词也和太阳有关。日本人有时称太阳为“Konichi-sama”，所以说“Konichi-sama”就像在说“嗨，太阳”一样。日本传统思想认为每个人都是太阳的分身。
The Meaning of “sayonara”
So what about the word, “sayonara”? While “Konichiwa”is used to greet someone, “sayonara” is used when parting.
In other words, a conversation between Japanese might go as follows:
“How are you today? Are you still bright and healthy as is the Sun?”
“Yes ,I am”
And then they’ll say “sayonara”,which has the hidden meaning of ,“If you are living with the Sun, then you must be feeling fine.”So the words “Konichiwa”and “sayonara” are linked together in meaning.
那么，“sayonara”是什么意思呢？“Konichiwa”用于和人打招呼时，而“sayonara”则用于和人告别时。
换句话说，典型的日本人之间的对话可能是像下面这样的：
“你好，今天怎么样？你就和太阳一样毫无改变，仍然如此明亮和健康。”
“我很好”
然后他们会说“sayonara”，其中隐含的意思是“如果你和太阳一起生活，你就一定会觉得快乐，”所以“Konichiwa”和“sayonara”在含义上是相关的。
Japanese religion
In Japan, there are various religions including Shintoism, Buddhism, and Christianity. The breakdown is as follows:
Shintoists 104,550,000
Buddhists 95,110,000
Christians1,760,000
Other religions 11,210,000
Total:212,630,000
Statistically speaking, the number of believers if twice as large as Japan’s total population, but this is because many households worship both Shintoist and Buddhist gods.
You may find it strange to learn that when you ask Japanese what religion they belong to , the most common answer will be, “I don’t have a religion.”However, if you ask them what sect they belong to, they will give you a specific answer such as jodoshusect or Sodoshu-sect.
Unlike Christians, Shintoists and Buddhists do not have the custom of going to worship services on a weekly basis, and so they are considered non-religions. However, a large portion lf the population does visit shrines and temples during New Years. Japanese traditionally pay respect to their ancestors, and in the past it was common for every home to have both a small family shrines for worshiping the gods of Buddhism and Shintoism. The falling apart of the nuiclear family in modern times has spelled the end to this custom..
日本有神道、佛教、基督教以及其它宗教。各个宗教的信徒数如下：
神道 10455万人
佛教 9511万人
基督教 176万人
其他 1121万人
合计21263万人
根据这个数字，信徒总数似乎是日本总人口的两倍，这是因为有些家庭既信奉神道也信奉佛教。
奇怪的是，当你问日本人他们信什么教时，最通常的回答是“我不信教”。但是如果你问他们的宗教是什么，得到的回答往往是“净士宗”或“曹洞宗”。
和基督教不同，神道和佛教没有每周去教堂祈祷的习惯，所以这些教徒往往被认为无宗教。但是，正月里去神社或寺庙参拜的人很多。日本人是祖先崇拜的民族，过去每家都有佛坛和神龛。现在，随着独生子女家庭增多，这种习惯也逐渐消失了。
Janpnese weddings
In the past, most Japanese participated in various Shintoist or Buddhist ceremonies, weddings funerals Buddhist. In recent times, the trend has been towards Christian and non-denominational weddings, and weddings are generally becoming more simple events.
The average age for a Japanese male to marry is 28or 29, and 26or 27for females. Up until 1970, the average age for marriage was below 25, and so now Japanese are waiting longer until they get married.
Incidentally, one in 3.5 marriages ends in divorce, indicating a rise in the number of divorces.
自古以来，日本的佛教徒就常常在神社举行婚礼，神社办婚礼、寺庙办葬礼的情况是常有的事。最近基督教样式的婚礼增多，婚礼正朝着简单的方向发展。
日本人结婚的平均年龄是男性28～29岁，女性是26～27岁。1970年以前的平均年龄是25岁以下，所以日本人结婚越来越晚。
巧合的是日本的离婚率为每3.5组中就有1组，离婚人数也和人们的结婚年龄一样增加了。
Japanese fathers
In the past Japanese fathers were generally strict with their children, and they were not expected to help their wives with the housework. They left the child rearing to the mothers. Even mow, many Japanese fathers still think this way. On the other hand, a lot of men have started to participate in child rearing and domestic chores. Fathers are now more involved in the teaching of their children.
But many fathers work so hard that they don’t have much time to interact with their children. Japanese fathers spend a lot of time at work, and therefore they often see their only enjoyment as drinking with their coworkers after work. On their days off, the stereotypical Japanese father goes golfing or loafs around the house.
古代日本的父亲很严厉，父亲不动手做家务也是理所当然的事情。
他们把养育孩子完全交难妻子。现在仍有许多父亲保持着这种思维方式。但是现在养孩子和做家务的男性也开始增多，越来越多的父亲也参与到孩子的教育中。
但是也还有许多父亲因为工作繁忙而和孩子接触不多。日本的父亲工作时间很长，所以很多人喜欢在下班后和同事喝一杯。典型的日本父亲形象恐怕就是放假了打打高尔夫球，或者什么也不做，只是在家里消磨时间。
Japanese mothers
An increasing number of Japanese women today work even after getting married. And even after having b baby, it’s likely that the mother will leave the baby at a childcare center in order to keep on working. It’s also becoming more common for mothers to go back to work when their children get older. But others still stay at home to take care of their children. In Japan, mothers are expected to raise their children by themselves: it is not common to hire house workers and babysitters.
In some cases, mothers leave their children to their own mothers and go to work. Other mothers are so busy and can’t ask a grandmother for help that they become exhausted. Mothers learn how to raise their children by reading books after getting married, but more than a few become distressed when things don’t go well.
越来越多的日本妇女即使结婚以后仍然工作。生完孩子以后把孩子送到托儿所，自己继续上班的母亲也有很多。还有一些母亲在孩子长大一点儿以后就重新出去找工作。但是仍然有很多人认为母亲应该待在家里，专心带孩子。日本社会认为母亲就应该负责带孩子。雇保姆和临时保姆的情况并不多见。
有时，母亲会把自己的孩子托给自己的母亲照顾，而自己出去工作。也有一些母亲无法依赖自己的母亲，自己又非常忙，所以过得很辛苦。母亲在结婚以后就开始看育儿书，学习养孩子的方法，但是仍有很多母亲因为带孩子不顺手而烦恼。
Child abuse
Child abuse has been increasing in recent years. That’s because, as ties are weakened in the extended families, those who didn’t learn how to raise children from their own parents don’t know how to interact gently with their children. Unable to control themselves, they lash out at their children, and sometimes the abuse results in death.
Many people who abuse their children were abused in the same way by their parents. In many cases, these parents don’t have any friends or relatives to go to for help and advice.
There have been many cases where children have died when their parents left them in locked cars on b hot summer day. Some parents leave their children in the car while shopping or playing arcade games. They need to learn that this can be very dangerous.
近年来日本虐待儿童的情况有所增加。那是轩为，随着核心家庭的增多，家庭纽带逐渐变得脆弱，很多人没有从自己的父母那里学会如何养孩子，所以他们也就不知道善待孩子。他们不能控制自己冲着孩子发脾气，有时甚至发生虐待儿童致死的事件。
很多虐待儿童的人在自己还是孩子的时候受到过来自父母的虐待。还有许多虐待儿童者往往没有任何可以依靠的朋友或亲戚给他们一些帮助或建议。
炎热的夏季里，被父母锁在密封的汽车里而导致窒息死亡的案例有很多。有些父母去买东西或打羽毛球时就把孩子关在汽车里。他们应该知道这样做是很危险的。
Japanese sports
The major spectator sports in Japan that draw large crowds are professional baseball and soccer. Rugby and volleyball are also popular sports.
The national sport of Japan is sumo, mainly a spectator sport watched on television. In the spring and summer, the widely popular national high school baseball tournament takes place at the Koshien stadium. Japan is perhaps the only country where high school baseball creates so much attention. Players that do well at the Koshien are often scouted out for professional and non-professional baseball teams to become future stars lf the sport.
日本最吸引人的观看比赛主要是职业棒球赛和足球。橄榄球和排球比赛也很受欢迎。
日本的国技是相扑。人们主要在电视上看比赛。春夏两季在甲子园举行高校棒球比赛，人们都很喜欢观看这场比赛。高中棒球比赛在一个国家受到如此关注，恐怕也只有日本了。在甲子园发挥出色的运动员经常被挖到职业或非职业棒球队里去，成为明日之星。
Kabuki
Kabuki, a representative Japanese drama form, had its start in the Edo period （1603 to 1867）. It originated with a woman named Okuni or Izumo in the 17th century. At that time, women were prohibited from performing in dramas in public, and so all the roles were played by men.
The kabuki actors wear traditional costumes, and sing in addition to acting. Dramas are based on events that took place before the middle ages, everyday life in the Edo era, and events involving the feudal lords of the Edo period.
It was origin