中国“新四大发明”

2018-04-13

时代英语·高一 2018年2期

導读：中国古代的“四大发明”举世闻名，推动了世界的进步。随着科技的发展，中国的“新四大发明”再次引起了世界的瞩目。

China， which boasts epochal inventions in ancient times， has once again demonstrated its ability to change the world with its “new four great inventions” ： high-speed railways， electronic payments， shared bicycles and online shopping.

The four innovative ways of life were most appealing to youths from 20 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative， according to a survey by the Belt and Road Research Institute of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

“The ‘new four great inventions' are all related to Chinas high-tech innovation， which improved the quality of peoples lives，” said Wu Hao， executive director of the BRRI.

“My wallet is no longer in use. I can buy and eat whatever I want simply with a tap of my phone，” said Lin Jinlong， an overseas Chinese student from Cambodia， adding that “even pancake sellers are using Alipay （mobile payment）.

“We can also order food at home， which is super convenient. If I were at home in Cambodia， I would have to go outdoors.”

The bikes themselves are not new， but the operating model of bike-sharing is based on satellite navigation system， mobile payment， big data and other high technologies.

Chinese entrepreneurs have surprised the world with the business model of bike-sharing which incorporates these technologies， and are entering overseas markets such as Singapore and Britain.

China has entered a new innovative era， thanks to the large amounts of capital China has invested in encouraging innovation， said Bernhard Schwartlander， World Health Organization Representative in China.

As a huge fan of bicycles， he also expressed his affection for Chinas shared bicycles， saying that “shared bikes are bringing cycling back to peoples lives， and they are making public transport more attractive and convenient， and encouraging people to be more active.”

Rebacca Fannin， founder and editor of Silicon Dragon， noted that China is beginning to lead in innovation in some ways.

“It is increasingly clear that China is innovating and no longer copying Western ideas. It is increasingly clear that China is leading in many ways such as social messaging app WeChat，” she said.

“This is partly because China skipped over the PC era and went directly to mobile. China has the largest mobile use in the world.”

With regard to the “new four great inventions”， Charlie Dai， principal analyst of American market research company Forrester， said these products and services have definitely improved customer experience， boosting national and global economy at the same time.

A growing number of foreigners hope to promote economic development in their home countries by highlighting the need for technological achievements like that of China.

Lin cited his experience of traveling by Chinese high-speed train from Beijing to the coastal city of Tianjin more than 100 km away. The journey takes only half an hour， while in Cambodia， which has only two railways， such a journey may take up to three hours.

Wu said Lins view appears to suggest that youths of countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative wish their home countries would emulate China in terms of technological achievements.

中國以划时代的古代发明为傲，而其新四大发明：高铁、电子支付、共享单车以及网购则再次展现出了改变世界的能力。

据北京外国语大学丝绸之路研究院发布的一项调查显示，这四大创新生活方式在“一带一路”倡议沿线20个国家的年轻人当中很受欢迎。

“‘新四大发明都跟科技创新有关，说明中国的科技创新在很大程度上提升了民众的生活质量。”北外丝绸之路研究院执行董事吴昊表示。

“在中国我出门可以不用带钱包。拿一个手机，就能买所有想买的东西，吃所有想吃的东西，”柬埔寨留学生林金隆说，“连卖煎饼的小摊贩都在使用支付宝（移动支付工具）。”

“我们可以在家点餐，很方便，但在柬埔寨的家里，我就得出门去买。”

虽然自行车本身并不新鲜，但共享单车的运营模式是建立在卫星导航系统、移动支付、大数据以及其他高科技的基础上。

共享单车将这些技术结合起来，并进驻新加坡、英国等海外市场。中国企业家以共享单车这种商业模式震惊了世界。

世界卫生组织驻华代表施贺德表示，由于中国在鼓励创新方面投入了大量资金，中国已经进入了一个新的创新时代。

作为一个自行车迷，他也表达了自己对中国共享单车的喜爱，称：“共享单车让骑行回归人们的生活，它令公共交通更具吸引力、更方便，同时鼓励人们多运动。”

“硅谷之龙”创始人及编辑丽贝卡·范宁指出，中国在某些方面开始引领创新潮流。

“日益明显的一点是，中国正在不断创新，不再复制西方的创意。在移动领域尤其如此，中国在社交通信诸如微信应用软件等诸多方面都处于领先地位，”她表示。

“一部分原因是因为中国越过个人电脑时代，直接进入移动时代。中国拥有世界上最多的移动设备用户。”