Honoring their work

Role models are powerful. No matter what stage of life you’re at, it’s good to have someone who inspires you to be the best version of yourself. Now, thanks to our country’s commendation, we are provided with a wider range of possible role models.
榜样的力量是强大的。不论你处在人生的哪个阶段，有人能够激励你成为最好的自己都是件好事。如今，国家的表彰让我们看到了更多领域的楷模。

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), President Xi Jinping signed a presidential decree on Sept 17 to award 42 individuals the Medal of the Republic, the Friendship Medal and various national honorary titles, China Daily reported. The people who received the awards come from various backgrounds, including scientists, lawmakers, educators, artists, model workers and six foreigners. They have all made outstanding contributions to the nation’s construction and development.
据《中国日报》报道，9月17日，国家主席习近平签署主席令，在庆祝中华人民共和国成立70周年之际，授予42人“共和国勋章”、“友谊勋章”和国家荣誉称号。获得这项荣誉的人士来自各行各业，有科学家、人大代表、教育家、艺术家、劳动模范以及6名外籍人士。他们都为中国的建设和发展做出了杰出贡献。

The 89-year-old Shen Jilan is one of the eight people who were awarded the Medal of the Republic. As a lifelong farmer, she is the only deputy in China to serve at all 13 National People’s Congresses since 1954. She witnessed the development of the People’s Congress system. She has been engaged in enacting and amending national laws most of her life. It was she who proposed the clause on “equal pay for equal work” between men and women, which was written into the first Constitution of PRC in 1954.
今年89岁的申纪兰是8名“共和国勋章”获得者之一。她一生扎根于农村，是自1954年以来唯一一位连任13届的全国人大代表。她见证了人民代表大会制度的发展，一生大多数时间都献给了立法工作。正是她提出了“男女同工同酬”的条款，并于1954年被正式写入了中华人民共和国宪法。

“I will be down-to-earth and work for the best interests of the masses,” she once told Xinhua News Agency.
“我将脚踏实地，为广大群众谋求最大利益，”她在接受新华社采访时曾如此表示。

Like Shen, Nan Rendong dedicated his life to the country. He led the research of China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, the world’s largest radio telescope. He persisted with the project for more than 20 years before his death in 2017. The facility he designed would help humans search for extraterrestrial civilizations and marked a Chinese technological milestone. His great contributions to the development of Chinese astronomy won him the title “the people’s scientist”.
和申纪兰一样，南仁东也将其一生都献给了国家。他领导了中国500米口径球面射电望远镜（FAST）的研究，这也是世界上最大的射电望远镜。在2017年逝世前，这个项目他已经坚持研究了20多年。南仁东所设计的这台设备能帮助人类搜寻外星文明，也是中国科技的一座里程碑。对中国天文学发展的伟大贡献，让他获得了“人民科学家”的荣誉称号。

Also receiving awards are six foreign friends who have lent their hands to assist with China’s prosperity. Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, an honoree of the Friendship Medal, is an advocate of the Belt and Road Initiative. Having worked to promote the friendship between French and Chinese people in the past decades, he told Xinhua that he is “sincerely pleased” to receive the honor. “To work for this friendship is to work for peace,” Raffarin said.
被授勋的还有伸出援手，帮助中国走向繁荣的6位国际友人。“友谊勋章”获得者、法国前总理让-皮埃尔·拉法兰是“一带一路”倡议的支持者。近几十年来，他致力于促进法中两国人民之间的友谊，在接受新华社采访时，他表示，此次被授予“友谊勋章”，自己“非常激动”。“发展法中友谊就是发展和平，”拉法兰说道。

Indeed, it’s thanks to the great efforts made by these outstanding figures that we can live in a prosperous and peaceful country. Hopefully these role models can light the way for nation building.
的确，感谢这些杰出人士所作出的伟大贡献，我们才能生活在一个和平繁荣的国家。希望这些楷模能够照亮国家建设之路。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高三691期