進入英語學習論壇下載音頻

Zhou Wenzhong, China's ambassador to the United States, will attend US president-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday in Washington DC, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

"As the largest developing country and the largest developed country in the world, China and the US shoulder the same responsibilities of promoting the peaceful development of human beings," Jiang Yu, the ministry's spokeswoman, told a regular press briefing.

It is a fundamental interest of the two sides to develop constructive cooperation, and a sound bilateral relationship will also help promote peace in the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world, she said.

"At present, the Sino-US relationship is at the meeting point between past and future, and China will work together with the US to strengthen dialogue, exchanges and cooperation," she said.

Zhou was appointed to the position in 2005.

Obama's inauguration is set to be the most expensive ever, at an estimated cost of more than $150 million. This dwarfs the $42.3 million spent on George W. Bush's inauguration in 2005 and the $33 million spent on Bill Clinton's in 1993, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.

Questions:

1. Who is China's ambassador to the United States?

2. When is US president-elect Barack Obama's inauguration to be held?

3. What is the estimated cost of Obama's inauguration?

Answers:

1. Zhou Wenzhong.

2. Tuesday (January 20,2009).

3. More than $150 million.

（英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.