“两会”是什么？
What are the Two Sessions in China?
Name: ________________ Date: ________
每年三月，北京都会举行两个很大的会议。因为两个会的时间差不多，中国人就把它们叫作“两会”。
哪两个会？一个是全国人民代表大会，简称“人大”；另一个是中国人民政治协商会议，简称“政协”。两个会都在北京的人民大会堂举行。
谁去开会？人大有差不多三千名代表，他们来自全国各个省、各行各业，有官员，也有工人、农民、老师和运动员。政协的委员也有两千多人。
会上做什么？最受关注的一件事，是国务院总理做“政府工作报告”。报告会说过去一年做了什么，也会说新的一年要做什么，比如经济增长的目标是多少。人大还会通过法律，批准国家的预算和计划。政协主要是提出建议。
为什么很多人关注两会？因为这里说的事情，常常会影响接下来一年里很多人的生活，比如工作、上学、看病和养老。每年这个时候，新闻和网上都会讨论很多“两会热词”。
在你的国家，最重要的会议一般在什么时候开？
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 会议 | huìyì | meeting; conference |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | almost; nearly |
| 开会 | kāihuì | to have a meeting; to attend a meeting |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from; to originate from |
| 运动员 | yùndòngyuán | athlete; sportsperson |
| 关注 | guānzhù | to pay close attention to; to follow (a topic or account) |
| 比如 | bǐrú | for example; for instance; such as |
| 国家 | guójiā | country; nation; state |
| 主要 | zhǔyào | main; major; mainly; mostly |
| 常常 | chángcháng | often; frequently |
| 影响 | yíngxiǎng | influence; effect; impact; to influence; to affect |
| 生活 | shēnghuó | life; to live |
English (for the teacher)
Every March, Beijing holds two very large meetings. Because the two meetings take place at about the same time, Chinese people call them the “Two Sessions”.
Which two meetings? One is the National People’s Congress, “Renda” for short; the other is the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, “Zhengxie” for short. Both meet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Who attends? The NPC has nearly three thousand deputies from every province and every walk of life: officials, and also workers, farmers, teachers and athletes. The CPPCC has more than two thousand members too.
What happens at the meetings? The most watched event is the Premier delivering the “government work report”. The report says what was done over the past year and what will be done in the new one, such as the target for economic growth. The NPC also passes laws and approves the national budget and plans. The CPPCC mainly makes proposals.
Why do so many people follow the Two Sessions? Because what is said there often affects many people’s lives over the following year, such as work, school, health care and pensions. Every year at this time, the news and the internet discuss lots of “Two Sessions buzzwords”.
In your country, when is the most important meeting usually held?