CHINESE people celebrated another year of achievements yesterday when they marked the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China with pride and passion.

The launch of China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, capped a year that has seen the nation become the world's second-largest economy and host to the biggest and most popular World Expo.

In downtown Beijing, more than 150,000 people from across the country - many wearing traditional costumes of different ethnic groups - gathered in Tian'anmen Square to watch a flag-raising ceremony.

President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and other state leaders laid flower baskets at the Monument to the People's Heroes in the square to pay their respects to those who sacrificed their lives to build the nation.

Sangye, an ethnic Tibetan man, came to Tian'anmen Square to watch the ceremony from his hometown of Yushu, in the northwestern Qinghai Province, where an earthquake left thousands dead in April.

"The whole nation offered to help us when the quake struck. I came here to express my heartfelt appreciation for the motherland," he said.

In Shanghai, China's National Pavilion Day was celebrated at the World Expo site.

"We will build a moderatelyprosperous society at a higher level by 2020 to benefit our over 1 billion people, and will realize modernization by the middle of this century," top legislator Wu Bangguo said at the celebrationceremony.

Many other cities also organized flag-raising events to mark National Day, first day of the "golden week" holiday when millions of Chinese people travel for reunions and holidays.

At the space probe launch in Sichuan Province, Sarentuya, an ethnic Mongolian resident from Alxa League in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said he felt very proud.

"In the past, China's Shenzhou spacecraft have blasted off from my hometown. Today, I saw the Chang'e lunar probe launched from another corner of the country.

"I believe the Chinese will eventually land on moon," he said.

• celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)
• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• republic [ri´pʌblik] n.共和国；共和政体 (初中英语单词)
• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)
• economy [i´kɔnəmi] n.经济；机制；组织 (初中英语单词)
• ceremony [´seriməni] n.典礼；礼仪；客气 (初中英语单词)
• premier [´premiə] n.总理 a.首要的 (初中英语单词)
• monument [´mɔnjumənt] n.纪念碑；古迹 (初中英语单词)
• province [´prɔvins] n.省；领域；范围 (初中英语单词)
• prosperous [´prɔspərəs] a.繁荣的；顺利的 (初中英语单词)
• holiday [´hɔlidi] n.假日，假期，节日 (初中英语单词)
• league [li:g] n.同盟；社团 (初中英语单词)
• launch [lɔ:ntʃ] vt.发动 n.发射；汽艇 (高中英语单词)
• earthquake [´ə:θkweik] n.地震；大变动 (高中英语单词)
• appreciation [ə,pri:ʃi´eiʃən] n.评价；感激 (高中英语单词)
• pavilion [pə´viljən] n.大帐篷；亭子 (高中英语单词)
• billion [´biljən] num.万亿 (高中英语单词)
• celebration [,seli´breiʃən] n.庆祝(会)；庆典 (高中英语单词)
• resident [´rezidənt] a.居住的 n.居民 (高中英语单词)
• anniversary [,æni´və:səri] n.周年纪念(日) (英语四级单词)
• downtown [,daun´taun] ad.&a.在商业区 (英语四级单词)
• traditional [trə´diʃənəl] a.传统的，习惯的 (英语四级单词)
• northwestern [,nɔ:θ´westən] a.西北的；自西北的 (英语四级单词)
• moderately [´mɔdəritli] ad.适度；适中；普通 (英语四级单词)
• eventually [i´ventʃuəli] ad.最后，终于 (英语四级单词)
• legislator [´ledʒisleitə] n.立法者 (英语六级单词)