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本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了胡同的由来、历史变迁和目前的状况。
When people think of the unique characteristics of Beijing, the hutong style always comes to mind. It is no exaggeration （夸张）to say within hutong lives the city’s history.
The word “hutong” was borrowed from the Mongolian word to mean “water well” about 700 years ago. Later it referred to a place where people live. Hutong we see today are made up of small lanes formed by walls of siheyuan . They were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were more than 3,000 hutong. Most of the city’s population lived in this traditional housing. But with the modernization of the city in the 1980s and early 1990s, many hutong were pulled down to build roads, skyscrapers and modern houses.
The government has recognized the importance of hutong to Chinese cultural heritage （文化遗产）. In 2002, Beijing listed 40 protected historical zones and increased its efforts to restore some key relics and older streets in the city. Nearly 500 hutong have survived.
Hutong that still exist are like oases （绿洲）of calm surrounded by the noisy city. Walking through them, it’s common to see groups of elderly citizens sitting together playing cards, mahjong or Chinese chess. In the early mornings and evenings, they gather to practice traditional forms of exercise such as Taijiquan as well as dancing and singing folk songs or Peking Opera. Hutong have become a museum of Beijing’s folk customs and history.
当人们谈到北京的特色时，胡同总是一个少不了的话题。毫不夸张地说，胡同承载着北京悠久的历史。
胡同本为蒙古语，约700年前为汉语所吸收，原意是“水井”，后来指人们居住的某个地方。我们今天看到的胡同则是由四合院的院墙围成的一条条小巷子。它们是在元、明、清时期修建的。
1949年中华人民共和国成立的时候，北京共有3000多条胡同。这个城市的大部分居民居住在这些传统的胡同里。但是伴随着二十世纪八十年代和九十年代初北京迈向现代化的脚步，许多胡同被拆除以来修建道路，建设摩天大楼和现代化建筑。
政府已经认识到胡同作为中国文化遗产的重要性。2002年，北京公布了40个历史保护区，并加大力度修复城市一些重要古迹和老街区。将近500条胡同得以保存下来。
今天的胡同如同喧嚣城市中安静的绿洲。漫步其中，你可以看到成群的老年人在一起打牌、玩麻将或下象棋。在清晨和傍晚，他们聚在一起打太极拳、跳舞、唱民间小调或来段京剧。胡同已成为北京民俗和历史的博物馆。
unique adj. 独特的，唯一的
characteristics n. 特色
found vt. 成立，建立
restore vt. 修复
survive vi. 幸存，残存
When people think of the unique characteristics of Beijing, the hutong style always comes to mind.
当人们谈到北京的特色时，胡同总是一个少不了的话题。
When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were more than 3,000 hutong.
1949年中华人民共和国成立的时候，北京共有3000多条胡同。