Passage 1

It is easy to see why people become fascinated with China. China has thousands of years of continuous recorded history, but it is a country of constant change. The changes in China since the 1970s have been remarkable. And the change in China has led to a profound evolution in the relationship between our two countries. China’s policy change 35 years ago to "reform and open up" was the start of your country’s re-connection with the world. China’s companies began trading with others.
   China’s students began going overseas to study in greater numbers. The world began to see China, and the people of China began to see the world, in new ways. It is important to recognize that China’s change is having a great impact not just on China, but also on the world. The scale and pace of China’s economic development and social transformation is unprecedented in human history.