Cux-Mgy-Zrz/SiO2 catalyst with a total metal loading of 60 wt.% prepared by a deposition-precipitation method was applied for selective hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate to methanol and ethylene glycol in a fixed-bed reactor. As a result, the Cu8-Mg1-Zr0.47/SiO2 catalyst furnished 99% of ethylene carbonate conversion with 85% of selectivity to methanol and 99% of selectivity to ethylene glycol under the optimized reaction conditions. Moreover, the Cu8-Mg1-Zr0.47/SiO2 catalyst also showed good lifetime and neither the activity nor selectivity decreased during 208 h test. The reaction was found to depend sensitively on the Cu particle size, the surface acidity and the catalyst surface composition. The synergistic effect between balanced Cu0 and Cu+ sites was considered to play a critical role in attaining high yields of methanol and ethylene glycol. The boric oxide also had a positive effect on the hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate, affording higher selectivity to methanol under much milder conditions.