The Chinese calendar contains cycles of twelve years. A different animal represents each year. The first year of the cycle is the year of the rat. After that comes the year of the ox, the year of the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the mon
key, the rooster, the dog and the pig. After the pig the cycle begins again.
No one actually knows why the Chinese named the years in honor of these animals but there are several interesting legends which explain the cycle of animals. One story is that once, long ago, a Chinese King invited all the animals to his palace to celebrate the New Year. Only twelve animals accepted the invitation and came to the party. The first animal to arrive was the rat and the next was the ox. The other ten animals came soon after. To reward the animals, the King named a year for each animal.
Now many people say that if a person is born in the year of a certain animal he or she is like that animal. Find the year of your birth on the illustration and then read about the animal your year is named for.
Don't be angry if your year is a snake or a horse or a pig. In the Chinese horoscope all the animals are wise and important. No animal of the horoscope is considered dumb or ugly or evil. The Chinese symbols or characters in the center of the illustration mean "birth" and "alike". They are pronounced "sheng" and "hsiao" in Chinese.
相关单词：honor
honor解释：n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬
honor例句：
I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。
相关单词：illustration
illustration解释：n.说明，例证；图解，插图
illustration例句：
Illustration by example is better than explanation in words.用实例说明比用词语解释清楚。
He used photographs as illustration for his talk.他用照片为他的演讲作图片说明。
相关单词：dumb
dumb解释：adj.哑的；不会说话的；笨的；愚蠢的
dumb例句：
She is very kind to the dumb children.她对哑童非常好。
It was dumb of you to say that.你说这种话太愚蠢了。
相关单词：evil
evil解释：n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的
evil例句：
We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。
相关单词：alike
alike解释：adj.同样的，相像的；adv.一样地；同程度地
alike例句：
The twins are so alike that I can't tell which is which.这对双胞胎一模一样，我分辨不出谁是谁。
All stories seemed dreadfully alike,no matter who told them.看来，不管谁讲，故事都是千篇一律的。
查看更多关于【边读边学】的文章
知道你很在乎我
I know you care.I can see itin your eyes.I know you love me;you so often tell me.You must know thatit's hard to expressall the tender emotionI feel in my heart for you. It's there.Every day,every night,every second of the hour,every day of
0评论2016-10-09550
The flame of love
Suppose you have everything; a good job, good health, good reputation, good relationships and lot of money to spend. But still there is something missing from your life. Guess what? The LOVE. It is not something which you should ignore. L
0评论2016-09-281063
坚持你的方向
What would you do if you failed? Many people may choose to give up. However, the surest way to success is to keep your direction and stick to your goal. On your way to success, you must keep your direction. It is just like a lamp, guiding
0评论2016-09-23606
生活像杯中的咖啡
A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large po
0评论2016-09-23380
睿智与快乐
When I first read this line by England's Poet Laureate, it startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it.
0评论2016-09-22832
真正的朋友会紧紧相随
"A friend walk in when the rest of the world walks out."Sometimes in life, You find a special friend; Someone who changes your life just by being part of it.Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop;Someone who makes you believe th
0评论2016-09-22950
The difference between love and like
In front of the person you love, your heart beats faster, but in front of the person you like, you get happy. In front of the person you love, winter seems like spring, but in front of the person you like, winter is just beautiful winter.I
0评论2016-09-22691
珍惜自由
Of all the wonderful gifts that we've been given, one of the greatest is freedom. As much as we may deny it we are free in this life. We are free in what we think, free in what we feel, free in what we say, and free in what we do. Yes, lif
0评论2016-09-20425
Keep Your Direction
What would you do if you failed? Many people may choose to give up. However, the surest way to success is to keep your direction and stick to your goal. On your way to success, you must keep your direction. It is just like a lamp, guiding
0评论2016-09-19820
Be Tough
Although we would all love to be Ms Popular at home and in the office, at work the task is not to be liked, but to be effective, says computer sales executive Andrea. "This is possibly the single most important lesson we can learn. You can
0评论2016-09-19649
The Last Rose of Summer
This last rose of summer Left blooming alone; All her lovely companions Are faded and gone; No flower of her kindred, No rose-bud is nigh, to reflect back her blushes, Or give sigh for sigh. I'll not leave thee, thou lone one! To p
0评论2016-09-19795
Shakespeare
Shakespeare is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life. His characters are not modified by the customs of particular places, un
0评论2016-09-18641
Frankness
You must study to be frank with the world:frankness is the child of honesty and courage. Say just what you mean to do, on every occasion. If a friend asks a favor, you should grant it, if it is reasonable; if not, tell him plainly why you c
0评论2016-09-18844
The winter of Wisconsin
Nothing. No tracks but my own are stitched into the dusting of fresh snow, white as birch bark, that fell during the night. No flittering shadows in the trees, not a sliver of bird song in the air. What sun there is this time of year shine
0评论2016-09-181003
5种方法实现梦想
Sing to yourself Seriously. Like laughter, sunshine, and fresh air; singing elevates our moods. Studies have shown that singing triggers a release of endorphins, which are the body's natural way of chemically relieving pain and stress. W
0评论2016-09-15823
Never Judge A Book by Its Cover
A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the president of Harvard's outer office .The secretary could tell in a m
0评论2016-09-15883
Be comfortable with who you are
I cherish being around people who are totally comfortable with who they are. There always seems to be an aura of love and acceptance that follows these folks around. I think it's because they've figured out one of the biggest secrets to li
0评论2016-09-15821
We are on a journey
Wherever you are, and whoever you may be, there is one thing in which you and I are just alike at this monment, and in all the moments of our existence. We are not at rest, we are on a journey. Our life is a movement, a tendency, a steady,
0评论2016-09-14612
如何面对日日逼近的死亡
My mom died when I was already an adult -- a mother myself. Her death was slow, expected. This made it no easier. Losses like this begin well before the person is gone, because we imagine the world going on without them. The anticipation of
0评论2016-09-14751
