书城外语看见老外就能聊
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第16章 生肖VS。星座

A:What animal sign were you born under?

B:I was born in the year of Dragon,what about you?

A:I think it's the year of Rat。So can you name the rest Chinese zodiac signs?

B:Sure。Rat,ox,tiger,rabbit,dragon,snake,horse,sheep,monkey,rooster,dog and the last one boar。

A:Wow,you can even remember them in right order。

B:In traditional China,dating methods were cyclical,cyclical meaning something that is repeated time after time according to a pattern。A popular folk method which reflected this cyclical method of recording years is the Twelve Animal Signs。Every year is assigned an animal name or“sign”according to a repeating cycle。Therefore,every twelve years the same animal name or“sign”would reappear。

A:But have you realized that Chinese Zodiac is a topic less frequently talked about by Chinese people nowadays,instead the horoscope is getting more popular。

B:Yes。That's interesting。People believe the Chinese zodiac can describe character and foretell future events。In the Chinese horoscope,there are twelve animals。A person's animal sign is connected to his or her birth year。Each animal has a different type of character。People born in the Year of the Rat are friendly,but careful。Those born in the Year of the Monkey are smart and good at making money。

A:While Thousands of years ago,the ancient people of Babylon and Egypt studied the stars in the sky and created the zodiac。It was first used to count time。Later,many people used the stars to describe a person's character and to foretell what would happen in the future。A person's zodiacal sign is connected to his or her birth date。Some believe this sign can tell us about a person's character。For example,some think that a person born under the sign of Cancer(between June 22 and July 23)is kind and home-loving。

B:Do you believe that?

A:I don't know。Some people say that if you believe that,then it's true,but I just read it for fun。After all,each individual is different in their appearance and personalities,just like a philosopher said that no leaves are exactly the same in the world。

B:So what you mean is that even two people who are born under the same animal sign and have the same horoscope might be quite different in their destinies。

A:Probably so。

A:你的属相是什么?

B:我龙年出生的,你呢?

A:我是属鼠的。你能说出其他的生肖属相吗?

B:当然。鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗,最后一个猪。

A:哇,你连他们的顺序都记得。

B:在古代中国,人们都用循环法来计时,循环的意思是按照一定的模式重复一段时间。民间流行的十二动物生肖属相就是这种循环计时法的表现。每个动物代表一个年份,轮完了就开始新的循环。所以每12年同样的动物生肖会再次出现。

A:但是你有没有意识到现在的中国人越来越少讨论生肖的话题了,取而代之的是星座。

B:没错。那挺有意思的。人们相信中国的生肖能够描述一个人的性格,并对将来的事情作出预测。中国的十二生肖里,一个人的动物属相是跟他或她的出生年份有关的。每种动物属相的人都有不同的性格。属鼠的人比较友好;细心;属猴的人都很精明,很会赚钱。

A:而几千年前,古巴比伦和古埃及人研究星象学。星象最初是用来计时的,后来许多人用星座来描述人的性格和预言将来的事情。一个人的星座与他或她的出生日期有关。有些人认为这样可以知道一个人的性格。例如,有人觉得巨蟹座(6月22日~7月23日)出生的人性格温柔且居家。

B:那你信这个吗?

A:我不知道。有人说这东西你信就准,但我通常只是读着玩。毕竟,每个人的外表和个性都不一样,就像一个哲学家所说的,世上没有相同的两片树叶。

B:所以你的意思是即使是两个同一属相、同一星座的人命运也不尽相同。

A:也许吧。

Zodiac adj。生肖

Cyclical adj。循环的

Pattern n。模式

Horoscope n。星座

Cancer n。巨蟹座

背景知识

Aquarius水瓶座(1月21日~2月19日)Ruled by shocking Uranus,Aquarius is very much epitomes the planet that inspires it。This sign has astonishing intellectual and communication skill。

TIPS:Aquarius has a lot of adaptability。But you may try many new things but end up mastering none。

受天王星控制的水瓶座简直就是天王星的缩影。水瓶座具有令人吃惊的智慧和沟通能力。

学习相:瓶子有非常好的适应能力。但是你可能尝试了很多新事物后却一事无成。

Pisces双鱼座(2月20日~3月20日)Pisces is a Water element。Ruled by mystical Neptune,This sign is extremely receptive,compassionate,and other-directed。

双鱼座是水相星座。受神秘的海王星所控制。双鱼非常善于接纳,富有同情心,并且很为别人着想。

TIPS:Lack of ego-strength can make you feel helpless。

学习相:缺乏自我力量会使你觉得无助。

Aries白羊座(3月21日~4月20日)The fire element of Arise brings assertive“I”energy。

TIPS:Your persistence will lead you to success。But your impulsive temper may cause problems。

火相星座的特质使白羊座具有非常自信的自我力量。

学习相:坚持会使你成功,但是爱冲动的毛病也会带来麻烦。

Taurus金牛座(4月21~5月21日)The Earth element of Taurus brings strength and the desire for solid ground form and structure。

TIPS:You might be a little bit slow-witted,but your consistency will make it up。

土相星座的特质让金牛座渴望并具有脚踏实地的能力。

学习相:你也许反应有一点慢,但是你的坚毅会弥补这个缺点。

Gemini双子座(5月22日~6月21日)The Air element of Gemini brings communication,intellect and speed。

TIPS:Your mutable motivation brings adaptability。

风向星座的特质让双子座具有沟通能力、智慧和速度。

学习相:你的多变使你能够适应事物。

Cancer巨蟹座(6月22日~7月22日)Cancer's element is Water。Symbolic of the emotions,water signs need to give and receive。

TIPS:Good memory is your born gift。

巨蟹座是水相星座。水是情感的象征,水的特质是给予和接受。

学习相:良好的记忆力是你与生俱来的天赋。

Leo狮子座(7月23日~8月23日)Leo is Fire to the core!Fire brings a desire to create,innovate,and lead。

TIPS:Your fixed motivation adds self-reliance。But remember to balance self-confidence with humility。

狮子座是火相星座的中心。火引发了创造、革新和领导的欲望。

学习相:你对目标的坚定不移使你自信。但是记住自信也需要谦虚来平衡。

Virgo处女座(8月24日~9月23日)Ruled by shape-shifting Mercury,Virgo works hard to stability。

TIPS:A good educational background is important。Diligence is your advantage。

在流动的水星控制下,处女座需要努力才能获得稳定。

学习相:良好的教育背景很重要。你的优点是勤奋。

Libra天秤座(9月24日~10月23日)Libra represents the Air element。It is a sign that is more extroverted and active。

TIPS:Your great need to share;to be fair and impartial will help you a lot。

天秤座是风相星座。其特性比较外向和主动。

学习相:你要求与他人分享和公平的愿望会给你很大帮助。

Scorpio天蝎座(10月24日~11月22日)Scorpio is a Water element,and this makes it a somewhat enigmatic sign。

TIPS:Study would never be a problem for Scorpio。You just need more confidence。

水相星座的特质使蝎子有些神秘。

学习相:学习对蝎子来说从来都不是问题。你只需要更多自信。

Sagittarius射手座(11月23日~12月21日)Sagittarius is Fire energy。This is a very active,extroverted sign。

TIPS:You definitely have talent。But you still have to concentrate more。

射手座是火相星座。射手非常主动、外向。

学习相:你的确有天赋,但是你应该更加专心。

Capricorn魔羯座(12月22日~1月20日)Capricorn is the leader of the Earth signs。Here is a stabilizing force,one of the hardest-working signs of the Zodiac。

TIPS:Patience and caution are your advantages。

魔羯座是土相星座的领头人,是黄道12宫里最稳定最努力工作的星座。

学习相:你的优点是坚持不懈和谨慎。

十二生肖起源

作为一种古老的民俗文化,有关十二生肖的起源,历代学者众说纷纭。有人认为生肖与地支同源,可以追溯到史前的传说时代。关于十二生肖的记载,现有文献资料中,以《诗经》为最早。《诗经·小雅·吉日》里有:“吉日庚午,即差我马”八个字,意思是庚午吉日时辰好,是跃马出猎的好日子,这是将午与马相对应的例子。