Chinese Valentine’s Day

王玉峰

Helper

Vega織女星，織女

the Milky Way銀河

herd獸群，牧群，放牧人

miraculously奇跡般地

magpie喜鵲，饒舌者，愛說話的人

Altair牽牛星

legend傳說，傳奇人物

sister-in-law夫或妻的姐妹，嫂，弟媳

fairy仙女，小仙子，小精靈

princess公主；王妃escort護送者

Brief introduction in Chinese：

中國情人節(jié)就是七夕節(jié)，又名乞巧節(jié)、七巧節(jié)，發(fā)源于中國，是華人地區(qū)以及東亞各國的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，在農(nóng)歷七月初七慶祝。 相傳牛郎父母早逝，又常受哥嫂的虐待，只有一頭老牛相伴。有一天老牛給他出了計謀，教他怎樣娶織女做妻子。在牛郎的懇求下，織女答應(yīng)做他的妻子?？椗团＠沙捎H的事被天庭的玉帝和王母娘娘知道后，命天神下界抓回織女。從此，牛郎織女只能淚眼盈盈，隔河相望，天長地久，玉皇大帝和王母娘娘也拗不過他們之間的真摯情感，準(zhǔn)許他們每年七月七日相會一次。相傳，每逢七月初七，人間的喜鵲就要飛上天去，在銀河為牛郎織女搭鵲橋相會。

Exercise：

Ⅰ.Questions：

1. What do you think of the way of Niu Lang finding a wife？

2. Why didn't Niu Lang ask his brother or sister-in-law to find a wife for him？

3. Why did the Queen Mother insist that Zhi Nu should come back to heaven？

4. What did the magpies do in the story？ Why？

Ⅱ. Written work

Read the following text and fill in the blanks with a proper word or proper forms of the words given in the blanks（less than 2 words）.

The Double Seventh Festival

It was said that the Emperor of Heaven had seven daughters. And the

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（young） one， Weaving Maid， or Zhi Nu in Chinese， 2 （fall） in love with a young man on the earth

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（name） Niu Lang. Zhi Nu got married

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him secretly and had two children.

They lived

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（happy） together for several years

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everything became known to the Empress of Heaven. She was very angry with

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Weaving Maid had done： marrying a human without her 8 （permit）. So， she came down to the earth and took Zhi Nu back to heaven. Niu Lang and his wife were 9 （separate） by a broad river in the sky， the Milk Way. They were only allowed

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（see） each other once a year on the 7th day of the 7th Lunar month.

You won't see many magpie birds on this day. 11 （move） by the couple's true love， these birds gather on this evening to form 12 bridge for them to meet upon.

The Double Seventh Festival， 13 is similar to Valentine's Day in the West， has long

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celebrated in China 15 honor of the love story of Niu Lang and his Weaving Maid.

1. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the center one， so that when we finally meet the person， we will know how to be grateful.

在遇到夢中人之前，上天也許會安排我們先遇到別的人；在我們終于遇見心儀的人時，便應(yīng)當(dāng)心存感激。

2.I love you not because of who you are， but because of who I am when l am with you.

我愛你，不是因為你是一個怎樣的人，而是因為我喜歡與你在一起時的感覺。

3. No man or woman is worth your tears， and the one who lsl won't make you cry.

沒有人值得你流淚，值得讓你這么做的人不會讓你哭泣。

4. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside him knowing you can't have him.

失去某人，最糟糕的莫過于，他近在身旁，卻猶如遠在天邊。

5. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence.

愛和被愛是人生最大的幸福。

6. Never stop smiling， not even when you're sad， for some man may fall in love with your smile.

永遠都不要停止微笑，即使在你難過的時候，說不定有人會因為你的微笑而愛上你。

7. To the world you may be one person， but to one person you may be the world.

對于世界而言，你是一個人；但是對于某個人，你是他的整個世界。

8. Don't waste your time on a man/woman， who isn't willing to waste their time on you.

不要為那些不愿在你身上花費時間的人而浪費你的時間。

Suggested answers：

Ⅰ.Questions：

1. Various answers from different students but the answers should be reasonable and logical.

2. Because his parents were dead. He had to live with his brother and sister-in-law and she never treated him well， always made him feel like he was not welcome in their house. It was unlikely for them to find a wife for him.

3. Because the gods were not allowed to love and marry a human. Zhi Nu was against the laws of God in heaven，

4. Hundreds of magpies flew and formed a magpie bridge for these two lovers to be able to get together. Because they were moved by the love of the two lovers for each other.

Ⅱ.Written work

1. youngest 2. fell 3. named 4. to 5. happily 6. until/before 7. what 8. permission 9. separated10. to see 11. Moved 12. a 13. which 14. been 15. in