牛郎和织女在凡间相见并一见钟情，然而牛郎是凡人，织女却是天上的仙子。他们违背了王母的意愿结婚生子，但是织女最终还是被王母带走了。牛郎用老牛的皮做成了衣服，披上之后便可飞上天空，王母感动于两人的感情，允许他们每年的七夕在鹊桥上见面。When the world was young, the sky was as soft as silk. Magpie birds soared and never wanted to land. Only Zhinu the cloud weaver did not feel at home in the sky. She watched the people far below and wove clouds that reached for the ground.Zhinu and her sisters lived in the sky with their grandmother, the Queen Mother of the West. One night, there was a terrible storm. Zhinu looked down at a cozy farmhouse, wishing she were with the family inside. But not everyone was inside. She watched a young farmer and his old ox trying to stop the water from flooding the wheat fields. The ox stumbled and sank in the mud. The farmer gently helped her up.He sang of the stars of the ox constellation as he led her to the barn. He was interrupted by a shrillvoice yelling from the farmhouse, “Hey lazy Niulang, sleep in the barn tonight. Your brother and I don’t want mud in the house!”The next morning, Zhinu pulled on her dress made of the dawn’s red clouds. She wanted to see the farmer again. “Let’s go swimming,” she suggested to her sisters.“Grandmother won’t like it,” her sisters warned. But Zhinu convinced them. They grabbed their swimsuits and slid down the clouds to the ground. While the others jumped into the pond, Zhinu tiptoed to the farmer’s barn.She heard the shrill voice again. “Your brother and I have done our duty. It’s time for you to go, Niulang. Your parents wanted you and your brother to split everything. So, we’ll keep the farm. But you’re lucky, you get the ox!”Niulang said quietly, “Okay, she’s my best friend.” Zhinu peeked through the doorway. The ox looked older than her grandmother! The ox turned toward Zhinu. Then Zhinu thought she heard the ox say, “Moo—marry her!”Zhinu ran as fast as she could to the pond. She hung her dress over a tree branch and hid underwater. She thought of the farmer and the strange ox.Soon, everyone was drying off and rising into the sky. But where was Zhinu’s red dress? Without it, she couldn’t return home with her sisters!Suddenly, Niulang appeared, carrying her dress. “Please marry me,” he said. “I promise to be a good husband.”To her surprise, Zhinu said yes. Perhaps it was his shining eyes, so like the night sky. She felt at home with him. But Zhinu’s grandmother wanted Zhinu home—in the sky.For years, Zhinu and Niulang hid from her grandmother in their cozy farmhouse deep in the forest. Niulang would sing Zhinu to sleep with songs of the night sky. Zhinu would wake up Niulang by draping the trees with the colors of dawn. One night, they were awakened by angry clouds beating against the sky.The wind howled. Niulang went outside as flood waters rose higher.Once again, he tried to save the wheat. The old ox sank in the mud and couldn’t get up. She told Niulang to always keep her hide with him. Then she died.The storm attacked. Soldiers took shape from dark clouds, grabbing, reaching. Deep in the storm, something struggled. It was like dawn on the brightest morning. It was his love, his Zhinu. She was being dragged into the sky by her grandmother!Niulang shook out the ox’s hide. He jumped on and took flight. He flew faster and faster after Zhinu. “Wait for me!” Niulang called.“Niulang, bring me home,” Zhinu cried.“No!” her grandmother yelled. She slashed the sky with her golden hairpin. Zhinu heard the sky ripping in two. Through the rip shone the stars of the Milky Way.On one side of the rip was Zhinu, on the other Niulang.Since that day, Zhinu and Niulang have been separated by the Milky Way. On the seventh day of the seventh month of the moon, magpie birds weave a bridge in the sky. Zhinu and Niulang meet in the middle of the bridge, together again.On this one day each year, everyone celebrates love, even Zhinu’s Grandmother. This day is known as Chinese Valentine’s Day.Question: How do you celebrate the seventh day of the seventh month of the moon?
核心词汇
magpie n. ［鸟］喜鹊
soar v. 高飞，翱翔
weaver n. 织布工
wheat n. 小麦
stumble v. 绊脚，跌跌撞撞地走
constellation n. 星座，荟萃
barn n. 谷仓
shrill adj. 尖声的
split v. 劈开，切开
peek v. 偷看，窥视
drape v. （以打褶的布或其他织物）披在……上，装饰，包，裹
howl v. （风等）怒号，呼啸
hide n. 兽皮
slash v. （用刀、剑等）砍
rip v. 斯，撕破
Valentine’s Day 情人节
One night, they were awakened by angry clouds beating against
the sky. 一天晚上，他们被怒云击空的声音所吵醒了。本句中
beating 作为后置的现在分词定语，修饰 clouds.
以下翻译来自百度翻译：
当世界还年轻的时候，天空像丝绸一样柔软。喜鹊鸟翱翔而不想降落。只有织布云彩的织女在天空中感到不自在。她注视着远处的人们，编织着云朵，云朵直达地面。织女和她的姐妹们和他们的祖母，西方的王母一起生活在天空中。一天晚上，有一场可怕的暴风雨。织女低头看着一座舒适的农舍，希望自己能和家里的人在一起。但并不是所有人都在里面。她看着一个年轻的农民和他的老牛试图阻止洪水淹没麦田。他领着她到谷仓时，唱着牛群的星星。他被农舍里一个刺耳的声音打断了，“嘿，懒牛郎，今晚睡在谷仓里。你哥哥和我不想房子里有泥！”第二天早上，织女穿上了黎明的红云做的衣服。她想再见到那个农民。“我们去游泳吧，”她向姐姐们建议。“祖母不会喜欢的，”她的姐妹们警告道。但织女说服了他们。他们抓起泳衣，顺着云层滑到地上。当其他人跳进池塘时，织女蹑手蹑脚地走向农民的谷仓。她又听到了刺耳的声音。“你哥哥和我已经尽了我们的责任。牛郎，你该走了。你父母要你和你哥哥把所有的东西都分了。所以，我们保留农场。但是你很幸运，你得到了牛！”牛郎平静地说：“好吧，她是我最好的朋友。”织女从门口偷看。这头牛看起来比她祖母老！牛转向织女。然后织女想她听到牛说：“莫嫁给她！”织女尽可能快地跑到池塘边。她把衣服挂在树枝上，藏在水下。她想到了农夫和那头奇怪的牛。很快，每个人都干涸了，升上了天空。但织女的红裙子在哪里？没有它，她不能和她的姐妹们一起回家！突然，牛郎拿着她的衣服出现了。“请嫁给我，”他说。“我保证做一个好丈夫。”令她吃惊的是，织女答应了。也许是他那闪亮的眼睛，像夜空一样。她觉得和他在一起很自在。但是织女的祖母想让织女回到天上的家。多年来，织女和牛郎一直躲在森林深处舒适的农舍里，躲避祖母。牛郎会唱支奴，伴着夜空的歌声入睡。织女会用黎明的颜色覆盖树木，唤醒牛郎。他又一次试图拯救小麦。老牛陷在泥里，站不起来了。她告诉牛郎永远躲在他身边。然后她死了。暴风雨来袭了。士兵们从乌云中成形，抓着，伸着。在风暴的深处，有什么东西在挣扎。这就像是最明亮的早晨的黎明。那是他的爱，他的织女。她被她的祖母拖上了天空！牛郎抖了抖牛皮。他跳上飞机逃走了。他追着织女飞得越来越快。“等我！”牛郎喊道。“不！”她的祖母喊道。她用金色的发夹划破了天空。织女听到天空裂成两半。透过裂缝，银河系的星星闪闪发光。从那天起，织女和牛郎就被银河分开了。在月亮的第七个月的第七天，喜鹊鸟在天空中编织一座桥。Zhinu和Niulang在桥中间相遇，再次相遇。在每年的这一天，每个人都在庆祝爱情，即使是织女的祖母。这一天被称为中国情人节。
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