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托福培训
托福考试动态
2016-08-09 10:51
来源：China Daily
作者：上海新东方整理
If it rains heavily on Saturday night, some elderly Chinese will say it is because Zhinu, or the Weaving Maid, is crying on the day she met her husband Niulang, or the Cowherd, on the Milky Way.
如果在周六的晚上下很大的雨，有一些中国的老人就会说，这是因为织女，这一天是她和她相公牛郎在银河相遇的那一天。
Most Chinese remember being told this romantic tragedy when they were children on Qixi, or the Seventh Night Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is usually in early August. This year it falls on Tuesday, August 9.
很多中国人都记得，小的时候在七夕这一天听到的这个浪漫而又悲伤的爱情故事。七夕是中国农历每一年的七月初七这一天，通常都是在8月初。今年是8月9号，星期二。
Folklore Story
民间传说
As the story goes, once there was a cowherd, Niulang, who lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. But she disliked and abused him, and the boy was forced to leave home with only an old cow for company.
故事是这样的，从前有一个放牛的孩子，牛郎，跟他的哥哥和嫂子住在一起。但是嫂子却不喜欢他，并且对他很不好，最后牛郎被逼无奈，在一头老黄牛的陪伴下离开了家。
The cow, however, was a former god who had violated imperial rules and was sent to earth in bovine form.
这头牛，曾经是一个天神，因为触犯了天条而被贬下了凡间。
One day the cow led Niulang to a lake where fairies took a bath on earth. Among them was Zhinu, the most beautiful fairy and a skilled seamstress.
有一天，老牛把牛郎带到了一个湖边——仙女在人间洗澡的地方。在她们里面有一个织女——她是最美丽的仙女，并且有着最好的编制技术。
The two fell in love at first sight and were soon married. They had a son and daughter and their happy life was held up as an example for hundreds of years in China.
这两个人在第一次见面时就陷入了爱河，并且很快就结婚了。他们有一对儿女，并且他们的幸福生活几百年来被视为很好的典范。
Yet in the eyes of the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Deity in Taoism, marriage between a mortal and fairy was strictly forbidden. He ordered the heaven troop to catch Zhinu back.
然而，在玉皇大帝的眼中——道家最大的天神，凡人和神仙之间的婚姻是被严格禁止的。
Niulang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinu had been taken back to heaven. Driven by Niulang's misery, the cow told him to turn its hide into a pair of shoes after it died.
牛郎非常的伤心当他发现织女被抓回了天庭。老黄牛被牛郎的悲剧所触动，于是告诉牛郎，当它死后把它的皮藏在一双鞋子中。
The magic shoes whisked Niulang, who carried his two children in baskets strung from a shoulder pole, off on a chase after the empress.
这双神奇的鞋子带着牛郎，牛郎用扁担将两个孩子托在框子中跟在王母娘娘的身后。
The pursuit enraged the empress, who took her hairpin and slashed it across the sky creating the Milky Way which separated husband from wife.
这触怒了王母娘娘，她拿下自己的发簪在天空中划出一道弧线变成了银河将牛郎和她的妻子分开。
But all was not lost as magpies, moved by their love and devotion, formed a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite the family.
但被牛郎和织女的爱所打动，一些东西变成了喜鹊在银河上架起了一座桥，帮助这个家团圆。
Even the Jade Emperor was touched, and allowed Niulang and Zhinu to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month.
甚至连玉皇大帝都被打动了，允许牛郎和织女在每年的7月7日见一次面。
This is how Qixi came to be. The festival can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).
这就是七夕的来历。这个节日可以追溯到汉代（公元前202年 ——公元220年）
Traditionally, people would look up at the sky and find a bright star in the constellation Aquila as well as the star Vega, which are identified as Niulang and Zhinu. The two stars shine on opposite sides of the Milky Way.
通常情况下，人们会看着天空，然后去找到那两颗最亮的星星，牛郎星和织女星。这两颗星星在银河的两端闪烁着。
Customs
传统
In bygone days, Qixi was not only a special day for lovers, but also for girls. It is also known as the "Begging for Skills Festival" or "Daughters' Festival."
在古时候，七夕作为特殊的日子不仅仅对于恋人们，同样是对女孩子们。这一天同样被称作“祈祷技巧日”或者“女儿节。”
In this day, girls will throw a sewing needle into a bowl full of water on the night of Qixi as a test of embroidery skills. If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking, it proves the girl is a skilled embroiders.
在这一天，女孩子们都会在七夕的晚上，将一根缝衣针放进一个装满水的碗中去检验刺绣的技术。如果缝衣针漂浮在水面上而不是沉下去，这就证明这个女孩子是一位风场出色的绣娘。
Single women also pray for finding a good husband in the future. And the newly married women pray to become pregnant quickly.
单身女性同样祈祷能在未来找到一个好丈夫
Tradition transformed
传统的改变
The love story of Niulang and Zhinu, and the Qixi Festival have been handed down for generations. Yet these ancient traditions and customs are slowly dying out.
牛郎和织女的爱情故事，还有七夕节，被一代一代传承着。然而那些传统的习惯和习俗却在慢慢地失去。
Many modern Chinese, particularly youngsters, seem to know more about St Valentine's Day on February 14, characterized by bouquets of roses, chocolates and romantic candlelight dinners, than they do about their home-grown day for lovers.
现代的中国人，尤其是年轻的一代，更加了解的是西方2月14日的情人节——特点是一束玫瑰，巧克力和浪漫的烛光晚餐，而不是他们生长的国家情人庆祝的节日。
Even Qixi is nowadays referred to as the "Chinese Valentine's Day." More and more young Chinese people begin to celebrate this day in a very similar way as that in western countries.
虽然现在七夕被说成中国的情人节，但是越来越多的中国年轻人庆祝这一天跟西方国家庆祝情人节的方式一样。
Fewer people than ever will gaze at the heavens on Saturday to pick out the two stars shining bright on either side of the Milky Way, that is, if people even know on which day Qixi falls.
周六的时候，人民会抬头望着天空，在银河的两边有着最亮的两颗星星，这个时候，人们就会知道哪一天七夕就会到了。
There are ready reminders dotted about, in the form of big ads saying "Sales on Chinese Valentine's Day!" in shops, hotels and restaurants.
通常在七夕这一天，中国的商店，酒店，餐厅都会有很大的广告，给出折扣，从而提醒人们这一天是七夕。
But few young women will mark the festival with their boyfriends, or take part in traditional activities to pray for cleverness.
但很少有年轻的女性会和男朋友庆祝这个节日，或者参加传统的活动去为了聪明和灵气而祈祷。
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托福培训
托福考试动态
