[BBC随身英语] Happy Niu Year 牛年快乐

>> Download MP3 Audio

Happy Niu Year 牛年快乐

2008 is now finally in the past as millions of Chinese people around the world welcomed the Chinese New Year on Monday 26 January.

As we waved goodbye to the Year of the Rat, the Year of the Ox was greeted in traditional style with firecrackers, parties and feasts.

As the Chinese word for Ox is pronounced 'Niu' which sounds similar to 'new' in English, but has the meaning of being 'bullish', this pun is interpreted as an auspicious start to the year.

According to Chinese astrology, people born in the Year of the Ox are patient, hardworking and can inspire confidence in others. However, they can be fierce and remarkably stubborn at times.

Traditionally in London, the Chinese New Year celebration is held on the first Sunday after New Year's Day. This year, the mayor of London has promised spectators a rich mixture of live performances, a colourful parade and culinary delights at the famous landmark Trafalgar Square.

Further up in Derry, in Northern Ireland, the celebration arrived early. Locals were treated to calligraphy demonstrations, authentic Chinese tea tasting and a Chinese banquet. The mayor of Derry, Gerard Diver, thought the events were extremely important, not just for the Chinese community, but to everyone in Derry.

“We live on an island, and I sometimes think that we're perhaps not as exposed to different cultures or to different ways of doing things as we should be. This is a valuable opportunity to gain an insight into Chinese culture and traditions, and it's also an important sign of progress,” said Mr Diver.

The global financial crisis has, however, affected celebrations elsewhere in the country. Coventry Community Chinese Association was forced to cancel its plans for the New Year due to lack of funding. Similarly in the south west part of the country, decisions were made to scale down the celebration after a number of sponsors were forced to cut back on financial support.

Despite the setbacks, people are determined to welcome the Niu Year in style and hope the Year of the Ox will bring prosperity through fortitude and hard work.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GLOSSARY 词汇表



bullish

乐观的

auspicious start

幸运吉利的开始

inspire confidence

给予信心

stubborn

顽固的

colourful parade

多彩多样的游行

landmark

著名地点

authentic

地道的

exposed

接触

scale down

缩减

prosperity

兴旺昌盛

pun

双关语

astrology

占星学

fierce

脾气火爆

a rich mixture of

丰富多彩的

culinary delights

烹饪佳肴

calligraphy demonstrations

书法表演

banquet

晚宴

gain an insight into

了解

cut back

减少

fortitude

毅力



本文章来源： bbcchina.com.cn



点击下载本节目台词（PDF格式）