The Year of the Rabbit兔年兔腳行大運‏

by Timothy Laird Rabbits have meant many things to many people in many countries over the years. 長久以來，在許多國家中，兔子的象徵意義對許多人來說各不相同。 　　Rabbits do not just bring colored eggs to children. A common superstition surrounding the rabbit is that its foot can bring good luck and ward off evil. Wearing a rabbit's foot was common practice in the early days of English-speaking countries, especially for hunters or gamblers because they always relied on a bit of luck. Not any rabbit's foot would do, though. It had to be the left hind foot, and to activate the magic, they had to rub the foot several times. 兔子不只會帶彩繪的蛋給小孩。一個和兔子有關的普遍迷信是兔腳可以帶來好運並驅逐邪靈。早期在英語系國家裡，人們身上戴著兔腳是很常見的作法，尤其是對獵人或賭徒而言，因為他們總是需要一點好運。不過，不是任何一隻兔腳都可以。必須是左後腳才行，而且這個魔法要靈光，還得先摩擦兔腳幾下才行。 　　The correlation between a rabbit's foot and good fortune could possibly be derived from traditional folk magic practiced by African and Native Americans. The rabbit's foot was commonly used during their magic rituals, so by association, the totem was believed to have magical powers. Another theory was that the rabbit's foot acted as a lucky charm because the bone actually came from a witch instead of a rabbit. Witches were widely known to be powerful and could change into various animal forms, such as black cats and rabbits. 兔腳和好運的關聯可能來自於非裔美人和美國原住民的傳統民間魔法。他們的魔法儀式裡經常用到兔腳，由於這個關聯，這項圖騰因而被認為具有神奇的力量。另一個理論認為兔腳被用來當作幸運符，是因為兔腳的骨頭其實是女巫的，而不是兔子的。女巫是眾所皆知具有神奇力量的人，而且她們能化身為黑貓和兔子等各種動物的樣貌。 　　In the Chinese zodiac, 2011 is the year of the rabbit. Like its Western counterpart, the rabbit in China and the surrounding Asian nations has quite a positive image. People born under the sign of the rabbit are usually thought to be good-natured and extremely easy to get along with. They are also considered team players and reliable in getting their tasks done on time. Despite the trouble they may cause farmers, rabbits have become symbolic of fortune while also warming people's hearts as cute pets. 在中國的 12 生肖裡，2011 年是兔年。和西方的兔子一樣，兔子在中國和鄰近亞洲國家中也有著相當正面的形象。在兔年出生的人通常被認為脾氣很好，而且非常容易相處。他們也被視為是具有團隊精神、可以準時將分內工作完成的可靠人物。儘管兔子可能會給農夫帶來麻煩，但牠們已經成為好運的象徵，同時也是可以溫暖人心的可愛寵物。 1. What is the first paragraph of Day 1 about? (A) Rabbits are present in folklore from many countries. (B) Rabbits are pests despised by people worldwide. (C) The Moon Rabbit is unique to Chinese culture. (D) It's very fashionable to keep a rabbit as a pet. 1. 第一天文章的第一段主旨為何？ (A) 許多國家的民間故事裡都有兔子。 (B) 全世界的人都討厭兔子這種有害的動物。（只有對園丁和農夫而言，因為牠們會吃作物） (C) 玉兔是中華文化獨有的。（中國與日本都有不同版本關於玉兔的故事） (D) 養兔子當寵物是很新潮的事。 題解: 根據 2 月 4 日文章第一段，兔子普遍存在於我們的文化裡，而且在中外歷史上都佔有一席之地。在中國和日本的民間傳說中都有不同版本的玉兔故事。在西方，復活節兔子和春天的關係已有數百年之久，由此可知，(A) 應為正選。 2. What is the link between rabbits and Easter? (A) Rabbit stew is always served on Easter Sunday. (B) All Christians love hunting for rabbits. (C) Rabbits reproduce during the spring, when Easter is celebrated. (D) Rabbits are linked to Santa Claus. 2. 兔子和復活節的關聯為何？ (A) 復活節的那個星期天總是會有燉兔肉這道菜。 (B) 所有的基督徒都喜歡獵兔子。 (C) 兔子在春天繁殖，剛好是復活節的時候。 (D) 兔子和聖誕老公公有關。 題解: 根據 2 月 4 日文章第三段，兔子和復活節扯上關係和復活節慶祝耶穌基督復活有關，由於兔子在初春時會生下很多小兔子，牠們便成了繁殖力的象徵，故選 (C)。 3. Why would someone want a rabbit's foot? (A) It's the tastiest part of the animal. (B) It can bring a bit of good fortune. (C) To increase one's skill when doing magic tricks. (D) It brings the wearer protection from black cats. 3. 為什麼有人會想要兔腳？ (A) 它是兔子身上最好吃的部分。 (B) 它可以帶來一點好運。 (C) 為了在變魔術時增進技巧。 (D) 戴著它可以防止黑貓攻擊。 題解: 根據 2 月 5 日文章第一段，早期在英語系國家裡，人們身上戴著兔腳是很常見的作法，尤其是對獵人或賭徒而言，因為他們總是需要一點好運，可知應選 (B)。 4. People born in the year of the rabbit are _____. (A) devoted to helping the environment (B) selfish and arrogant (C) always behind schedule (D) easy-going and sociable 4. 在兔年出生的人 _____。 (A) 致力於保護環境 (B) 自私且自大 (C) 總是進度落後 (D) 很隨和而且合群 題解: 根據 2 月 5 日文章第三段，在兔年出生的人通常被認為脾氣很好，而且非常容易相處。他們也被視為是具有團隊精神、可以準時將分內工作完成的可靠人物，由此可知，(D) 應為正選。 單字小舖   1. hind a. 後面的 2. rub vt. 摩擦 3. ritual n. 儀式 4. association n. 聯想 5. totem n. 圖騰 6. lucky charm n. 幸運符 7. witch n. 女巫，巫婆 8. zodiac n. 黃道帶；十二生肖∕星座 9. good-natured a. 和藹的，和善的 10. fashionable a. 流行的 11. stew n. 燉肉 12. reproduce vi. 繁殖 13. fortune n. 好運，幸運 14. arrogant a. 傲慢的 15. easy-going a. 隨和的 16. sociable a. 合群的；善交際的 Grammar Tips   The rabbit's foot was commonly used during their magic rituals, so by association, the totem was believed to have magical powers. = ... so by association, it was believed that the totem had magical powers. It seems/appears + that 子句　　似乎…… It is believed + that 子句　　一般相信…… 注意: 在上述句構中，that 子句中的主詞可往前移位置於句首，而因時態不同有下列變化： a. that 子句的動詞時態與 seems, appears, is believed 相同時，to 之後接原形動詞。 主詞 + seem(s)/appear(s) to + 原形動詞 ＊ seem 之後的句構若為 "to be + N/adj." 時，to be 可予以省略。 主詞 + is/are believed + to + 原形動詞 例: It seems that Alan is kind, but he is actually rather mean. → Alan seems (to be) kind, but he is actually rather mean. （艾倫看起來似乎人很好，實際上卻很壞。） 例: It is believed that a monster lives in the lake. → A monster is believed to live in the lake. （據信湖裡住著一隻怪物。） b. that 子句的動詞時態與 seems, appears, is believed 不同時，to 之後接『have + 過去分詞』。 主詞 + seem(s)/appear(s) to + have + 過去分詞 主詞+ is/are believed + to have + 過去分詞 例: It seems that we have overestimated the difficulty of the project. → We seem to have overestimated the difficulty of the project. （我們似乎高估了這項專案的困難度。） 例: It is believed that Sherry came into a large inheritance. → Sherry is believed to have come into a large inheritance. （大家都認為雪莉繼承了一大筆遺產。） 精解字詞片語   1. superstition n. 迷信 superstitious a. 迷信的 例: The superstition states that if you break a mirror, you'll have seven years of bad luck. （有個迷信說如果打破鏡子，就會倒霉 7 年。） 例: Many Westerners are superstitious about Friday the thirteenth. （許多西方人對 13 號星期五這個日子相當迷信。） 2. ward off.../ward...off　　避開……，驅逐…… 例: In the movie, the woman wore a garlic necklace to ward off the vampires. （電影中，那個女人戴著大蒜項鍊來驅趕吸血鬼。） 3. rely on...　　依賴……；依靠…… 例: Sam has to rely on notes a lot because he is rather forgetful. （山姆必須常依賴筆記，因為他相當健忘。） 4. activate vt. 啟動；使活動 例: Jack activated the security system before he left the office. （傑克離開辦公室前啟動了保全系統。） 5. correlation n. 相互關係，相關性 例: A survey shows that there's a correlation between money and happiness. （一項調查研究顯示，金錢跟快樂之間有相關性。） 6. be derived from...　　源自於…… 例: Many English words have been derived from Latin ones. （許多英文字都源自拉丁文。） 7. act as...　　作為……；充當…… = serve as... 例: An umbrella can act as a cane when you go hiking in the mountains. （當你到山上健行時，傘可以充當柺杖使用。） 8. change into...　　轉變為…… = turn into... 例: The small caterpillar changed into a colorful butterfly. （這隻小毛毛蟲變成了色彩鮮豔的蝴蝶。） 9. counterpart n. 相對應的人、事、物 例: Our CEO will discuss the contract with his Japanese counterpart tomorrow. （我們執行長明天將與日方的執行長討論合約事宜。） 10. get along with...　　和……相處（融洽） 例: A person with a high EQ tends to get along with other people well. （情緒商數高的人通常能跟人處得很好。） 11. reliable a. 可靠的，可信賴的 例: Mark's stability makes him a very reliable friend. （馬克穩重的個性使他成為非常值得信賴的朋友。） 12. on time　　準時 例: Thanks to Albert's help, I was able to finish the work on time. （多虧艾伯特的幫助，我能準時把工作做完。） 13. despise vt. 鄙視 = look down on/upon... 例: Tim despises everyone around him because he is a snob. （提姆因為自負傲慢，所以瞧不起周圍的人。） 14. be unique to...　　為……所特有 例: Kiwis are unique to New Zealand and can't be found anywhere else in the world. （鷸鴕為紐西蘭所特有，其他地方都找不到。） 15. be devoted to + N/V-ing　　獻身於∕致力於……　 = be dedicated to + N/V-ing 例: We are all devoted to making this program work for the benefit of the children. （為了兒童福利，我們都致力推動這項計劃。） 16. behind schedule　　進度落後 on schedule　　按照進度；按時 ahead of schedule　　進度超前 例: The plane took off and landed on schedule. （該班機準時起飛及降落。） 例: I plan to finish this project ahead of schedule so I'll have some time to relax. （我計劃提早完成這項專案，才有時間放鬆一下。）

難句分析

＊ Not any rabbit's foot would do, though.
= Not any rabbit's foot would work, though.
（不過，不是任何一隻兔腳都可以。）
答案：1. (A)　2. (C)　3. (B)　4. (D)