Unit 3 Lifestyles 教材背景链接 名言佳句 Joys shared with others are more enjoyed. 与众同乐，其乐更乐。 Christmas is the day that holds all time together. 圣诞节把所有的日子聚集在了一起。 —American chemist Alexander Smith —— 美国化学家 亚历山大 · 史密斯 Maybe a funeral among men is a wedding feast among the angels. 也许人间的葬礼也同时是天使的婚礼。 —Gibran —— 纪伯伦
美文欣赏 Animal gettogether 2011 is a wonderful opportunity to talk about the rabbit ， as it is the Year of the Rabbit ， which will begin on February 3. We Chinese use 12 different animals to ① stand for our birth years.
There are different stories about choosing the 12 animals. Some say these 12 animals were totems( 图腾 ) of ancient tribes( 部落 ) ． Others think the 12 animals were chosen for the daily behavior. A rat finds food between 23 ∶ 00 to 1 ∶ 00 and an ox eats between 1 ∶ 00 and 3 ∶ 00.From 3 ∶ 00 to 5 ∶ 00 ， a tiger roars( 咆哮 )loudly and a rabbit begins its day at 5 ∶ 00.The dragon ， snake ， horse ， goat ， monkey ， rooster ， dog and pig were arranged into the order we still use today.
It is said that the 12 animals held a very exciting race to decide the order of the Chinese people’s birth years. The first one to cross the river would be granted the first year ， the second to come in would be the second animal in the cycle ， and so on. The ox was in the lead. But suddenly the rat jumped on the ox’s back. The ox did not notice the little thing. Just before the end ， the rat jumped down to win the race ！ The ox came in second ， the tiger third ， and so on. The pig took his time and came in last. The Chinese order of the birth years was decided.
What rabbit people are like The Rabbit is a symbol of mercy ( 仁慈 ) ， elegance( 优雅 ) ， and the love of beauty. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are kind ， calm and quickminded ； they are also peace lovers. Although they are sometimes shy and seem gentle ， they have strong minds and go after their dreams all their lives.
Rabbit people are talented and like artistic activities ， such as music and painting. They are so diplomatic( 圆滑 的 )and wellorganized that they can be great teachers and counselors( 顾问 ) ． They can also be painters or musicians ② due to their sense of beauty and their love of creativity. You can see the character of the rabbit in some famous people born in the Year of the Rabbit. Think of actress Angelina Jolie ， scientist Albert Einstein and soccer star David Beckham. In China ， the famous director Zhang Yimou and kungfu star Jet Li are both Rabbit people.
What are the meanings of the two phrases in the text? 1 ． __________________________________________ ______ 2 ． __________________________________________ ______ Keys ： 1. 表示、象征 2. 由于