I'm a pig, my son is a rabbit, I have snakes for daughters, and my wife, believe it or not, is a dragon! Do I live in a zoo? No, of course not! I am talking about our Chinese
zodiac signs.
Depending on the year of your birth, each person has an animal for a sign. That's why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon.
February the 18th is Chinese New Year and 2007 is the year of the pig, so let's take a closer look at this interesting animal.
Pigs were first
domesticated by man about 9,000 years ago, and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don't just use pigs for their meat - almost every part of the animal is used. The bones and skin are used for
glue and footballs. The hair is used for artists'
brushes and
insulation. The fat is used in the
manufacture of
insecticides, floor
waxes, rubber and plastics. Amazingly, pigs are a source of nearly 40
pharmaceutical drugs and their
heart valves can be used in surgery to replace human ones.
Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film 'Babe' starred a
loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was
nominated for 6 more.
In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money for
charity by
staging pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don't just want to eat pigs, it seems!
Pigs also feature in the English language. To say that something is unlikely to happen you can say "Pigs might fly!" A man that thinks men are superior to women is a "
chauvinist pig". Hungry? Well then, you can "pig out" and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you? Well, you can say that they "saved your
bacon".
If you, like me, were born in the year of the pig, then you are
brave,
thoughtful and
loyal. The year of the pig is filled with
good fortune . Happy Chinese New Year!
GLOSSARY 词汇表
zodiac 十二生肖
domesticated 饲养的
glue 胶水
brushes 刷子
insulation 绝缘
manufacture 生产
insecticides 杀虫剂
waxes 蜡
pharmaceutical drugs药制品
heart valves 心脏瓣膜
loveable 可爱的
nominated 提名
charity 慈善
staging 举行
chauvinist 沙文主义者
bacon 咸肉
brave 勇敢的
loyal 忠诚的
thoughtful 考虑周到的
good fortune 好财运
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2007-04-03 
