Psát v cizím jazyce? Uf! Hlavně se “nějak” domluvit. Ze zkušenosti vím, že se studenti často zbytečně bojí experimentovat s psaným slovem. Děti na celém světě se rodný jazyk učí přes říkanky (nursery rhymes) a pohádky (fairytales), angličani obecně milují slovní hříčky (puns). Anglofonní svět je hravý a proto bych trochu této pošetilé zábavy chtěla vnést i do své Inspirace. Začneme výzvou.
Asi každý někdy slyšel o čínském horoskopu. Je plný zvířátek, ale jak to celé vlastně začalo? Cílem této výzvy je dokončit příběh dle vlastní fantazie. Moje kreativní studentka Lucka Tichá se do toho s chutí pustila a výsledek si můžete přečíst pod textem. Těším se, že se zapojí i další milovnice a milovníci angličtiny. Svoje texty můžete zasílat na adresu info@s-lang.cz. Všechny příběhy ráda zvěřejním.
Let´s read the story and get inspired 🙂
“The Chinese zodiac has twelve signs. Originally, these signs did not have animals associated with them but were signs used to record dates. They were called the 12 Earthly Branches and 10 Celestial Stems and their use went back to the Shang dynasty. Later, each of the 12 earthly branches came to be designated by an animal sign: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar. There is a folk story that describes how the animals were assigned to the cycle of years. A long long time ago, the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals together to assign each of them a year. When the cat heard the news, he let his friend the rat know about it and the two animals decided to go together the next day. However, the next day the rat did not wake the cat who, being a cat and loving to nap, slept through the morning. Therefore, the cat did not make it to the assembly on time and did not get a year. This is why there is no year of the cat and this is why cats hate rats. The rat, on the other hand, made it first there and received the first year. He did not achieve this without trickery either. He knew that a small animal like him would not be able to compete with the others, so he begged the ox to let him ride on its head. The ox consented and they went together. Just when they were about to arrive, the rat jumped off the ox’s head and got through the finish line first. This is why the year of the rat is the first year in the cycle and the year of the ox is the second.“
go back – to have existed since a particular time or for a particular period
folk story – a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people
summon – order (someone) to be present
nap – a short sleep, especially during the day.
trickery – the practice of deception
Lucie Tichá (podnikatelka a moderátorka Rise and Shine) a její příběh:
We have already found out the reason why the rat is the first sign. Let’s have a look at the other signs. The Ox met his friend a Rabbit and before Ox had talked with Tiger. The Ox’s ego was disappointed and frustrated. The Ox got angry and needed relaxing. The Ox had been thinking about his competition with the Rat for 2 long months. It is revealed that an Ox is much heavier and bigger than a rat. It is the reason why the Ox has a body with great power and It was second.
When the Ox met the Tiger, he shared with him his sad experience. Tiger had a courage, clever and active mindset. The Tiger and the Ox prepared a plan against the rat. They didn’t want to let him a rat win. They had a good idea. The Ox was the loser and the rat was the winner. ,,It was not good.” said the tiger. ,,My old dear friend, I am able to help you.” Said the Tiger to the Ox. The Tiger called his good old friends from the animal kingdom. The Tiger had various friends. This congress meeting was held on the top of the steep hill. It was cold and frosty weather because cats hate cold. It could be a safe and secret meeting. The Tiger invited earthly and celestial animals. Dragon, horse, dog, monkey, goat, snake, pig, rabbit, rooster, and fish. The fish was invited, but it couldn’t come because there was no water nearby. It’s the reason why the fish is a sign in western horoscopes. The cat wanted to come there too, but when the tiger smelled the cat, he stopped her. He stood up in front of the cat. The Cat couldn’t go there, because it was the reason for all this problem. The Cat was pretty detrimental and was possessive. The Tiger with his cold mind said No. The cat was untrustful. The cat had to go out. The Tiger started this animal congress. The Tiger was natural and outgoing. He shared the sad Ox’s story with his friends. He finished his speech with words: , Dear friends you are like my immediate family. We ask for help. Could you confirm you are on the same board with us against a rat?” Everybody replied YES. Their head is full of revenge against a rat. They tested their personality and it looked like personal Olympic games. The results nominated animals according to their importance. The last animal wasn’t the weakest. All animals knew they were equally important. They learned the power of cooperation, one without the other is weak.
How did it end up with Chinese zodiac animals?
The Rat had a big problem. When the cat had to go out, the Cat got angry and hungry. The Cat met the Rat and wanted to eat her. The Rat asked for forgiveness for her trick with the Ox. She began to pray. The Snake and the Dragon smelled the Rat and listened to the Rat’s prayer. They said: “We have a problem.” The Cat wanted to eat a holy Rat. The Tiger said to friends we should help her. If the Rat had seen how we wanted to help her, she wouldn’t have been so tricky. They hurried up to help her. They saved her life. The Rat was fascinated by the power of cooperation and friendship. The Rat admitted that all other animals are also holy. They became a part of Chinese Zodiac signs.
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