Around the Lunar New Year holidays, it is common in Chinese culture for people to give money in red envelopes as gifts. These gifts represent sharing prosperity and good fortune with one’s family.
The act of giving red envelopes started in ancient China. The practice is actually two separatecultural traditions combined over time. The first involvesthe importance of the color red, while the second relates togiving money to keep evil spirits away.
There is an old mythabout a monstercalled “Nian” that would appear every year and attack villages. Later, villagers discovered the monster feared the color red and loud noises. After that, red couplets, clothing, and firecrackers became important parts of the Lunar New Year.
The tradition of giving money is related tothe legendof “Sui,” another mythicalmonster that would scarechildren during their sleep. One night, a couple gave their son some coins to play with to keep him awake. When the child fell asleep and Sui appeared, the coins burstwith bright lights and scaredthe monsteraway. Eventually, people began giving coins tied together with red string. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that this traditional gift was replaced by paper money put inside red envelopes.
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
timeless
[ˋtaɪmlɪs]
a. 永恆的;不受時間影響的
The classic black dress is a timeless fashion choice.
經典的黑色禮服是個永恆的時尚選擇。
●
separate
[ˋsɛpərət]
adj. 分開的、不同的、各自的
The hotel and the restaurant are under separate management.
旅館和餐廳是分開經營的。
英檢中級
高中 Level 2
●
involve
[ɪnˋvɑlv]
vt. 使涉入；包含，需要
The evidence shows that Paul is involved in that murder.
證據顯示保羅涉入那起謀殺案。
Kyle’s plan involves some creative ideas.
凱爾的計畫中內包含一些有創意的點子。
多益綠色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
monster
[ˋmɑnstɚ]
n. 怪獸
The witch turned the animal into a monster.
巫婆把那隻動物變成了怪物。
高中 Level 3
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scare
[skɛr]
vt. & vi. （使）驚恐
n. 驚恐
=
frighten
Don’t scare me. I’m a coward.
別嚇我。我是個膽小鬼。
Irene doesn’t scare easily: She didn’t even blink when she saw a flying cockroach.
艾琳不容易害怕：她看到蟑螂在飛時，眼睛甚至都沒有眨一下。
When Melvin passed out, he gave us a scare.
馬文昏倒的時候，嚇了我們一跳。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 2
●
awake
[əˋwek]
vi. 醒來
a. 清醒的
三態
awake / awoke [əˋwok] / awoken [əˋwokən]
=
wake up
It was raining outside when Dylan awoke.
狄倫醒來時，外頭正在下雨。
Lisa was wide awake the whole night, fearing the worst.
麗莎整晚都沒睡，擔心最壞的情況會發生。
John doesn’t seem to be awake to the dangers of smoking.
約翰似乎不了解抽菸的危險。
高中 Level 3
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burst
[bɝst]
vt. & vi. （使）爆破 / 炸
n. 爆破 / 炸，噴；（感情）爆發
三態
burst / burst [bɝst] / burst [bɝst]
The little boy used a needle to burst the balloon.
小男孩用一根針刺破氣球。
Melissa burst out crying when she heard about the accident.
梅莉莎聽到關於這個意外的消息就大哭了起來。
Melissa burst into tears when she heard about the accident.
梅莉莎聽到關於這個意外的消息就大哭了起來。
We could hear the bomb burst in the distance.
我們可以聽到遠處炸彈爆炸的聲響。
Do you know what caused the burst of water?
你知道造成水噴出來的原因嗎？
Tommy gave a loud burst of laughter when he heard my joke.
湯米聽到我講的笑話就放聲大笑。
多益藍色
英檢初級
高中 Level 2
●
myth
[mɪθ]
n. 神話；迷思，錯誤的想法
=
legend
Contrary to the general myth, pigs are actually animals that love to be clean. 與一般傳統想法不同的是，豬其實是愛乾淨的動物。
The story in the magazine is just a myth. There’s not a single grain of truth in it.
雜誌裡的這則報導不過是無稽之談。毫無事實根據。
多益藍色
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
●
mythical
[ˋmɪθɪkəl]
a. 神話的；虛構的
●
legend
[ˋlɛdʒənd]
n. 傳說
=
myth
=
Word has it that...
According to the legend, a fairy lives on the moon.
根據這則傳說，有一位仙女住在月亮上。
Legend has it that in the mountains lived seven dwarfs. 傳說山裡頭住著 7 個小矮人。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
eventually
[ɪˋvɛntʃʊəlɪ]
adv. 終究，到頭來
=
finally
=
lastly
=
sooner or later
The ship will have to be repainted eventually.
這艘船終究還是要重新上漆。
Eventually everyone must die.
每個人到頭來都須一死。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
Practical Phrases
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relate to...
對⋯⋯感同身受；認同⋯⋯、涉及⋯⋯、與⋯⋯有關
It's oftentimes very difficult to relate to my older brother.
我常常很難認同我哥哥。
This article relates to the topic of our discussion.
這則文章涉及我們討論的主題。
●
be related to
與⋯⋯有關
The artist's paintings are related to the relationship between man and nature.
那名藝術家的畫作是關於人類與大自然之間的關係。
●
scare away... / scare... away
嚇走⋯⋯
The loud noise scared away the birds.
那聲巨響把鳥兒都嚇走了。
請依文意選出最適當的一個選項 ❶ What is the article mainly about?
(A) The origins of red envelopes.
(B) The traditions of the Lunar New Year.
(C) The importance of money to the Chinese.
(D) The rules about giving red envelopes. ❷ According to the article, how did people protect themselves from the monster “Nian”?
(A) They gave children coins.
(B) They wore red clothing.
(C) They offered food to it.
(D) They kept the lights on at night.
