A big, beautiful bird flies over a village in China. The bird belongs to the Jade Emperor. Three men in the village watch the bird. They want to catch it.

The first man takes a knife. The second man takes a sword. The third man takes a bow. They chase the bird. The bird flies faster. The men run up a mountain. The bird flies higher. The first man throws his knife. The second man swings his sword. They both miss the bird. The third man

shoots an arrow from his bow. It hits the bird! The bird falls down the mountain. The men can’t reach it. They walk back to the village.

The Jade Emperor waits for his bird. Night comes, but the bird does not.

The Jade Emperor is worried. He looks down from heaven and sees his bird, lying at the bottom of the mountain. The Jade Emperor is angry. He wants to punish the men. He calls his daughter, the princess.

“I will burn the village!” he yells.

“Yes, father,” says the princess. The princess goes to the village. She talks to the three men.

“My father is angry,” she says. “He will destroy your village with fire!”

The three men don’t know what to do. The people in the village are scared.

The three men ask a wise woman for help. The wise woman thinks. She looks at the village. She looks up the mountain. She looks up at Heaven.

“For three days, there must be fire in the village,” the wise woman says.

“You must light lanterns. You must light fires. You must light firecrackers.

The village must be full of fire and noise. The Jade Emperor will see the fire. He will think the village is destroyed.”

The men thank the wise woman. They find red lanterns, firewood,

and firecrackers. The fourteenth day of the first month of the year comes. The villagers light the lanterns. They light fires around their homes. They light the firecrackers. POP! POP! POP!

For three days, the village is full of fire and noise. The Jade Emperor and the princess look down from heaven. They see the fire, and they hear the noise.

“Thank you, daughter,” says the Jade Emperor. “You have destroyed the village!”

The princess smiles at her father. She knows the three men and their village are safe.

The End

Everyone waits for the first month of the moon. Once, the festival lastedthree nights. Now people celebrate on the fifteenth. Their lanterns fly!

Question: The princess helped the village. Have you helped someone?How did you help?

核心詞匯和語法
belong to 屬于

sword n. 劍，刀

bow n. 弓，弓形物

chase v. 追捕，追趕

swing v. 揮舞（武器、工具、球拍）

miss v. 錯過

arrow n. 箭，矢

reach v. 達到，及到

heaven n. 天，天國，天空

Jade Emperor 玉帝

punish v. 懲罰

princess n. 公主

destroy v. 毀滅，毀壞

wise adj. 明智的，英明的

lantern n. 燈籠，提燈

firecracker n. 爆竹，鞭炮

以下翻譯來自百度翻譯：一只美麗的大鳥飛過中國的一個村莊。這只鳥是玉皇大帝的。村里有三個人在看鳥。他們想抓住它。第一個人拿了一把刀。第二個人拿起一把劍。第三個人鞠躬。他們追趕那只鳥。這只鳥飛得更快。這些人跑上山。鳥飛得更高。第一個人扔了他的刀。第二個人揮舞著他的劍。他們都想念那只鳥。第三個人從他的弓上射出一支箭。它擊中了鳥！鳥從山上掉下來。男人們夠不著它。他們走回村莊。玉皇大帝等待他的鳥。黑夜來了，但鳥兒沒有。玉皇大帝很擔心。他從天上往下看，看見他的鳥躺在山腳下。玉皇大帝很生氣。他想懲罰那些人。他稱他的女兒為公主。“我要燒了村子！”他喊道。“是的，父親，”公主說。公主去了村莊。她和那三個人談話。“我父親很生氣，”她說他會用火摧毀你的村莊！”這三個人不知道該怎么辦。村里的人都很害怕。這三個男人向一個聰明的女人求助。聰明的女人會思考。她看著村子。她向山上望去。她仰望天堂。“三天之內，村子里肯定有火，”這位聰明的婦女說。“你必須點燈籠。你必須生火。你必須放鞭炮。這個村莊一定充滿了火災和噪音。玉皇大帝會看到火的。他會認為村莊被摧毀了。”男人們感謝聰明的女人。他們發現了紅燈籠，木柴，還有鞭炮。一年正月十四日到了。村民們點燃燈籠。他們在家周圍生火。他們點燃鞭炮。砰！砰！砰！三天來，村子里充滿了火災和噪音。玉皇大帝和公主從天上往下看。他們看到了火，聽到了噪音。“謝謝你，女兒，”玉皇大帝說你毀了村子！”公主對她的父親微笑。她知道這三個人和他們的村莊是安全的。