读报 · 双语时事——The Story of Leprechauns

圣帕特里克节（St. Patricks Day）是每年的3月17日，是为了纪念爱尔兰守护神圣帕特里克。这一节日从5世纪末起源于爱尔兰，如今已成为爱尔兰的国庆节。圣帕特里克节的传统颜色为绿色。本期SSP少儿英语热门时事带大家走进爱尔兰国庆节不得不提的精灵故事。

The Story of Leprechauns

说到圣帕特里克节，就不得不提爱尔兰精灵的故事。

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Forgot to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? Don’t be surprised if you get pinched. People used to believe that wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns. They would pinch anyone they could see, anyone not wearing green.

So what does a leprechaun look like and why are they so special? A leprechaun looks like a little old man. He dresses like a shoemaker. In Irish (爱尔兰的) stories, leprechauns would mend the shoes of Irish fairies. The fairies would pay the leprechauns with golden coins. Then these little people would put all of their golden coins in large pots (罐).

Usually, this pot of gold is hidden at the end of a rainbow. But can you find the “end” of a rainbow? Never! So to get the gold, you first have to catch the little Leprechaun.

Notes

n. 名词 v. 动词 adj. 形容词

① leprechaun n. (爱尔兰)小矮妖

fairy n. 仙子

② pinch v. 捏，掐

③ believe v. 相信

④ invisible adj. 看不见的

⑤ special adj. 特别的

⑥ mend v. 修补

* used to (do sth) 曾(做某事)

* golden coin 金币

阅读理解并回答问题

1. If you wear ______, leprechauns cannot see you.

A.red

B.yellow

C.green

2. Leprechauns make a living from ______ shoes.

A.selling

B.mending

C.making

3. Leprechauns would hide their gold ______.

A.at the end of a rainbow

B.in a large pot

C.both A and B

答案见下方获取方式

双语拓展：ST. PATRICK’S DAY圣帕特里克节

认识爱尔兰：

Ireland is an island nation on the westernmost edge of Europe. It is the continents second largest island (after Great Britain). The Republic of Ireland occupies 80 percent of this landmass, while a large chunk of land in the north is part of the United Kingdom.

爱尔兰是欧洲最西边的一个岛国。它是欧洲大陆的第二大岛（仅次于英国）。爱尔兰共和国占这块陆地的80％，而北部的大片土地是英国的一部分。

ST. PATRICK’S DAY圣帕特里克节

St. Patricks Day is celebrated every March 17. It is usually packed with parades, good luck charms, and all things green. The event started as a religious holiday, but over time its become a celebration of Irish culture. Today people wear green and eat green foods to celebrate this day.

圣帕特里克节每年3月17日举行庆祝活动。它通常包含游行，幸运符，所有的东西都是绿色的。该活动始于宗教节日，但随着时间的推移，它成为了爱尔兰的文化庆典。今天人们穿绿色食品，吃绿色食品来庆祝这一天。

St. Patrick was a real person, but some of the traditions associated with him and the holiday are actually myths. One legend says that Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland.

圣帕特里克是一个历史上真实存在的人，但与他或节日相关的一些传统实际上是神话。另一个传说里，帕特里克驱逐了爱尔兰所有的蛇。

Great Britain 大不列颠

United Kingdom 英国，联合王国

good luck 好运

over time 随着时间的过去；超时

associated with 参加；与…有关；与…相联系

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更多拓展知识，查看《上海学生英文报》大使说世界走进——爱尔兰，还有机会赢得爱尔兰大使赠送的签名礼物~