A long time ago in China lived the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝). It was his birthday. He wanted to measure time to know how old he was.

All the animals arrived. The Emperor decided to have a river crossing race to give a name to each year of the Chinese Zodiac (中国十二生肖).

The rat and the cat couldn’t swim very well.

“Can you take us across the river?” They asked the ox.

“Yes, jump on quick!” The ox answered.

They swam across the river. Then the rat pushed the cat into the water and jumped onto land.

“Well done, rat! The first year will be the Year of the Rat and the second will be the Year of the Ox,” the Jade Emperor said.

“Look! Here’s the tiger. He’s very tired. The third year will be the Year of the Tiger.”

“The rabbit can’t swim but he’s very clever. The fourth year will be the Year of the Rabbit.”

“Why are you late, dragon? You can fly!”

“I had to make some rain for thirsty people to drink.” 

“Well done! The fifth year is the Year of the Dragon.”

“What’s this? I can hear a horse. No, it’s a snake. So the snake has the sixth year and the horse the seventh.”

“Well done! It is good to see you working together! The goat is eighth, the monkey is ninth and the rooster is tenth.”

“Sorry I’m late. The water is clean and I needed a bath.”

“The eleventh is the Year of the Dog.”

“You are the last.”

“Yes, I had to eat and sleep on the way.”

“The last is the Year of the Pig.”

And that is how the Emperor chose the animals for the Chinese Zodiac.

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1.1.How many animals first swam across the river?

A Three.

B Four.

C Five.

D Six.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据文章中的“The rat and the cat couldn’t swim very well. ‘Can you take us across the river?’ They asked the ox. ‘Yes, jump on quick!’ The ox answered. They swam across the river.”可知，老鼠、猫和牛三个动物首先游过了河。故选A。

2.2.The tiger won the ________ place in the race.

A first

B second

C third

D fourth

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章中的“Look! Here’s the tiger. He’s very tired. The third year will be the Year of the Tiger.”可知，第三年被命名为虎年，即老虎在这场比赛中获得第三名。故选C。

3.3.Which word can best describe the dragon?

A Clever.

B Lazy.

C Slow.

D Helpful.

解析：选D。推理判断题。根据文中的“Why are you late, dragon? You can fly!” “I had to make some rain for thirsty people to drink.”龙到得较晚的原因是他制造了一些雨水给口渴的人喝，由此可知龙是乐于助人的。故选D。

4.4.Which three animals worked as a team?

A The cat, the dog and the ox.

B The tiger, the rabbit and the monkey.

C The dragon, the rabbit and the goat.

D The goat, the monkey and the rooster.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据“Well done! It is good to see you working together! The goat is eighth, the monkey is ninth and the rooster is tenth.”可知，羊、猴和鸡团结合作。故选D。

5.5.Why did the pig come the last?

A He took a bath.

B He ate and slept.

C He drank some water.

D He made the water clean.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据文中后面部分的“You are the last.”“Yes, I had to eat and sleep on the way.”“The last is the Year of the Pig.” 可知，猪最后到的原因是他在路上吃东西和睡觉了。故选B。