The Double-Seventh Day refers to the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar.
In ancient times, the Double-Seventh Day was a festival especially for young women. Girls, whether from rich or poor families, would put on their holiday best to celebrate the annual meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Parents would place an incense burner (香炉) in the courtyard and lay out some fruit as offerings. Then all the girls in the family would kowtow to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu and pray for ingenuity (灵巧).
In the Tang Dynasty about 1,000 years ago, rich families in the capital city of Chang’an would set up a decorated tower in the courtyard and name it the “Tower of Praying for Ingenuity”. They prayed for various types of ingenuity. Most girls would pray for outstanding sewing or cooking skills. Girls and women would gather together in a square and look into the star-filled night sky. They would put their hands behind their backs, holding a needle and thread. At the word “start”, they would try to thread the needle. Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one who succeeded first. The ladies would also show off their fried cookies made in many different shapes. They would invite the Weaver Girl to judge who was the best. In the past these were important virtues for a woman.
【小题1】The Double-Seventh Day is usually celebrated on ________.
| A．July the seventh |
| B．New Year’s Day |
| C．the 7th day of the 7th month on the Chinese lunar calendar |
| D．the meeting day of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars |
【小题2】The underlined word “best” can be replaced by “________”.
| A．best food | B．best skills | C．best clothes | D．best ingenuity |
【小题3】In the Tang Dynasty most girls would pray to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu for ________.
| A．a good marriage | B．meeting the Cowherd or the Girl Weaver |
| C．high officials | D．outstanding sewing and cooking skills |
【小题4】Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one ________.
| A．who was the winner in the compition of threading the needle |
| B．whose family had a tower to pray in |
| C．who kowtowed to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu for ingenuity |
| D．whose family lay out most fruit as offerings |
