As China gears up to welcome the Year of the Rabbit, Lunar New Year looks slightly different inVietnam, where the Year of the Cat is about to begin.
在中国准备迎接兔年的时候，越南的农历新年看起来略有不同，那里的猫年即将开始。
Across the country, streets are decked out with statues of felines and shops are stocked full of cat-themed decorations, popular gifts duringVietnameseNew Year, known as Tet.
在全国各地，街道上摆放着猫的雕像，商店里摆满了以猫为主题的装饰品，这些都是被称为Tet的越南新年期间受欢迎的礼物。
Vietnam and neighbouring China share 10 of thezodiaccalendar's 12 signs -- the rat, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
越南和邻国中国共享十二生肖中的十个——鼠、虎、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗和猪。
But the Vietnamese honour the cat instead of the rabbit, and thebuffaloinstead of the ox.
但越南人尊敬猫而不是兔，尊敬水牛而不是通称的牛。
There are a host of theories to explain why the Vietnamese plumped for the cat.
有许多理论可以解释为什么越南人的生肖选择了猫。
Nguyen Hieu Tin, an expert on traditional Vietnamese culture, said the answer may lie in the rice fields prized by farmers.
越南传统文化专家Nguyen Hieu Tin说，答案可能在于农民所珍视的稻田。
"Rice is a huge part of Vietnam'sagriculture, but with the threat of many rats in the fields, the cats (which can hunt them) are a popular animal for the Vietnamese," he told AFP.
他告诉法新社：“水稻是越南农业的一个巨大部分，但由于田里有许多老鼠的威胁，（可以猎杀老鼠的）猫是越南人喜欢的动物。”
"Another explanation is that the Vietnamese don't want to observe two years with a similar animal. They see the mouse and the rabbit as being closely linked," Tin said.
“另一个解释是，越南人不想用一种类似的动物代表两年。他们认为老鼠和兔子是紧密相连的。”Tin说。
There is also a theory that the Vietnamese made their own interpretation of the Chinese word for rabbit, "mao". In Vietnamese, this sounds like "meo", which means cat.
还有一种说法是，越南人对中国形容兔这一生肖的字“卯”做出了自己的解释。在越南，这听起来像“meo”，意思是猫。
The Year of the Cat is believed to bring good luck and smooth sailing in Vietnam.
在越南，猫年被认为会带来好运和一帆风顺。
词汇精讲
Vietnam
/ ˌviːetˈnɑːm/
n.越南（东南亚国家）
例句：Vietnam is suffering from food shortage.
越南正遭受食品短缺之苦。
Vietnamese
/ ˌviːetnəˈmiːz /
adj.越南的；越南人的
n.越南人；越南语
例句：Do you feel like Vietnamese food then?
那你想吃越南菜吗？
zodiac
/ ˈzəʊdiæk /
n.黄道带（天球上的十二个等份区,各有其名称和符号，日、月、行星分布其中）；黄道十二宫图
例句：Libra is the seventh of the zodiac signs.
天秤座是黄道十二宫的第七宫。
buffalo
/ ˈbʌfələʊ /
n.野牛，犎牛；水牛
例句：Once there were 70 million buffalo on the plains.
在这片平原上曾经生活着7000万头水牛。
agriculture
/ ˈæɡrɪkʌltʃə(r) /
n.农业，农学，农艺
例句：Agriculture forms the backbone of the rural economy.
农业是农村经济的基础。
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