【推荐1】Many people in Asia and around the world will celebrate the Lunar New Year starting on January 22. The new year is called the Year of the Rabbit in China and the Year of the Cat in Vietnam. How the cat replaced(替代) the rabbit in Vietnam is still the subject of debate.

Both countries follow a calendar based on 12 signs of a zodiac represented by 12 animals. No one knows exactly how the 12 animals came to be named. But ancient storytellers said the Jade Emperor, or the Buddha, organized a race across a river for all the animals in the world. The first 12 to reach the other side would appear in the animal signs

In the Chinese version of the story, the cat and the rat were riding across a river on an ox when the rat pushed the cat into the water. The rat won the race, turning the two animals into enemies. That is why cats have been hunting rats ever since.

In the Chinese story, the rabbit crossed the river by jumping on the tops of stones in the river. When the rabbit got there, no others were around, so it went off to the side and slept. By the time the rabbit woke up, three others had already arrived.

However, in the Vietnamese version—which did not have a rabbit—the cat could swim and ended up arriving fourth. The top twelve finishers which appear in the animal signs were rat, ox, tiger, cat (or rabbit), dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

Philippe Papin is a professor on Vietnamese history at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris. He told the Northwest Asian Weekly in 2011 that one possible explanation for replacing rabbit with cat might have something to do with language. He said in old Chinese, there is a little-used word tied to the sign of the rabbit that is pronounced like mǎo. The pronunciation is similar to mèo, the Vietnamese word for cat.

This year, a website, VNExpress, said many Vietnamese are buying new cat-themed cases for their mobile phones. And one of the top Google searches in Vietnam is “why there is no cat in the Chinese animal signs.”

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When Coach said he was looking for a parent volunteer, I told my dad the team needed his help. He was so excited that he ran to warm up with the other players. Before I could explain to him Coach actually wanted him to prepare halftime snacks, the referee (裁判) blew her whistle.

We all crowded around Coach to find out what positions he wanted us to play. When he asked us what playing soccer was all about, my dad shouted, “Winning!”

“Dad,” I whispered, “playing soccer isn’t all about winning.”

“It isn’t?” he asked in surprise.

“No,” I said. “It’s all about having fun.”

“Got it!” he said.

But I don’t think he got it. He waved to the parents and watched planes fly by. During the rest, I told him what he did wasn’t helping the team. “You need to listen to Coach, Dad,” I said. “You need to get your head in the game!”

“Got it!” he said.

But I don’t think he got it, either, because he started acting like he was the only one on the field instead of playing his own position.

And when the other team scored a goal (进球), he got angry as if our goalkeeper had let the ball in on purpose (故意). “You’re not being a good sport, Dad!” I shouted.

“How can I be a good sport if we’re not winning?” he asked.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do with him,” I whispered to Coach. Coach said my dad had energy and enthusiasm. “If we’re patient and keep showing him what it means to be a team player, I’m sure he’ll understand it,” he said

I agreed to keep working with my dad. And I’m glad I did because you know what? Coach was right!