2017年5-8月雅思口语part2新题及解析：儿时听到的故事!要求描述一个故事，这个故事是你还是小孩子的时候，别人讲给你听的，要说明是谁给你讲的这个故事，故事的主人公是谁，故事的内容是关于什么的，还要解释一下你为什么到如今都记得这个故事。
Describe a story someone told you when you were a child.
You should say:
who told you the story;
who the main character was;
what the story was about;
and explain why you remember this story.
解析：
要求描述一个故事，这个故事是你还是小孩子的时候，别人讲给你听的，要说明是谁给你讲的这个故事，故事的主人公是谁，故事的内容是关于什么的，还要解释一下你为什么到如今都记得这个故事。
When I was a little child, my mother told me a story about 12 Chinese Zodiac signs. It’s exactly about the sequence of animal year. It was coming up to the New Year. Twelve animals were arguing. There were a rat, an ox, a tiger, a sheep, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a dog, a horse, a rooster, a monkey, and a pig. They thought the New Year should have a name. They were arguing because each animal wanted the year to be named after himself. There was such a noise that they disturbed the Jade Emperor. “Whatever is the matter with you, animals?” Jade Emperor asked. One by one, they explained their problem. The Jade Emperor asked the animals to take part in a swim race across the big river. They he would decide the name of this New Year after the winner of the race. All animals agreed but each one secretly thought that they would be the winner. They all hurried to the river and lined up for the race. With a mighty splash, the animals leaped into the river and started swimming as fast as they could towards the other side. The rat wasn’t the best swimmer but he was clever enough to grab and hold the ox’s tail, who was going to be the first one to win the race. Just before the ox reached the other side of the river, the rat leaped over his head onto the bank. Then this New Year was named the year of the rat. Ox was the second. Therefore the Jade Emperor names each New Year after each of the animal in the same order that he finished the race.
I remembered the story because of my mother’s vivid description. Besides that, I once asked my parents how ancient Chinese people decide the sequence of 12 Chinese Zodiac signs. The story is one version of the answer, which may not be true but very persuasive. I think the story could be passed down from generation to generation since it conveys part of the Chinese ancient culture. I like the story for it shows the rich imagination and creativity of our ancestors.