AccordingtothetraditionalChineselunarcalendarweofficiallywelcometheYearoftheHorsebetterthanothers.

Thehorsehasplayedanimportantrolethroughouthumanhistoryallovertheworld.Horseswereusedforthousandsofyearsasameansoftransportationaweaponofwarandaplougheroffields(犁地农具)but"thehorsewasmorethanjustavehicle-ithadmorecharacterthanacaratankoratractor"ClareBaldingwroteforTheTelegraph.

IntheMiddleAgesinWesternsocietiesthehorsewasasymbolofchivalry（骑士神）andnobility(贵族).Infacttheword"chivalry"comesfrom"cheval"inOldFrenchwhichmeanthorse.Theideaofchivalryhelpedtofashionthe19th-century"gentleman"whichwasaboutgoodmannerscourageandhonestytofriends.

Nowadaysbecauseofeconomic(经济)developmentpeopleinWesternsocietiesarelesslikelytoseeorridehorses.Peoplelivingincitiesinparticularhardlyeverexperiencehorsesexceptthroughmoviespaintingsorbooks.Buthorseracingandbetting.moneyonhorseracesisstillpopular.TheKentuckyDerbyisoneofthemostpopularsportingeventseveryyearintheUS.

IntheUKtheroyalpolicestillgoaroundthecityonhorsebackandtheQueenridesinatraditionalhorse-drawncarriageon"ceremonialoccasions(正式场合)”．

SomesayingsabouthorsesarestillusedinEnglishtoday.Forexamplepeoplestillsay"holdyourhorses"tomean“slowdown".Ifsomeoneseemstooproudpeoplemighttellhimorherto"getoffhisorherhighhorse".Andsincehorsesarestrongandenergeticthereareexpressionssuchas"asstrongasahorse""workhorse"and"horsingaround"..

InterestinglythehorsealsoappearsinmanyChinesesayingssuchasQianlimawhichmeansatalentedperson.OtherChinesehorsesayingsincludeMadaochenggong(instantsuccess)andBaimawangzi(princecharming).

Besidestheirphysicalstrengthshorsesaresmartandhave"excellentmemories"accordingtoDiscoveryNews.Maybethat'swhyChinesepeoplesay"Anoldhorsenevergetslost".

SincethehorseishonoredasasymbolofmanygreatqualitiespeoplebornintheYearoftheHorsearesaidtosharethem.

1.AccordingtoChinesetraditionwhichyeariswelcomedbestofficially?

A.theYearoftheSnak