书城外语看古希腊神话故事学英语
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第14章 希腊神话故事(12)

那个消息对我来说简直是晴天霹雳。

10.rage[re?d?]n.(一阵)狂怒;盛怒(之爆发):

例句 Her rages dont last long.她发脾气很快就消气。

11.betray[b?tre?]v.背叛

例句 In failing to return the money,he betrayed our trust.

他未能归还那笔钱而辜负了我们的信任。

12.worship[w????p]v.崇拜,尊敬,热爱

例句 The boy worshipped his father.这小孩崇拜他的父亲。

13.forger[f??d??(r)]n.铁匠

例句 His grandfather is a forger.他的爷爷是一位铁匠。

14.agriculture[?gr?k?lt??(r)]n.农业

例句 I know nothing about agriculture.我对农业一窍不通。

15.civilization[,s?v?la?ze??n]n.(尤指高级的)文明,文明阶段

例句 Old civilization may fall into decay.

古老的文化可能会渐渐衰落下去。

16.unaging[?ne?d???]adj.不老的

例句 The king wanted to be unaging.那位国王想长生不老。

17.passion[p??n]n.强烈的情感(如恨、爱、怒)

例句 She argued with great passion.她争论时情绪很激动。

18.be obliged to 不得不;有义务

例句 You are not obliged to answer these questions,but it would make our task easier.这些问题并非非答不可,但回答会对我们大有帮助。

19.responsibility[r?,sp?ns?b?l?t?]n.责任;负责

例句 I havent as much responsibility as before.我不再担负过去那样多的责任了。

11.Prometheus

Prometheus was the wisest Titan. His name means forethought and he was able to foretell the future.He was the son of Lapetus.He was a brother of Atlas.He,together with Athena,was the creator of mankind.He created the first man out of the elements of earth and water.Athena,among the clouds,breathed life into the man.

Prometheus was known as the protector and benefactor of man. Once,he fooled the Zeus into picking the worst parts of the sacrificial bull by hiding them under a rich layer of fat and allowing man to keep the best part of the animal.Prometheus cut up the bull and divided it into two parts:under the skin he placed the fresh,and under the fat he put the bones,for he knew the selfish Zeus loved fat.Zeus saw through the trick and withheld fire from men."Let them eat their flesh raw,"he declared.Prometheus cared more for man than for the wrath of the powerful and autocratic king of the gods,so he stole fire,concealed it in a hollow stalk of fennel,and brought it to man.

Prometheus 普罗米修斯

For this,Zeus punished Prometheus by having him chained to a rock on Mountain Caucasus with an eagle tearing at his liver. He was to be left there for all eternity or until he agreed to disclose to Zeus which of Zeus children would try to replace him.Prometheus faced his bitter fate firmly and never gave in.In the end,he was eventually rescued by Hercules.He killed the eagle and set the friend of mankind free.

11.普罗米修斯

普罗米修斯是泰坦神族的最有智慧的巨人。他名字的意思是“先见之明”,他能预测未来;他是伊阿佩托斯的儿子,阿特拉斯的兄弟;他和雅典娜是人类的共同创造者,他以土和水为元素捏造出了第一个男人,而雅典娜则在天上吹气,把生命赋予这个男人。

普罗米修斯被称作人类的保护者和恩人。他曾经把献祭牛肉最差的部分藏在一层厚厚的肥肉下面,让宙斯去挑,而给人类留下了最好的部分。普罗米修斯切开那头牛,把它分成两部分:他把肉放在皮下,将骨头放在肥肉下。因为他知道自私的宙斯爱吃肥肉。宙斯看穿了他的把戏,把火从人们那里收了回来。“让人类去吃他们的生肉吧,”他声称道。与强大专横的众神之王的怒火比起来,普罗米修斯更在意人类。所以他偷取了火,把它隐藏在茴香梗里,带给了人类。

为了惩罚普罗米修斯,宙斯把他用锁链缚在高加索山脉的一块岩石上,让一只老鹰来啄食他的肝脏。如果不同意向宙斯透露他的哪个儿子将夺取他的王位,普罗米修斯会被永远锁在那里。而他坚定地面对苦难,从来没有屈服。最后,海格立斯救了他。他杀死了老鹰,解救了人类的老朋友。

单词短语透视

1.forethought[f??θ??t]n.深谋远虑

例句 With a little more forethought,we could have bought the house we really wanted.我们当初若是稍微再多考虑一下,也许就能买到我们真正想要的房子了。

2.creator[kri?e?t?(r)]n.创造者;创作者

例句 He is the creator of all things good and beautiful.

他是一切美善事物的创造者。

3.element[el?m?nt]n.元素;成分

例句 The scientists are in search of a new element.

科学家们正在寻找一种新元素。

4.breathe[bri??]v.吸入或呼出(空气等)

例句 Its good to breathe in fresh country air instead of city smoke.

呼吸乡间的新鲜空气而不吸入城市的烟尘是真好。

5.benefactor[ben?f?kt?(r)]n.恩人,捐助者

例句 We showed high respect to benefactors.

我们对恩人们表达了崇高的敬意。

6.sacrificial[s?kr?f??(?)l]adj.献祭的;祭供的

例句 This is a sacrificial turkey.这是一只祭祀的火鸡。

7.withhold[w??h?uld]v.扣留;保留

例句 I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract.

他们履行合同后,我才付钱。

8.raw[r??]生的

例句 He doesnt eat raw garlic.他不吃生蒜。

9.wrath[r?θ]n.怒气;怒火

例句 The children's unruly behaviour incurred the headteacher's wrath.小学生不守规矩惹得校长发怒。

10.autocratic[??t?kr?t?k]adj.独裁的,专制的;专横的

例句 Some feudal states were ruled by autocratic kings.

有些封建国家由专制的国王统治。

11.conceal[k?nsi?l]v.隐藏、掩盖或隐瞒某事物/某人

例句 He concealed a tape recorder in a drawer.

他在抽屉里藏了录音机。

12.fennel[fenl]n.茴香(用以调味)

例句 Mom has bought some fennel beans for Dad to go with the wine.妈妈买了茴香豆给爸爸做下酒菜。

13.tear at sth 撕扯或撕开某物

例句 He tore at the meat with his bare hands.他用他的手撕肉。

14.eternity[?t??n?t?]n.永恒;来世;永生

例句 There will be rich and poor for all eternity.贫富将永远存在。

15.disclose[d?skl?uz]v.公开某事;透露某事

例句 She wouldn't disclose her friend's whereabouts to the police.

她不愿把她朋友的下落告诉警方。

16.replace[r?ple?s]v.代替,取代

例句 His deputy replaced him as leader.

他的副手接替他当了领导。

12.Athena

Athena,goddess of wisdom and war,was the embodiment of strategy,tactics and reason.Athena once competed with Poseidon to be the patron deity of Athens,which was yet unnamed.They agreed that each would give the Athenians one gift and the Athenians would choose whichever gift they preferred.Poseidon slammed his trident into the ground,and a spring welled up from the earth,providing the town with an inexhaustible source of water.However,the water was from the sea,and the people werent able to drink it,or make any use of it whatsoever.Athena planted an olive tree in the centre of the town.It provided the people with wood,oil and a source of food.Athena was proclaimed victor and the patron of Athens.So,Athens got its name from the goddess.