作者：布尔芬奇
出版社：外语教学与研究出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
古希腊罗马神话(轻松英语名作欣赏-中学版)(4级下)试读：
致读者
童年时代动人的童话故事和经典名著永远是人无法抹去的温情回忆。现在，你可以尽情沉浸在英文经典殿堂中，欣赏英文作品的原汁原味。“轻松英语名作欣赏”专为需要提高英语阅读及听力水平的各类读者而设计，系列中收录的都是大家耳熟能详的故事，简单而亲切。通过阅读和收听这套有声读物，你的英语阅读水平和理解能力都会得到明显的提高。
本系列分为五个级别，词汇量从350词至1000词逐级扩大，“如何使用本书”和“如何提高英语阅读水平”提供了概括性的指导。另外，本系列还针对不同的故事内容设计了“你读懂了多少”（Comprehension Quiz），帮助你检测阅读理解的效果。“阅读准备”（Before You Read）以图文并茂的形式让读者对生词形成一定的感性认识，并在文中给出更详尽的注释。书后附有译文，帮助你更好地理解故事。本系列还配有精美的插图和“
背景知识
”（Understanding the Story），让你的阅读更加多姿多彩。各书的内容由英语国家的专业编辑人员在标准美国英语的基础上，根据不同级别读者的语言水平进行改编，也可应用于英语课堂教学。
现在，让我们开始“轻松英语名作欣赏”听读的快乐体验吧！
关于故事和说故事的人
托马斯·布尔芬奇（1796～1867）Thomas Bulfinch托马斯·布尔芬奇1796年出生于马萨诸塞州的牛顿市。他就读于波士顿拉丁学院及哈佛大学，毕业后曾在拉丁学院授课。赴华盛顿谋求商机未果后，他回到波士顿，在数个行业开创事业，不过最终只成为波士顿商人银行的一名普通职员。
作为波士顿自然史学会的秘书，托马斯在业余时间透彻地研究了神话和传说。他富有同情心，喜欢阅读。1867年5月，71岁的托马斯离开了人世，终身未娶。
他的著名作品包括《神话时代》、《骑士时代》及《查理大帝传奇》。这三部著作被视为“布尔芬奇神话系列”，他本人也被尊为神话研究的最高权威之一。《古希腊罗马神话》节选自《神话时代》一书。据说托马斯撰写此书的目的是为了让美国人更熟悉经典文学，拓宽知识面；并在这个物欲横流、道德缺失的年代凸显道德的重要性。因此，此书不仅可以作为消遣的读物，还具有深刻的教育意义。《神话时代》讲述了古代诸神的许多故事，包括他们的起源、奥林匹斯山众神的诞生、主神们的性格特征、神与人之间发生的事件及关系，等等。
如何使用本书
❶ 原汁原味的作品
英文简洁流畅，易于理解。
❷ 重点词汇（Key Words）
结合上下文给出了词性和词义。
❸ 一点通（One Point Lesson）
语法讲解简单明了。
如何提高英语阅读能力
第一步：避免不必要的阅读干扰，抓住关键词汇。
在阅读中，练习通过抓住句中关键词来把握整句的核心意义。如果你不认识某个单词，试着猜猜它的意思，不要马上就去查词典。培养根据上下文推测词义的能力非常关键，因为上下文是判断单词意思的重要途径。之后再通过查词典检查其释义。
第二步：切分长句。
本书的正文部分是由长句拆分成的短句构成，便于初学者阅读。当你发现自己开始不满足于不断分行的短句时，就说明你的阅读水平已经提高了，可以阅读更高级别的图书了。
第三步：经常性大量阅读。
想学好英语并没有捷径。只有那些进行大量阅读的学习者才能登上语言学习的顶峰。如果你经常大量地阅读英语作品，相信你的英语水平会有一个令人惊喜的提高。Before You Read
阅读准备
第1章
CHAPTER 1The Origin of the Gods诸神的起源
Today, the religions of ancient Greece are extinct. Instead of worshiping the gods or goddesses of Mt. Olympus, nowadays people read stories about these mythical characters for entertainment. Although they are ancient, these stories are still valuable. They portray the best and worst of human behavior. These stories provide valuable insight into who we are and why we act as we do.
Before earth and sea and heaven were created, all things were gathered in one confused and shapeless mass called Chaos. In Chaos slept the seeds of all things.
The first god to come into existence was Gaea, Mother Earth. No one knows where she came from or how she came into being. As she slept, Gaea gave birth to Uranus, Father Sky. He became her husband, and together they had many children.
Their first three children were called the Hundred-Handed Ones. They were huge, powerful monsters with fifty heads and one hundred hands. They were hideous to look at and extremely destructive. They played with earthquakes, thunder, and lightning like toys, and they always fought with each other.
The Hundred-Handed Ones hated their father, and for this, Uranus decided to push them deep into the earth. He imprisoned them there in a place called Tartarus. Tartarus was so deep underground that it was even below Hades, the underworld that was formed later as the final destination for the dead. No god, however powerful, could escape this terrible place.
After the Hundred-Handed Ones, three Cyclopes were born. They were huge giants who had only one eye in the middle of their foreheads. One Cyclops represented thunder, another lightning, and the last the lightning bolt. The Cyclopes were the first ones to shape metal to make armor and weapons. Uranus feared their power also, and he threw them into Tartarus as well.
The third race of beings created by Gaea and Uranus were the Titans. They were born huge and powerful like their elder brothers, but they were not as ugly. They were twelve in number: six male and six female.
The Titans set about creating things like the moon, the seas, mountains, forests, and plains. They married each other and gave birth to a great number of other beings. These children became the lesser gods and goddesses of all the natural features of the earth. For example, the first two Titans were Oceanus and Tethys. Oceanus formed the ocean that surrounded the earth. He married his sister Tethys, who gave birth to the three great rivers known to the Greeks, including the Nile in Egypt. They also had more than three thousand other children. Their sons were called Oceanids, and their daughters were Nymphs or Oceanides. Each became the minor god or goddess of a river, stream, spring, lake, or pond.
The imprisonment of the Hundred-Handed Ones and the Cyclopes hurt Gaea. She began to encourage the Titans to rebel against Father Sky. Cronus was the youngest and the bravest of the Titans. He promised his mother that he would defeat his father and free her children.
When Uranus spread himself over the earth, Cronus leapt up and swung his scythe. He seriously wounded Uranus by cutting off a vital organ. This organ fell into the ocean, where it created the goddess of love, Aphrodite.
Uranus withdrew from Earth, and from that time on, the sky and the earth never touched again. Uranus cursed Cronus, saying that one of Cronus' children would rise up against him, just as Cronus had risen up against Uranus.
Once Cronus had defeated Uranus, he married his sister Rhea and took his father's throne on Mt. Othrys. They gave birth to many children. However, Cronus was cruel to these children because he remembered his father's curse. To prevent his children from revolting against him, he swallowed them whole as soon as they were born. They were immortal, so they could not die. Instead, they continued to grow within their father.
When Rhea was pregnant with her sixth child, she was determined not to let her husband swallow it also. After giving birth to a son, she wrapped a stone in a blanket to give to her husband. Cronus quickly swallowed the stone, not realizing it was not the newborn baby. Rhea hid her son on the island of Crete. She named him Zeus and waited for him to grow up.
When Rhea thought Zeus was strong enough to challenge his father, she brought Zeus back to the palace. She gave Zeus a potion to give Cronus. As soon as the king drank it, he began to vomit. One by one, Zeus' older brothers and sisters were thrown from Cronus' heaving mouth.
When Cronus realized what was happening, he knew that Zeus was his child. Uranus' curse was coming true! Gasping and weak, Cronus fled the palace to gather his strength and to call for help from his brothers and sisters.
Zeus and his siblings were much weaker than their father's generation. Zeus took them to Mt. Olympus to organize. A Titan named Prometheus joined them. Prometheus' name meant "forethought" because he could see into the future. He saw that Zeus would win this war.
Prometheus advised Zeus to unlock the Hundred-Handed Ones and the Cyclopes from their prison. Zeus threw open the gates of Tartarus and set his uncles free. The Hundred-Handed Ones hurled boulders a hundred at a time against the Titans.
The Cyclopes made lightning bolts for Zeus to use as weapons. They also gave Poseidon a magical trident. With it, Poseidon could shake the earth and shatter any object. For Hades, the Cyclopes fashioned a helmet that made the wearer invisible. With these weapons and the strength of their new allies, the Olympians won their ten-year war against the Titans.
This war was so terrible that it nearly destroyed the world. Old Father Sky became so weak that he was in danger of collapsing onto Mother Earth. After the Olympians were victorious, Zeus condemned the Titan Atlas to support the sky on his shoulders for eternity. Today, Mt. Atlas in northwestern Africa still seems to hold up the sky.
Zeus put Cronus and his allies, except for Atlas of course, in Tartarus. Then he assigned the Hundred-Handed Ones to guard the gates of Tartarus for all time.
With the entire world open to them after the war, the Olympians chose the summit of Mt. Olympus for their home. Mt. Olympus lay in the center of Greece. Some ancient Greeks thought of Mt. Olympus as more than a real mountain. They imagined it as some mysterious region far above all the mountains of the earth. Wherever it was, the entrance to the home of the gods was a great gate of clouds kept by the Seasons. Beyond these gates were the gods' dwellings. It was a place of perfect peace. The Greek poet Homer wrote that no wind ever shook the peace of Olympus; no rain or snow ever fell there. The cloudless, blue heavens stretched around it on all sides, and the yellow glory of sunshine bathed its walls.KEY WORDS
religion n. 宗教信仰
ancient adj. 古代的
extinct adj. 消亡了的
worship v. 信奉；崇拜
mythical adj. 神话中的
character n. 人物
entertainment n. 乐趣，消遣
valuable adj. 有价值的
portray v. 描述
behavior n. 行为
insight n. 洞察（力）
create v. 创造
confused adj. 混乱的
shapeless adj. 没有形状的
mass n. （聚成一体的）团，块
Chaos n. 混沌
existence n. 存在
come into being 形成
give birth to 生下
monster n. 巨人，怪物
hideous adj. 丑陋的
extremely adv. 极端地
destructive adj. 具有破坏力的
earthquake n. 地震
thunder n. 雷
lightning n. 闪电
imprison v. 禁锢，限制
underground adj. 在地下的
underworld n. 阴间，地狱
form v. 形成
destination n. 目的地，终点
escape v. 逃脱，逃离
giant n. 巨人
represent v. 代表
lightning bolt 霹雳
shape v. 使成形
metal n. 金属
armor n. 盔甲
weapon n. 武器
as well 也
race n. （生物的）族，类
male n. 男性
female n. 女性
plain n. 平原
a great number of 大量
lesser adj. 次要的
natural adj. 自然的
feature n. 特征，要素
surround v. 包围，环绕
include v. 包括
minor adj. 次要的
stream n. 小溪
spring n. 泉
pond n. 池塘
imprisonment n. 禁锢，限制
rebel v. 反叛，反抗
defeat v. 打败
free v. 解放，释放
spread v. 伸展，张开
(spread-spread-spread)
leap v. 跳
(leap-leapt-leapt)
swing v. 挥舞
(swing-swung-swung)
scythe n. 长柄大镰刀
wound v. 使受伤
vital adj. 极其重要的
organ n. 器官
withdraw v. 撤退，离开
(withdraw-withdrew-withdrawn)
curse v. 诅咒
throne n. 王位
cruel adj. 残酷的
revolt v. 反叛，反抗
swallow v. 吞下
immortal adj. 不死的，永生的
pregnant adj. 怀孕的
determined adj. 决意的
wrap v. 包，裹
blanket n. 毯子
realize v. 察觉，意识到
newborn adj. 初生的
hide v. 把……藏起来
(hide-hid-hidden)
challenge v. 挑战
potion n. 含有魔力或有毒的药剂
vomit v. 呕吐
heave v. 呕吐；喘息
gasp v. 喘气，喘息
flee v. 逃离
(flee-fled-fled)
gather v. 积聚（力量）
sibling n. 兄弟姐妹
generation n. 同代人
organize v. 组织
mean v. 意思是
(mean-meant-meant)
see into 领会，了解
future n. 未来
unlock v. 释放，放出
prison n. 监狱
throw open 猛力推开
set ... free 释放……
hurl v. 猛投，力掷
boulder n. 巨石
magical adj. 有魔力的
trident n. 三叉戟
shake v. 使振动，摇动
(shake-shook-shaken)
shatter v. 使粉碎，砸碎
object n. 物体
fashion v. （手工）制作
wearer n. 穿戴者
invisible adj. 看不见的，隐形的
ally n. 同盟者
destroy v. 破坏，摧毁
collapse v. 倒塌，塌下
victorious adj. 胜利的
condemn v. 迫使（某人）处于（某种状态）
support v. 支撑
eternity n. 永恒，永远
hold up 承受住，支撑
except for 除……以外
assign v. 分配，指派
for all time 永远
entire adj. 整个的
summit n. 顶点，顶峰
lie v. 位于
(lie-lay-lain)
in the center of 在……中央
imagine v. 想象
mysterious adj. 神秘的
region n. 地区
entrance n. 入口
dwelling n. 居所，住处
perfect adj. 完全的，绝对的
peace n. 和平，安宁
heaven n. 天空
stretch v. 伸展
glory n. 灿烂，壮丽
bathe v. 使沐浴，使沉浸CHAPTER 1第1章Comprehension Quiz
你读懂了多少
A 根据故事内容判断正误，正确的选T，错误的选F。
❶ People today still worship the Greek gods.
T F
❷ The Titans were the first race of beings created by Gaea and Uranus.
T F
❸ Cronus was the only Titan who challenged his father.
T F
❹ The Cyclopes were the first to use metal for making weapons and armor.
T F
B 将下列两栏中相关的内容连线。
C 根据故事内容回答下列问题。
❶ What is the best description of the Titans?
(a) Ugly monsters with one hundred hands.
(b) Huge giants who had only one eye.
(c) Large giants who were not as ugly as the Cyclopes.
❷ According to Greek mythology, who created the sky?
(a) It formed by itself through gravity.
(b) Gaea gave birth to it.
(c) The Hundred-Handed Ones created it.
D 选择适当的词填空。
escape wounded unlock see condemned
❶ Prometheus advised Zeus to __________ the Hundred-Handed Ones and the Cyclopes from Tartarus.
❷ No god could __________ from Tartarus.
❸ He seriously __________ Uranus by cutting off a vital organ.
❹ Zeus __________ Atlas to support the sky on his shoulders for eternity.
❺ Prometheus could __________ into the future.答案
A ❶ F
❷ F
❸ T
❹ T
B ❶ - ⓒ
❷ - ⓐ
❸ - ⓑ
❹ - ⓔ
❺ - ⓓ
C ❶ (c)
❷ (b)
D ❶ unlock
❷ escape
❸ wounded
❹ condemned
❺ see
第2章
CHAPTER 2The 12 Olympians奥林匹斯山的12主神
In time, the Olympians grew in number to twelve. Zeus and his brothers and sisters represented the first generation of Olympians. Aphrodite, who was created from Uranus' severed organ, was also included in this generation. Zeus' sons and daughters joined this first generation on Mt. Olympus. These twelve Olympians replaced the Titans as the gods and goddesses of the natural world.
Zeus became the absolute ruler of all, replacing Cronus as god of the sky. As the ruler of all the gods, he was all-powerful and all-knowing. He could change his shape or the shape of anything else. Like most other gods, he traveled at the speed of thought. However, he could be tricked or distracted. Zeus' greatest weakness was his fondness for beautiful women. Although he married his sister Hera, he was constantly chasing beautiful goddesses or mortal women. He had many children. When he had a child with a Titan or an Olympian, the child became a god, but when Zeus had a child with a mortal, that child usually became a mortal hero.
Poseidon replaced the Titan Oceanus as lord of the seas. He was the second most powerful god after Zeus. Sailors were at his mercy, and they prayed to him for calm seas and safe passage. Poseidon was stubborn, and he usually argued with the other gods.
Hades became the lord of the underworld and gave the place his own name. This is where mortals went after their deaths. Hades was a powerful god, and he was jealous of his kingdom. He did not easily let dead spirits return to the world of the living.
Hera, Zeus' beautiful wife, was the goddess of marriage. It is ironic that her own marriage was not a happy one. In many stories, she was the symbol of a jealous wife. She hated the many beautiful women who caught Zeus' eye.
Hestia, an older sister of Zeus, played no part in the ancient Greek myths. She was the goddess of the fireplace. The Greeks would carry their newborn children around this fireplace before they were accepted into the family.
Aphrodite was the goddess of love, desire, and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts, she had a magical girdle that caused anyone she wanted to desire her.
The other six Olympians were all sons or daughters of Zeus. However, they did not all share the same mother. One of them, Athena, had no mother at all!
Athena sprang full grown in armor from Zeus' forehead. Having sprung from Zeus' brain, Athena represents wisdom and reason. She invented the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She was Zeus' favorite child and was allowed to use his thunderbolts.
Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera. He married Aphrodite, but she did not love him. He was unique among the gods because he was ugly and lame. Some say that Hera, upset at having an ugly child, flung him from Mt. Olympus into the sea, breaking his legs. He was the god of fire and the forge, and he made weapons and armor for the gods. Although he made instruments of war, he was kind and peace-loving.
Ares was another son of Zeus and Hera. Like Hephaestus, he was disliked by both his parents. Ares was the god of war. He killed many of his opponents, but he was a coward.
Artemis and Apollo were twins. Their mother was a Titan named Leto, who was one of Zeus' earliest mistresses.
Artemis was the goddess of chastity, virginity, the hunt, the moon, and the natural environment. She was the lady of wild things and the hunter of the gods. All wild animals, especially the deer, were sacred to her.
Apollo was very important in Greek mythology and was respected almost as much as Zeus. He represented many things, including order, harmony, and civilization. Apollo's most important duty was as the sun god. Every day, he would drive his sun chariot across the sky to give light and warmth to mortals. He was also the god of music. Apollo would entertain the other Olympians with sweet music from his golden harp. In addition, he was an excellent archer and was sometimes worshiped as the god of archery.
Hermes was the youngest Olympian and also was the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. Hermes was the god of shepherds, merchants, public speakers, literature, athletics, and thieves. He was known for his cunning. Most importantly, he was the messenger of the gods. It was his duty to guide the souls of the dead down to the underworld. He was also closely connected with bringing dreams to mortals.
The twelve Olympians gathered in Zeus' palace to discuss and often to argue about the affairs of heaven and earth. Even though they were superior to humans, they sometimes behaved very badly. They were jealous and greedy, and they fought with each other. Sometimes, instead of fighting each other directly, they would use mortal heroes like chess pieces to settle their arguments. This is how the Greeks explained many lucky or unfortunate events that happened in their myths.KEY WORDS
sever v. 割断，切断
replace v. 代替
absolute adj. 绝对的
ruler n. 统治者
shape n. 外形
trick v. 欺骗，哄骗
distract v. 使分心
weakness n. 弱点
fondness n. 喜爱
constantly adv. 经常，总是
chase v. 追逐
mortal n. 凡人
lord n. 主人，统治者
sailor n. 水手
at one's mercy 任凭某人摆布
pray v. 祈祷
passage n. 航行
stubborn adj. 顽固的
argue v. 争论
be jealous of 小心守护的，唯恐失去的
kingdom n. 王国
spirit n. 灵魂
marriage n. 婚姻
ironic adj. 讽刺的
symbol n. 象征
jealous adj. 嫉妒的
play a part 起作用，有影响
myth n. 神话
fireplace n. 壁炉
accept v. 接受
desire n. 欲望
in addition to 除……之外
gift n. 天赋
girdle n. 腰带
share v. 共有，分享
spring v. 跳，跃
(spring-sprang-sprung)
brain n. 大脑
wisdom n. 智慧
reason n. 理智
invent v. 发明
bridle n. 马勒，马笼头
rake n. 耙子
yoke n. 轭
chariot n. 战车
unique adj. 独特的
lame adj. 跛足的
upset adj. 心烦的，苦恼的
fling v. 投，掷
(fling-flung-flung)
forge n. 铸造
instrument n. 工具
opponent n. 对手
coward n. 懦夫
twins n. 孪生儿
mistress n. 情妇
chastity n. 纯洁
virginity n. 童贞
environment n. 环境
sacred adj. 神圣的
mythology n. 神话
respect v. 尊敬
harmony n. 和谐
civilization n. 文明
warmth n. 温暖
entertain v. 娱乐
harp n. 竖琴
in addition 另外
archer n. 射手
archery n. 箭术
nymph n. （居于山林水泽的）仙女
shepherd n. 牧羊人
merchant n. 商人
literature n. 文学
athletics n. 体育运动
cunning n. 狡猾，狡诈
messenger n. 使者
guide v. 引导，指引
be connected with 和……相关
discuss v. 讨论
affair n. 事务
superior to （在地位、等级方面）高于
behave v. 表现
greedy adj. 贪心的，贪婪的
directly adv. 直接地
chess piece 棋子
settle v. 解决
argument n. 争论，争端
explain v. 解释
lucky adj. 幸运的
unfortunate adj. 不幸的Prometheus and Pandora
普罗米修斯与潘多拉
Only two Titans were welcome at Mt. Olympus. One was Prometheus, whose advice had ensured the Olympians' victory. The other was Prometheus' brother, Epimetheus. Prometheus had asked Zeus to allow his brother always to be with him. He preferred to keep Epimetheus near him because Epimetheus, whose name means "afterthought", lacked wisdom and common sense.
Zeus assigned Epimetheus and Prometheus the task of populating the earth with all manner of creatures. The brothers began their task with tireless energy. Soon fish swam in the seas, birds flew through the air, and four-legged beasts roamed the land.
But Zeus wanted a nobler animal, so Prometheus set about making mankind, leaving his brother in charge of finishing the lower creatures. Prometheus used some mud and clay to create humans. He shaped men to walk on two legs so that while all the other animals turned their faces downward, humans alone would raise their faces to heaven and gaze at the stars.
Zeus had commanded the Titan brothers to give each creature a special gift. These gifts would ensure the survival of the different species. Epimetheus gave these gifts to the creatures he was assigned to finish. He distributed hard shells to sea creatures, strength to the big cats like lions and tigers, feathers to winged animals, and sharp teeth to hunters. Epimetheus gave the lower creatures so many of these gifts that there was nothing left to give to humans.
Prometheus was disappointed by his brother's stupidity. Men were supposed to be the most superior creatures on earth, but there was nothing to give to them! Naked, with small teeth and average strength, they would not survive for long.
Prometheus thought long and hard and then came up with an idea. He gave men intelligence, so that they could rise above the other creatures. Prometheus thought that this gift was not enough, so he went up into the heavens and lit a torch with the sun. When he returned to earth, he gave the torch to mankind.
With the gift of fire, men were more than a match for all the other animals. It enabled them to make weapons of wood and steel as well as tools for farming. It was possible for mankind even to reach for the heavens and challenge the gods! When Zeus realized that Prometheus had stolen the sacred fire of the gods and given it to mortals, he was filled with anger. Forgetting his debt of gratitude to Prometheus, Zeus commanded that the Titan be chained to a rock for all eternity.
During Prometheus' pain and suffering, men were not left unpunished. Zeus commanded Hephaestus to fashion a woman out of
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