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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
by Rachel Black
It is speculated that in ancient Greece, before horses became common, invaders2 from the north rode on horseback and attacked villages. To the Greeks, these horsemen looked like monstrous3 half-men and half-animals. It seemed as if the horse and the man were both one creature. The Aztecs in the Americas felt the same way when they first spied Spanish cavalrymen.
Over time, many stories developed about these beasts with the head, body, and arms of a man but the legs, back, and tail of a horse. They were said to be lustful4, drunken creatures that savagely5 interrupted life wherever they turned up.
According to legend, the centaurs7 were the grandsons of Ixion, the king of Thessaly. When Ixion died, King Pirithous inherited part of Thessaly. The centaurs then claimed Thessaly as their birthright. The centaurs fought Pirithous, but eventually peace was secured. The centaurs were invited to Pirithous' wedding as a gesture of goodwill8. Unfortunately, they got drunk and tried to carry off Pirithous' bride and the other women. Naturally, Pirithous wouldn't stand for this, and a battle ensued. The centaurs lost the fight and were exiled.
This famous battle is depicted9 on earthenware10 in museums across the globe. History has forever judged them as drunken, violent, lustful monsters without honor. But there is a constellation11 in the heavens that tells a different tale, and the Harry12 Potter books cast them in a better light, too.
1. How did the legend of centaurs begin?
(A) When Greeks first saw men on horseback.
(B) When Ixion's son married a horse.
(C) When ancient Greeks looked at the stars in the sky.
(D) When the Harry Potter books were published.
2. What is meant by the expression "gesture of goodwill"?
(A) Act of aggression13.
(B) Show of kindness.
(C) Sign of hostility14.
(D) Nod of appreciation15.
3. What happened to the centaurs after the wedding?
(A) They lost a fight and were sent away.
(B) The centaurs made some pottery16 with the women.
(C) The centaurs regained17 Thessaly after a fight.
(D) They became stars in the sky.
精解字词词组
1. speculate vt. 推测
例： It is speculated that the manager is going to resign next month.
（据推测，经理下个月即将辞职。）
2. spy vt. 侦查 & vi. 暗中监视
spy on... 暗中监视……
例： The police spied on the suspicious man 24 hours a day.
（警方全天候监视那个可疑的男人。）
3. interrupt vt. 打断；打扰
例： David tends to interrupt people's conversations, so I don't like to be around him.
4. turn up 出现
= show up
例： My boyfriend turned up shortly before the party was about to come to an end.
（我男朋友在派对快结束前才出现。）
5. inherit vt. 继承
例： After inheriting my grandfather's farm, my mother has been enjoying the peaceful country life.
（妈妈继承外公的农场之后，一直很享受乡村的平静生活。）
6. claim vt. 声称；要求
claim damages on... 对……要求赔偿损失
例： After the accident, Randy claimed damages on his wrecked18 scooter.
（发生意外之后，蓝迪要求赔偿撞坏的机车。）
7. secure vt. 使巩固；使安全
例： The police officers secured the area around the hotel the president was staying in.
（警察保卫总统下榻饭店附近区域的安全。）
8. be invited to... 被邀请至……
例： All of the students in this class were invited to their teacher's wedding.
（这个班所有学生都受邀参加老师的婚礼。）
9. carry off... 劫持……；获得……（奖品、荣誉等）
例： Tina carried off first prize in the composition contest.
（蒂娜获得作文比赛的第一名。）
10. ensue vt. 接着发生
例： The fire broke out in the building, and unfortunately, an explosion ensued.
（那栋大楼发生火灾，不幸的是，接着还发生爆炸。）
11. exile vt. 放逐
be exiled to... 被放逐至……
例： After the revolution, some rioters were exiled to other countries.
（革命平息后，一些暴动者被流放到其它国家。）
12. cast...in a...light 从……的角度诠释……
例： The film cast the late president in a negative light.
（这部电影用负面的角度诠释那位已故总统。）
For Your Information
有人推测在古希腊，马匹尚未普遍之前，北方来的侵略者骑在马背上攻击村庄。对希腊人来说，这些骑马的人看起来就像半人半马的怪物，彷佛就像人马合一变成了人头马。美洲的阿兹提克人第一次看见西班牙骑兵时也有同样的想法。
随着时间流逝，许多故事都对这种顶着人头、人身和双臂与马腿、马背和马尾的动物详加描述。牠们被描述成好色且醉醺醺的生物，每次出现都野蛮地介入人们的生活。
根据传说，人马是赛萨利国王伊克西翁的孙子。伊克西翁驾崩后，皮里托斯国王继承了赛萨利的部分土地。人马声称赛萨利是属于他们的财产。人马和皮里托斯于是展开了一场战斗，但最后以和平落幕。为了表示善意，皮里托斯邀请人马参加自己的婚宴。不幸地，人马喝醉了，还试图掳走皮里托斯的新娘和其它女人。皮里托斯当然无法容忍这种事情发生，战争再度爆发。人马打了败仗而遭到放逐。
这场著名战役被描绘在全球博物馆收藏的陶器上。历史永远都将人马评价为酒醉、暴力的好色怪物，完全没有荣誉感可言。但天空中却有着一个人马座诉说不同的传说，而《哈利波特》系列书籍中也以较正面的观点诠释牠们。
单字小铺
1. sinful a. 有罪过的
4. monstrous a. 似怪物的
5. cavalryman19 n. 骑兵
6. lustful a. 好色的
7. savagely adv. 野蛮地
8. birthright n.（理应继承的）财产
9. gesture n. 表示；姿态
10. goodwill n. 亲善，友好
11. earthenware n. 陶器
12. constellation n. 星座
13. aggression n. 侵略
14. hostility n. 敌意
15. appreciation n. 欣赏
16. pottery n. 陶器
词组小铺
1. on horseback 骑着马
2. over time 随着时间流逝
3. stand for... 容忍∕允许……
For Your Information
1. 人马的传说如何开始的？
(A) 希腊人第一次人看见骑在马背上。
(B) 伊克西翁的儿子和一只马结婚后。
(C) 希腊人看到天上的星星后。
(D) 《哈利波特》出版后。
题解： 根据第一段，古希腊人在马匹尚未普遍之前，看见北方来的侵略者骑在马背上，这些骑着马的人看起来就像半人半马的怪物，故应选 (A)。
2. "gesture of goodwill" 指的是什么？
(A) 侵略的行动。
(B) 善意的表示。
(C) 敌意的象征。
(D) 点头表示欣赏。
题解： gesture 是『表示』，goodwill 是『友好』，意思与 (B) 相近，故选之。
3. 婚宴之后人马发生了什么事？
(A) 牠们输了战争而遭放逐。
(B) 人马和那些女人一起做陶器。
(C) 人马在战后重新得到赛萨斯。
(D) 牠们变成天空中的星星。
题解： 根据第三段，人马在婚宴上喝醉了，试图掳走皮里托斯的新娘和其它女人，引起皮里托斯的愤怒，战争因而爆发，人马打了败仗而遭到放逐，因此 (A) 为正选。
标准答案: 1. (A) 2. (B) 3. (A)
收听单词发音 |
1
invader
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| n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者 | |
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invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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3
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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lustful
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| a.贪婪的；渴望的 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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centaur
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| n.人首马身的怪物 | |
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centaurs
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| n.（希腊神话中）半人半马怪物( centaur的名词复数 ) | |
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goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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9
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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earthenware
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| n.土器，陶器 | |
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constellation
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| n.星座n.灿烂的一群 | |
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12
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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aggression
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| n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害 | |
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14
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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15
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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pottery
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| n.陶器，陶器场 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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cavalryman
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| 骑兵 | |
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