常春藤解析英语【60】Monsters！有怪兽！

Monsters！　有怪兽！

by Kevin Lustig

From time to time, animals are born with mutations like extra limbs, strange deformities, or even additional heads. In ancient Rome, this frightful² event was believed to be an omen³ that bad things were on the horizon. The Romans used the word monere, which means "to warn," to give these creatures the name monstrum, or monsters. The meaning has changed since then, but "monster" remains⁴ a word to describe something terrifying.

The concept of monsters has evolved to include many scary creatures, most of which are simply literary inventions. However, monsters are more than just a way to terrify ourselves. In fact, they play an important cultural role. We often use them as a way to deal with our concerns and anxieties about other real-life topics. For example, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a scientist named Dr. Frankenstein creates a horrific creature from parts of dead bodies. The creature　escapes from the lab and roams the countryside on a killing⁵ spree. Frankenstein may seem to be just a good monster tale, but in fact, it examines serious human concerns about science. When Shelley wrote Frankenstein, the world was going through a great period of scientific discovery. This produced a lot of anxiety as scientists began to discover powerful natural forces that they didn't fully⁶ understand. In a way, Frankenstein's monster helped people focus on and confront their fears.

Many monsters, from the Big Bad Wolf in children's books to ghouls in ghost stories, help humans deal with their real fears about life and death. In this way, monsters are good for more than just a good scare.

单字小铺

1. monster n. 怪物
2. mutation¹ n. 变种，突变
3. limb n. 肢；臂
4. deformity n. 畸形
5. frightful a. 可怕的
6. omen n. 预兆
7. terrifying a. 令人害怕的
8. scary a. 吓人的
9. anxiety n. 焦虑，不安
10. horrific a. 可怕的
11. roam vt. 漫步
12. examine vt. 检查
13. fully adv. 完全地
14. ghoul n. 食尸鬼

词组小铺

1. deal with...　　处理∕应付……
2. focus on...　　将焦点放在……

难句分析

The concept of monsters has evolved to include many scary creatures, most of which are simply literary inventions.
= The concept of monsters has evolved to include many scary creatures most of the creatures are simply literary inventions.

（怪物的概念几经演变，如今包括许多吓人的生物，其中有些只是文学产物。）

精解字词词组

1. from time to time　有时候，偶尔
= (every) now and then
例: If you clean out your closet from time to time, you'll have room for new clothes.
（如果你偶尔整理一下你的衣柜，就有空间放新衣服了。）

2. be on the horizon　即将到来
= be near at hand
= be around the corner
例: Economists⁷ believe that there might be trouble on the horizon for the US economy.
（经济学家相信美国的经济可能即将发生问题。）　

3. evolve vi.　进化
evolve into...　进化成……
例: Can you believe that apes evolved into human beings?
（你相信猿类进化成人类吗？）　

4. play an important role (in...)　（在……方面）扮演重要的角色
例: Cell phones play an important role in today's society.
（手机在现今社会中扮演重要的角色。）　

5. escape from...　逃离……
例: Luckily, we were able to escape from the burning building.
（我们很幸运能逃离那栋着火的房子。）　

6.spree n.　无节制的狂热行为
a shopping spree　疯狂购物
例: After I won the lottery⁸, I went on a shopping spree.
（中了彩券后，我开始疯狂血拼。）　

7.go through...　经历……
例: Mary went through a difficult time after being laid off.
（玛莉被裁员之后经历了一段苦日子。）　

8.confront vt.　面对；遭遇
be confronted with...　　面对……；遭遇……
例: We were confronted with many problems before the project was completed.
（在这件企划完成前，我们遭遇许多困难。）　

中文翻译

偶尔，动物出生时会有突变，像是多出四肢、奇怪的畸形或甚至多出几颗头。古罗马时期，这种可怕的事据信是一种预告，代表坏事即将发生。罗马人用 monere 这个意指『警告』的字，将这种生物命名为 monstrum，也就是 monsters（怪物）。从那时起，这个字的意思虽已改变，monster 仍用来形容可怕的事物。

怪物的概念几经演变，如今涵盖许多吓人的生物，而其中大部分只是文学产物。然而，怪物不只是我们吓自己的一种方式而已。事实上，牠们扮演了一个重要的文化角色。我们通常利用怪物来处理对现实生活议题的关心与焦虑。举例来说，在玛莉．雪莱的《科学怪人》中，一位名叫弗兰肯斯坦的科学家拼凑死人的身体，创造出一个可怕的生物。这只生物从实验室逃走后，在乡间到处横行，大开杀戒。《科学怪人》也许看起来只不过是个很棒的怪物故事，但它其实检视了人类对科学的严肃关切。当玛莉‧雪莱撰写《科学怪人》时，世界正经历一段伟大的科学发现时期。这也引发了许多焦虑，因为科学家开始发现自己无法全然了解强大的自然力量。就某种方面来说，弗兰肯斯坦医生的怪物帮助人们专注并面对自身的恐惧。

从童话书里的大野狼到鬼故事里的食尸鬼，许多怪物帮助人类处理面对生死的真实恐惧。如此一来，怪物的作用不仅仅是让你吓破胆而已。
 

1 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

2 frightful   

adj.可怕的；讨厌的

参考例句：

• How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊！
• We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。

3 omen   

n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示

参考例句：

• The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
• Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。