常春藤生活英语【63】Island Folk Tales

Have you ever heard old stories about heroes or magic? Most likely you have, either as a young child or as you got older. These stories are known¹ as folk² tales1 and are a part of every culture. Some folk tales from Taiwan are about how famous places were named, shaped, or transformed. Alishan and Sun Moon Lake are the centers of some of the best known stories. Other folk tales are about historical³ heroes and the good things they did.

The purpose of folk tales is to hand down cultural information, which could be about social rules, life lessons, or people's experiences. For example, Little Frog in the Well teaches us to have a broader view of the world around us. Another story, The Tigress2 Witch3, is about how being clever helped one girl deal with danger and save her own life.

Books and websites about Taiwanese folk tales are popping up everywhere. Houston Taiwanese School of Languages and Culture created the book Folk Stories of Taiwan. It is a part of their Taiwanese Tradition Series⁵, which also includes a book about festivals in Taiwan. It provides English translations4 of folk tales by people who want to share their cultural heritage5.

It is often said that if you want to understand a culture, you should listen to their folk tales. Don't be fooled into thinking they are outdated⁷. There is always something new to learn or discover through Taiwanese folk tales.

您曾听过关于英雄或魔法的古老故事吗？您很有可能听过，不是在您还小就是当您长大一些时。这些故事被称为民间故事，更是每个文化中的一部分。台湾民间故事有一些是描述某些著名地点是如何得名、成形、或是改变的。阿里山和日月潭是一些最知名传说的故事中心。其它民间故事则关于历史英雄和他们的伟大事迹。

民间故事的目的是传承有关社会规范、生活教训、或个人经验等文化讯息。例如《井底之蛙》教导我们要以更开阔的视野看待我们周遭的世界。另一个故事《虎姑婆》，是关于一位女孩是如何运用机智来帮助自己应付危机，并且还救了自己一命。

有关台湾民间故事的书籍和网站在各地如雨后春笋般出现。《台湾民间故事》这本书是由休斯敦台湾语文学校所创作。这是他们台湾传统系列书籍的一部分，其中也包含一本关于台湾节庆的书。这本书刊载了民间故事的英文译本，是由那些想与他人分享其文化遗产的人所译成。

常听人说，假如您想了解某个文化，您就应该聆听他们的民间故事。不要被骗，以为它们早已过时。透过台湾民间故事，您总能学习或发现一些新的事物。

Building Your Vocabulary

1.transform　vt. 改变；转化
I transformed the kitchen into a study.
我把厨房改造成书房。

2.broad　a. 广大的；广泛的
Kelly has a broad range of interests.
凯莉的兴趣非常广泛。

Phrases⁸ for Learning⁹

1.hand down.../hand...down　将……流传下去
My grandmother handed her pearl¹⁰ necklace down to me.
我奶奶将她的珍珠项链传给了我。

2.deal with...　应付∕处理……
Helen should learn to deal with stress better.
海伦应该学着要更妥善地应付压力。

3.pop up　突然出现，冒出来
Many ideas just popped up in my head.
很多想法突然浮现在我脑海中。

4.fool+人+into+动名词　骗某人做……
There's no way you can fool me into accepting this bad deal.
你是绝对无法骗我接受这笔赔钱交易的。

< 参考字词 >
1.folk tale　n. 民间故事
2.tigress　a. 雌老虎
3.witch⁴　n. 巫婆
4.translation　n. 翻译
5.heritage⁶　n. 遗产，传统

TIPS IN USE

Most likely you have, either as a young child or as you got older.
（您很有可能听过，不是在您还小就是当您长大一些时。）

句中有两个 as，不过两者意思、词性皆不同，前者为介词，表『当作……』；后者为连接词，表『当……时』，相当于 when 之意。例：

As a student, you need to study hard.
（你身为一位学生，必须用功读书。）

As I was young, I was quite happy.=When I was young, I was quite happy.
（我年轻时很快乐。）

1 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

2 folk   

n.人们；家属，亲属；adj.民间的

参考例句：

• I am not very fond of folk dance.我不太喜欢民间舞蹈。
• Difficulties help to forge people into able folk.困难有助于把人们锻炼成能干的人。

3 historical   

adj.历史的，史实的，历史上的

参考例句：

• The book is based on historical events.这本书是根据历史事件写成的。
• We have shared the same historical experiences.咱们有着共同的历史遭遇。

4 witch   

n.巫婆，女巫；vt.施巫术，迷惑

参考例句：

• The witch changed the prince into a frog.巫婆把王子变成了青蛙。
• The heartless witch cast a spell on the poor little girl.狠心的女巫对孤苦无助的小女孩施了妖术。

5 series   

n.连续；系列

参考例句：

• The students have put forward a series of questions.学生们提出了一系列问题。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

6 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

7 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

8 phrases   

n.短语( phrase的名词复数 )；成语；说法；乐句

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

10 pearl   

n.珍珠，珍珠母

参考例句：

• He bought his girlfriend a pearl necklace.他给他女朋友买了一条珍珠项链。
• The crane and the mother-of-pearl fight to death.鹬蚌相争。