【话匣子英语】加拿大的传说

神秘的事情的吸引力在哪里，那就是你根本不知道它到底是真的还是假的，这就是神秘的事情的吸引力所在吧

Harp¹:              Today we’re gonna do a Chatterbox episode², and that’s where we chat. We interview people or we pick a topic about Canadian culture and we talk about it.

 

Maura:            Now, this time, we are taking another fun idea from a Culips listener, Alejandro Castillo. On Facebook, you asked us about Canadian myths⁴ and you thought maybe that would be an interesting topic for an episode. So, this episode is for you. Harp and I have put together an episode about Canadian myths.

 

Harp:              Yeah. We’re gonna start with talking about myths, what they are, are they true. Then we’re gonna talk about Canadian myths.

 

Maura:            That’s right, Canadian myths. So first of all we’re gonna talk about myths. And what is a myth³?

 

Harp:              What is a myth, Maura?

 

Maura:            Well, it’s a traditional story that has been told over time, and it usually explains something. It could be a natural phenomenon, it could be something cultural, but a myth tries to explain or create or story, an explanation.

 

Harp:              Yeah. And they’re often passed orally or they can be written into a story.

 

Maura:            Yeah. Traditionally myths have been passed on by word of mouth. They are something that has existed for generations.

 

Harp:              Yeah. And usually you have a storyteller who passes this story on by telling it to each generation.

 

Maura:            Nowadays with myths, it’s a bit more casual⁵, but you might hear it from a friend or a family member, or you might hear a story about something that happened in your country or in your culture when you were a kid and it’s just something that everyone, kind of, has heard about.

 

Harp:              Yeah. And we don’t really know if myths are true or not.

 

Maura:            That’s right. Some myths might be true but often myths don’t seem to be true. They’re not usually based in science or they’re not usually logical⁶. But some people do believe in myths. They’re mysterious.

 

Harp:              They are mysterious. And I think one reason why they don’t seem believable is because so many people are telling the story that they become more exaggerated⁷ and more unreal as more people tell the story.

 

Maura:            It’s true, you know. You might hear someone say something like “Oh, that’s just a myth.” And that really means that’s not true. So myths have a reputation for not being very reliable.

 

Harp:              And you know, when Alejandro suggested this topic, I had to really think about because in Canada, we don’t really have that many myths.

 

Maura:            That’s the first thing I thought: “Canadian myths? I’ve never even heard those words together.” Because we don’t really have myths. Now, one reason for this is that we’re such a new country. We don’t have that many long-standing traditions.

 

Harp:              Yeah. We’re such a young country. We’re 145 years old. It’s not that old.

 

Maura:            When I think about how long other countries have existed, 145 years is not even as old as their oldest building.

 

Harp:              That’s true.

 

Maura:            Yeah. So a lot of myths—or what we would call Canadian myths—are Native myths, stories that explain the origin of things. This is the closest thing that we might have to a Canadian myth.

 

Harp:              We have a couple of Canadian myths. Should we move on to that topic?

 

Maura:            All right, let’s do that. Even when Alejandro suggested the idea of Canadian myths, I really wasn’t sure what we were going to be able to come up with.

 

Harp:              I had a couple of ideas, and when I started doing research, I was quite excited about this episode.

 

Maura:            OK. So, I’m originally from Ontario, and to be honest, I can’t think of any myths or stories that I heard about things going on around my part of Canada.

 

Harp:              OK. Well I grew up in British Columbia and in Alberta, so I thought of a couple of myths that I remember when I was younger.

 

Maura:            All right. Do tell!

 

Harp:              The first one is Bigfoot.

 

Maura:            Oh, really?

 

Harp:              Yeah. Sasquatch.

 

Maura:            So, a sasquatch, or a Bigfoot, are the names for a really big, hairy kind of animal that looks and walks like a human—except for the hair all over its body, I guess.

 

Harp:              Yeah. A Bigfoot, or a sasquatch, is this large, hairy animal that looks kind of like a human.

 

Maura:            Right. And they live in the wilderness⁸. So they live in, usually, the mountains or a big forest; someplace where a lot of animals live and humans don’t. OK, so I’ve definitely⁹ heard that in lots of different parts in the world there have been people who’ve seen, or are said to have seen, Bigfoot.

1 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

2 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

3 myth   

n.神话，神话故事

参考例句：

• The story has points of resemblance to a Hebrew myth.这个故事与某个希伯来神话有相似之处。
• The story is a pure myth.这故事纯属虚构。

4 myths   

n.神话( myth的名词复数 )；杜撰出来的人[事物]

参考例句：

• They drew the material of their plays chiefly from myths and legends. 他们主要从神话传说中提取剧本的素材。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jasper White is one of rare people who believes in ancient myths. 贾斯珀。怀特是少有的相信古代神话的人之一。 来自新概念英语第二册

5 casual   

adj.漠不关心，冷漠的；随便的，非正式的；偶然的，碰巧的

参考例句：

• He earns a living by casual labour.他靠做临时工为生。
• The guests wore casual clothes.客人们穿着便服。

6 logical   

adj.逻辑(上)的，符合逻辑的；合乎常理的

参考例句：

• It is logical that the book is expensive.书贵是很自然的事。
• This is undoubtedly logical.这显然是顺理成章的。

7 exaggerated   

adj.言过其辞的

参考例句：

• Inevitably, the press exaggerated the story. 新闻界照例又夸大了这件事。
• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated. 他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。

8 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

9 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。