英语听力：自然百科 冰岛矮人族传说

 Elves and trolls hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Iceland. The tradition and mythology¹ of the country’s small folk dates back to the 10th century AD, when the first Norwegian Vikings settled on the island.

 

Tales of elves were first mentioned in Iceland's medieval literature, and most of these epic² poems of battles and encounters between elves, trolls and Norwegian Vikings have survived, partly because the Icelandic language has remained almost unchanged in more than 1000 years.

 

“The elves is something that we are actually brought up with. It's just a part of our mindset. It's not to talk about whether we believe they exist or not. It's just a huge part of our history, something that we grow up with. I don't know how they would feel today. I think they would actually try to protect us. So they are so much a part of our environment, whether or not they exist or not. ”

 

Magnus Skarphedinsson is a self-proclaimed elf and troll expert as well as the founder³ of the country's first and only elf school.

 

“Well according to my files, there are at least 13 different types of elves. They are from five centimeters up to two meters. There are about three species of hidden people which are totally human-sized people, and then we have gnomes⁴, and dwarves⁵ and fairies which have wings, and we have trolls and a lot of other invisible beings to exist here.”

 

 In the past two decades, he has collected hundreds of stories of alleged⁶ encounters between Icelanders and non-human entities⁷.

 

“Well, these stones, 1971 they were in the middle of the place where the highways are. And when the State Road Company wanted to smash them because they wanted to build the highway, everything went wrong here. The workers were sick and the machines were overheated and broke down. So in the end, the director of the company got a psychic⁸ man to here to talk with the elves and hidden people in the stones. Magnus claims that 54 percent of Icelanders believe in elves and trolls. ”

 

“I once saw an elf walking home from school. It was little, cute and with colorful clothes. He was with other elves. They seemed happy and didn't talk to each other. They were just walking and jumping.”

 

“I'm not so sure about the elves. For me, it's just a fairy tale. I used to believe in them when I was a kid. I thought I saw them back then. We always used to say, I saw an elf. But I think it was just about being a kid. ”

 

Amidst century-old tin-roofed houses in the village of Stokkseyri on Iceland's southern coast, is Icelandic Wonders, a museum dedicated⁹ to elves and trolls where visitors can see replicas¹⁰ of elf dwellings¹¹. Reportedly some tourists stay several days for free, and exchange for posing as trolls and elves to scare visitors.

 

Rebecca Harrison comes from Oregon in the US.

 

“I believe in spirits and trolls I think they are out there. Coming here strengthened my opinion that, yeah, there are spirits, trolls, ghosts because too many people have seen them. It's very real here. You feel it in the museum. There are nights I've been here and you feel spirits or somebody else is here. It's very strong here. ”

 

Andres San Roman is a Spanish tourist who remains¹² skeptical¹³. “People here believe in elves and goblins. Lots of them see trolls and other beings in this country. I don't particularly believe in it. But if they do, then there must be something about it. ”

 

Whether they exist or not will keep people guessing for years to come.

1 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

2 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

3 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

4 gnomes   

n.矮子( gnome的名词复数 )；侏儒；（尤指金融市场上搞投机的）银行家；守护神

参考例句：

• I have a wonderful recipe: bring two gnomes, two eggs. 我有一个绝妙的配方：准备两个侏儒，两个鸡蛋。 来自互联网
• Illusions cast by gnomes from a small village have started becoming real. 53侏儒对一个小村庄施放的幻术开始变为真实。 来自互联网

5 dwarves   

n.矮子( dwarf的名词复数 )；有魔法的小矮人

参考例句：

• Everyone will try to claim it: Men, Dwarves, wizards. 每个种族都会争取它的拥有权：人类，矮人，巫师。 来自电影对白
• Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves? 难道你还不了解那个矮人的倔强吗？ 来自电影对白

6 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

7 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

8 psychic   

n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的

参考例句：

• Some people are said to have psychic powers.据说有些人有通灵的能力。
• She claims to be psychic and to be able to foretell the future.她自称有特异功能，能预知未来。

9 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

10 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句

11 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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。

13 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。