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The Trojan War: A Battle for Love and Beauty 特洛伊的故事

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

At the top of Mount Olympus, home of the gods, three powerful goddesses, Athena, Hera and Aphrodite are arguing over who is the most beautiful. To end the argument, Zeus, the King of the Gods, arranges a beauty contest. He asks Paris, a handsome prince from the city of Troy, to be the judge.

众神居住的奥林帕斯山上，阿西娜、希拉与爱芙罗黛蒂这三位威力强大的女神在争论谁最美丽。为了平息纷争，众神之王宙斯安排了选美比赛，请特洛伊城的英俊王子帕里斯担任评审。

For Aphrodite, this contest is particularly important because she is the goddess of love and beauty. It will be a huge embarrassment if she should lose the competition. Therefore, she visits Paris the night before the contest and promises that if he chooses her, she will give him the most beautiful woman in the world. It is too sweet a bribe for Paris to turn down. The next day he declares Aphrodite the winner.

对爱芙罗黛蒂而言，这场选美格外重要，毕竟她是主掌爱与美的女神，万一输掉比赛，她会十分难堪。因此在比赛前夕，爱芙罗黛蒂拜访帕里斯王子，承诺若他说她最美，她就将世界上最美丽的女人送给他。这个贿赂对帕里斯来说太美好，他实在无法拒绝。隔日，他便宣布爱芙罗黛蒂获胜。

Later that year, Paris pays an official visit to a Greek king named Menelaus, whose wife, Queen Helen, is the woman that Aphrodite promised Paris. Helen falls in love with Paris at first sight. In the darkness of night, Aphrodite helps Paris and Helen sneak out of the city and sail for Troy. Angered, Hera sends a storm to send them off course, but it does not stop them from reaching Troy.

同一年稍后，帕里斯正式拜见一位名叫米奈劳斯的希腊国王，他的妻子海伦王后正是爱芙罗黛蒂应许给帕里斯的女子。海伦对帕里斯一见钟情，趁着黑夜，爱芙罗黛蒂协助海伦与帕里斯潜逃出城，航向特洛伊城。愤怒的希拉用一场暴风雨使他们偏离航道，但这并未阻挠他们抵达特洛伊城。

Vocabulary

单词发音

embarrassment [ɪmˋbærəsmənt] n. 窘；难堪

bribe [braɪb] v. 向……行贿；收买

declare [dɪˋklɛr] v. 宣布，宣告

official [əˋfɪʃəl] adj. 正式的

sneak [snik] v. 偷偷地做

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单词发音

Trojan [ˋtrodʒən] adj. 特洛伊（人）的

Olympus [oˋlɪmpəs] n. 奥林巴斯山; 天；天堂

Athena [əˋθinə]【希神】阿西娜（司智慧，技艺，战争的女神）

Hera [ˋhirə] 【希神】希拉（天后，宙斯神之妻）

Aphrodite [͵æfrəˋdaɪtɪ]【希神】爱芙罗黛蒂（司爱与美之女神）

Zeus [zjus]【希神】宙斯（希腊神话中的主神）

Paris [ˋpærɪs] 帕里斯

Troy [trɔɪ] 特洛伊（小亚细亚西北部一古城，特洛伊战争之遗址）

turn down 拒绝(某人或其请求、忠告等) to reject or refuse, as a person, advice, or a suggestion

Menelaus [ˌmɛnəˈleəs] 斯巴达王

off course  偏离航线  not moving forward as wanted or expected

课文朗读

课文讲解

When Menelaus discovers that Paris has stolen his wife, he is outraged. He calls on powerful men from all over Greece to come to his aid, including Odysseus, a king famous for his wisdom. The Greeks sail for Troy with the largest army in history.

发现帕里斯拐走了自己的妻子，米奈劳斯极为震怒。他号召希腊各地的强者前来助他一臂之力，其中包括以足智多谋着称的一位国王奥德修斯。希腊人率领史上最庞大的军队航向特洛伊城。

The Trojans are not intimidated by the powerful invading army. They have faith in their city’s thick, massive walls and a magical statue sacred to Athena. The Trojans know that as long as they possess that statue, Troy cannot fall. The Greeks attack fiercely and kill thousands of Trojans, but they are unable to take the city itself.

特洛伊人并不惧怕大举入侵的敌军，厚实高大的城墙，以及具有法力的阿西娜神像，使他们深具信心。特洛伊人知道，只要他们保有神像，特洛伊城就不会被攻陷。虽然希腊人猛烈攻击，杀害了数以千计的特洛伊人，仍无法拿下这座城。

After nine years of war, the Greeks have lost many great warriors, but still, have not broken through. An opportunity for the war to end arises when Paris finally agrees to fight Menelaus for Helen’s hand. However, Aphrodite interferes, snatching Paris from the battlefield just as he is about to be killed by Menelaus.

经过九年的争战，希腊人折损了许多优秀的战士，可是仍无法破城。终于，战争出现了结束的契机，帕里斯同意与米奈劳斯决斗，以此决定海伦的归属。然而爱芙罗黛蒂却从中干涉，就在米奈劳斯要杀掉帕里斯的当下，爱芙罗黛蒂自战场劫走帕里斯。

The Greeks begin to despair and consider giving up. Odysseus realizes that the city must be taken by cunning rather than brute force. One night, he sneaks into Troy and steals the sacred statue, causing the city to lose its magical protection. Now the Greeks only need a way to overcome the walls.

希腊人开始感到绝望，考虑放弃。奥德修斯想到要攻下这座城不能光靠蛮力，而得靠智取。一天晚上，奥德修斯潜入城内，偷走了阿西娜神像，让特洛伊城失去神力的保护。现在，希腊只需想出克服城墙的办法就行了。

Vocabulary

单词发音

intimidated [ɪnˋtɪmə͵detɪd] adj. 害怕的；受到恐吓的

sacred [ˋsekrɪd] adj. 神圣的；不可侵犯的

interfere [͵ɪntɚˋfɪr] v. 介入；干涉，干预

cunning [ˋkʌnɪŋ] n. 狡猾，奸诈

overcome [͵ovɚˋkʌm] v. 克服

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单词发音

outrage [ˋaʊt͵redʒ] v. 使〔某人〕震怒

call on 号召; 请求 to order or request to undertake a particular activity

come to one's aid 帮助某人; 救援某人 If you come or go to someone's aid, you try to help them when they are in danger or difficulty.

Odysseus [oˈdɪsjus] n. 奥德修斯（古希腊荷马所作史诗<奥德赛>中的主人公，伊塞卡国王，在特洛伊战中献木马计）

invade [ɪnˋved] v. 侵入，侵略

statue [ˋstætʃʊ] n. 雕像，塑像

arise [əˋraɪz] v. 产生，出现

snatch [snætʃ] v. 夺走，夺得

despair [dɪˋspɛr] v. 绝望，丧失信心

brute [brut] adj. 残忍的；蛮横的

课文朗读

课文讲解

The next morning, the Trojans joyfully discover that the Greek army has suddenly and mysteriously departed. All they have left behind is a gigantic wooden horse, underneath which a man lies tied up, with a small fire burning nearby.

次日清晨，特洛伊人欣然发现希腊军队不知为何突然离开了，所留下的只有一匹巨型木马，底下躺着一名被五花大绑的男子，而他身旁有小火堆正在烧着。

The man explains that Odysseus’s actions angered Athena, so she killed many of the Greeks. They tried to retreat, but the goddess demanded a new statue and a human sacrifice before they could leave. He was supposed to be the sacrifice, but luckily for him the fire had not caught.

男子解释，奥德修斯的行为触怒了阿西娜，于是她杀了许多希腊人。他们设法撤退，但阿西娜要求他们在撤退前得先做好新的雕像，并附上一人作为祭品。他本来应当成为祭品，但幸运的是火还没烧到他。

The Trojans take the horse into the city to replace their old statue and begin to celebrate. That night, as the Trojans feast in triumph, Odysseus and a group of warriors pour out of wooden horse where they have been hiding. They run to the city’s gates and open the doors for the Greek army, which has returned during the night. The army takes the Trojans by surprise and destroys the city.

特洛伊人将木马推进城里，替代旧的雕像，并开始大肆庆祝。当晚，就在特洛伊人大吃大喝、庆祝胜利时，奥德修斯与一群战士自藏身的木马中出来，冲向特洛伊的城门，为摸黑返回的希腊军队打开城门。希腊军队攻得特洛伊人措手不及，最后灭了特洛伊城。

Paris is killed trying to flee the city. Helen returns to Menelaus, who forgives her and takes her back to Greece. Life returns to normal in Greece, but Troy lies in ruins with its citizens slaughtered. Such is the cost of the love of the most beautiful woman in the world.

帕里斯在逃离特洛伊途中被杀害。海伦回到米奈劳斯身边，米奈劳斯原谅了她，并带她回希腊。希腊的生活恢复正常，但特洛伊却因惨遭屠城而尸横遍野，成了废墟。这一切都是爱上全世界最美丽的女人得付出的代价。

−by Michael Karanicolas & Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

gigantic [dʒaɪˋgæntɪk] adj. 巨大的，庞大的

retreat [rɪˋtrit] v. 撤退

in triumph 胜利地, 凯旋地

forgive [fɚˋgɪv] v. 原谅

slaughter [ˋslɔtɚ] v. 杀戮，屠杀

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单词发音

depart [dɪˋpɑrt] v. 离开，离去

leave behind 留下, 忘了带 depart and not take along

feast [fist] v. 尽情地吃

ruin [ˋrʊɪn] n. 废墟；遗迹

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