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All Things Splendorous: The Story of April 四月的故事

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If ever there were a month that we should associate with the beautiful, April would be it. Some people claim that the name April comes from apirere, meaning “open,” which has the connotation of a spring flower welcoming the warm rays of the sun. Many, however, contend that it is named after Aphrodite, a goddess of supreme beauty.

如果我们要将某个月份和美丽联想在一起，那么就非四月莫属了。有些人宣称April 这个字来自意为「开放」的apirere，这个字也隐含了春天的花朵欢迎温煦的阳光之意。然而，有许多人主张，四月是以最美的女神爱芙洛蒂所命名的。

Aphrodite’s birth was as miraculous as her legendary looks: she is said to have arisen from the frothing seas. Struck by her charms, other deities began referring to her as the goddess of all things fair. Many strove to win her heart, but Aphrodite spurned them all.

爱芙洛蒂的诞生就跟她出了名的外貌一样不可思议；据说她是从冒泡的海中升起。其他神祇对她的妩媚感到惊艳，便开始称她为所有美好事物的女神。许多神祇努力要赢得她的芳心，但爱芙洛蒂均不屑一顾。

Aphrodite’s father, Zeus, was not amused by his daughter’s inflated pride, and punished her by marrying her off to Hephaestus, the rather ugly god of fire. Hephaestus adored Aphrodite and fashioned jewelry for her out of the finest gold. He had hoped that his gifts would win the heart of his new wife, but his plan backfired and the jewelry ended up making her irresistible to all. When Zeus discovered this, he punished his daughter by making her fall in love with a mortal man. The experience finally taught the goddess a lesson in humility.

爱芙洛蒂的父亲宙斯对女儿的过份自满感到不悦，便将她嫁给相当丑陋的火神赫斐斯特斯作为惩罚。赫斐斯特斯相当喜欢爱芙洛蒂，并用上等黄金制作珠宝送给她。他原本希望他的礼物可以赢得新太太的芳心，但他的计划却未能如愿，爱芙洛蒂戴上那些对所有人来说反而更具诱惑力。当宙斯发现这件事后，他又惩罚爱芙洛蒂，让她爱上一位凡人。这个经验终于给这位女神上了一堂谦逊的课。

All things considered, the month of April is aptly named after the lovely Aphrodite. But just don’t let her know. We don’t want to make her too proud again.

基于这些考虑，以动人的爱芙洛蒂之名来命名四月是很适切的。但可别让她知道，我们可不想让她再度骄傲起来！

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Vocabulary

contend [kənˋtɛnd] v. 争论; 坚决主张，声称

supreme [səˋprim] adj. 最高的，至上的

miraculous [mɪˋrækjələs] adj. 神奇的；超自然的

legendary [ˋlɛdʒənd͵ɛrɪ] adj. 传说的；传奇的

inflated [ɪnˋfletɪd] adj. 夸张的; 膨胀的

humility [hjuˋmɪlətɪ] n. 谦卑，谦

More Information

splendorous [ˋsplɛndərəs] adj. 华丽的

associate [əˋsoʃɪɪt] v. 把……联想在一起 [+with]

connotation [͵kɑnəˋteʃən] n. 言外之意

arise [əˋraɪz] v. 产生，出现，形成[（+from/out of）]

froth [frɑθ] n. 泡沫，气泡

deity [ˋdiətɪ] n. 神；女神

refer to...as:  把…称为…

fair [fɛr] adj.（妇女）美丽的

spurn [spɝn] v. 轻蔑地拒绝

adore [əˋdor] v. 爱慕，热爱

fashion [ˋfæʃən] v. 〔用手或几件工具〕制作

backfire [ˋbækˋfaɪr] v. 产生和预期情况完全相反的结果；事与愿违

irresistible [͵ɪrɪˋzɪstəb!] adj. 不可抗拒的；诱人的

all things considered:  考虑到问题的各个方面  after carefully thinking about all the facts or opinions

aptly [ˋæptlɪ] adv. 适当地，适切地；巧妙地