课文翻译unit10.doc

Language points 1. Very few Londoners have seen them, but the friend of a friend has seen them several times. (Para 1) People who believe in the Subterraneans do not claim to have seen them but to have been told the story. Such information is referred to as second-hand. Here the story is third-hand, from a friends friend. In other words, it is highly unreliable. 2. It usually describes something which might have happened, an apocryphal, second-hand story told as if it were true, just about plausible enough to be credible, about some event which has supposedly happened to a real person. (Para 2) The word apocryphal means doubtfully true, probably untrue. The books of the Bible were chosen from a large number of texts. The rejected ones are to be found in a collection called the Apocrypha, the books which do not contain reliable information and are not sacred. As a metaphor, the adjective might be used in a biography: There are many apocryphal stories about George Washingtons childhood. 3. Factual or not, its likely to rely on expert storytelling and on a trustworthy source, such as It happened to my brothers friends mother. (Para 2) Whether or not the story is true, it has to be told in a convincing way and the source has to sound reliable. 4. According to them, a myth … which contributed to the expression of shared beliefs and values. (Para 3) The sentence means a myth played a part in the creation of a common world view, ie a culture. 5. It has been told and retold many times over the years, gathering embellishments which are specific to the culture in which its set. (Para 5) Gathering embellishments means having extra bits or decoration added on, which makes the story grow more complicated and detailed as time passes. 6. In Greek mythology, Odysseus sails between Scylla and Charybdis, the narrow and dangerous channel between mainland Italy and the island of Sicily. (Para 7) Odysseus in his wanderings had to sail between Scylla, a huge sea monster, and Charybdis, a