He was the half-man, half-serpent son of Hephaestus.   Athena reared him but kept him in a chest guarded by serpents.   The chest was then given to the three daughters of Cecrops.  The girls were forbidden to open it, but they did open it.   They were driven mad when they saw the half-serpent child.   In consequence, they leaped from the Acropolis and killed themselves.

 [解說]

1.      “He was the half-man, half-serpent son of Hephaestus”：他是 Hephaestus 的半人半蛇的兒子。

2.      “Athena reared him but kept him in a chest guarded by serpents”： Athena 養他，但把他放在箱子裡由蛇來保護。 “rear”：養育。 “chest”：箱子。

3.      “The chest was then given to the three daughters of Cecrops”：那箱子後來給了Cecrops的三個女兒。  Cecrops 是 Athens 的創始國王，其腰下像蛇。

4.      “The girls were forbidden to open it, but they did open it”：那些女孩被禁止打開它，但她們的確打開它。

5.      “They were driven mad when they saw the half-serpent child”：她們被驅使發瘋起來，當她們看到那半蛇的小孩時。

6.      “In consequence, they leaped from the Acropolis and killed themselves”：結果，她們從衛城 (Acropolis) 跳下而殺死了自己。 “in consequence” =  consequently (結果)。 the Aceopolis 是衛護 Athens 的衛城。

 [複習填充]

Erichthonius was the half-man, half-        son of Hephaestus.  Athena r      him but kept him in a c       guarded by serpents.  The chest was then given to the three daughters of Cecrops.  The girls were for        to open it, but they      open it.  They were d         mad when they saw the half-serpent child.  In con         , they leaped from the Acropolis and killed themselves.

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