It was a dreaded whirlpool that guarded one side of a narrow channel which Odysseus had to pass.   The other side of the channel was guarded by the monster Scylla.  Circe warned Odysseus to take his chance not with the whirlpool but with the monster, for no one could survive the former.   Today, the phrase “between Scylla and Charybdis” is used to mean frightful or distressing alternatives, one of which must be selected. 

[解說]

1.      “It was a dreaded whirlpool that guarded one side of a narrow channel which Odysseus had to pass”：它是一個可怕的漩渦，它守住 Odysseus 必須通過的一條狹窄的海峽的某ㄧ邊。 “dreaded”：為人所怕的。 “whirlpool”：漩渦。 “channel”：水道、海峽。

2.      “The other side of the channel was guarded by the monster Scylla”：海峽的另一邊是由妖怪 Sylla 守衛著。

3.      “Circe warned Odysseus to take his chance not with the whirlpool but with the monster”：Circe 警告 Odysseus 不要跟那漩渦冒險而要跟那妖怪。 “take one's chance with ...”：跟 … 來冒險  (找機會)。

4.      “for no one could survive the former”：因為沒有人能夠活過前者 (即那漩渦)。

5.      “Today, the phrase 'between Scylla and Charybdis' is used to mean frightful or distressing alternatives”：今天「Sylla 與 Charybdis 之間」這句話就被用來指恐怖的或痛苦的抉擇。 “distressing”：令人罹災罹難的、極為痛苦的。 “alternative”：抉擇。

6.      “one of which must be selected”：其中之ㄧ必須要被挑選。 

[複習填充]

Charybdis was a dreaded           that guarded one side of a narrow          which Odysseus had to pass.  The         side of the channel was guarded by the m      Scylla.  Circe warned Odysseus to take his          not with the whirlpool but with the monster, for no one could s          the former.  Today, the phrase “between Scylla and Charybdis” is used to mean frightful or d           al           , one of which must be s        .

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