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Demeter, or Ceres in Roman mythology, was the goddess of vegetation and fruitfulness. Her only daughter Persephone was raped and carried off by Hades. She sought her over the face of the earth, forgetting to care for the land and leaving it icebound and lifeless. To save the world, Zeus bade Hades return Persephone to Demeter. But because Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, she could not return to her mother permanently. The final compromise was: each year Persephone should spend six months in the upper world and the other six in the underworld. That is why we have the vegetative cycle.
[解說]
1. “Demeter, or Ceres in Roman mythology, was the goddess of vegetation and fruitfulness”： Demeter，或羅馬神話中的 Ceres (細兒理絲)，是植物生長與豐收之女神。 “vegetation”：植物、植物生長。
2. “Her only daughter Persephone was raped and carried off by Hades”：她唯一的女兒Persephone 被 Hades 強暴而帶走。Persephone 之羅馬名為 Proserpine，她被冥王 Hades (或稱 Dis) 強暴而帶走為妻。
3. “She sought her over the face of the earth”：她在地表上到處找她。 “seek, sought, sought”：尋找。
4. “forgetting to care for the land”= “and forgot to care for the land”：而忘了照顧大地。 “care for”：照顧。
5. “and leaving it icebound and lifeless”：而留下它 (大地) 冰封而無生機。 “icebound” = bound by ice (冰封)。
6. “To save the world, Zeus bade Hades return Persephone to Demeter”：為了救世人，Zeus 命令 Hades 送回 Persephone 給 Demeter。 “bid, bade, bidden”：吩咐、命令。
注意：在 bid 後之動詞省去 to，故 “bade Hades return ...”
7. “But because Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds while in the underworld”：可是因為 Persephone 吃過六粒石榴種子，當她在下界時。 “pomegranate”：石榴。 “seeds”：種子。
8. “she could not return to her mother permanently”：她不能永遠回到她的母親。 “permanently”：永遠。
9. “The final compromise was”：最後的妥協是…
10. “each year Persephone should spend six months in the upperworld and the other six in the underworld”：每年 Persephone 必須花六個月在上界 (陽間) 而另外六個月在下界 (陰間)。
11. “That is why we have the vegetative cycle”：那就是為什麼我們有植物循環的理由。 “vegetative cycle”：植物循環 (春夏興旺、秋冬枯萎之循環)。
[複習填充]
Demeter, or Ceres in Roman , was the goddess of v and fruitfulness. Her only daughter Persephone was r_____ and carried by Hades. She sought her the face of the earth, forgetting to care the land and leaving it ice and life . To save the world, Zeus Hades return Persephone to Demeter. But because Persephone had eaten six p s while in the underworld, she could not return to her mother p . The final com was: each year Persephone should spend six months in the and the other six in the underworld. That is why we have the v c . . |
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