文档介绍：Unit Two
Myths and Legends
Pandora's Box:
A source of many unforeseen troubles:
At one time the only mortals (凡人, 人类) on the earth were men. Prometheus 普罗米修斯(造福于人类的神) had made them, Athene had breathed life into them. The chief god Zeus did not like them.
One day Prometheus was trying to solve a quarrel that was raging between the gods and the men. At a festival the men were going to sacrifice a bull for the first time. They asked him which parts of the bull should be offered to the gods and which should be eaten by men. Prometheus decided to play a trick on Zeus. He killed the bull, skinned it and butchered it. He split it into two portions, in one he put the best, lean meat. In the second he put bones followed by a thick layer of fat.
Prometheus offered both to Zeus to take his choice. Zeus looked at both portions, one looked good but was rather on the small side, the other was much larger and covered in a layer of fat which Zeus felt must cover the best, tastiest portion of meat. He chose that one. When Zeus realized that he had been tricked he was furious. He took fire away from man so that they could never cook their meat or feel warm again.
Prometheus reacted immediately flying to the Isle of Lemnos 利姆诺斯岛(位于希腊) where he knew the smith Hephaestus (赫菲斯托斯:火和锻冶之神) had fire. He carried a burning torch back to man. Zeus was enraged. He swore vengeance and started making an evil plan.
Zeus, set Hephaestus the task of creating a clay woman with a human voice. Hephaestus worked and worked and created a masterpiece. Athene, goddess of wisdom and Zeus' daughter liked the clay figure and she breathed life into it. She taught the woman how to weave and clothed her. Aphrodite 阿芙罗狄蒂(爱与美的女神) the goddess of love made her beautiful. The god Hermes 赫耳墨斯(为众神传信并掌管商业、道路、科学、发明、口才、幸运等的神) taught her to charm and deceive.
Zeus was pleased with what he saw, but he had made her as a trap. He named the woman Pandora and sent her as a gift to Epimetheus (伊阿佩托斯与潘多拉之子,普罗米修斯的兄弟). Epim