English-Chinese Classic Reading Series. Mythology and Legends Volume

Author: Chen Huilin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: "The English-Chinese Classic Reading Series" is a collection of bilingual books compiled specifically for middle and high school students with a certain foundation in English, as well as. The series consists of six volumes: Essays, Short Stories, Myths and Legends, Fairy Tales, Jokes, and Biographies. Since all the selected works are classic masterpieces, the series holds significant value for both reading and collection. Additionally, due to its categorization by genre, it is highly targeted, allowing readers to choose works based on their preferences or to gain a comprehensive overview. It can be said that the classic nature of the series objectively ensures its authority and high quality, while the profound insights and artistic refinement brought by renowned authors are self-evident. As a bilingual reading series, the difficulty level of the works is moderate, and each piece is preceded by a relevant introduction and followed by exercises targeting key vocabulary and phrases, along with answers, to help readers better understand the works and expand their knowledge. This book is part of the Myths and Legends volume. Myths and legends are integral components of world cultures and have had a profound influence on the development of languages and arts in various countries. For example, in English, idioms like "Pandora's box," "an Aladdin's cave," "a Trojan horse," and "an Achilles' heel" all originate from myths and legends. Today, with China's entry into the WTO and the deepening of reform and opening-up, more and more people will study foreign languages. However, during the process of learning foreign languages, many people have limited knowledge of foreign cultures, which inevitably creates obstacles in language learning. Understanding foreign myths and legends, on the other hand, undoubtedly promotes language learning. The works selected in this book are representative myths and legends from both China and other countries, including the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China, as well as ancient Greece, Northern Europe, Britain, England, and Arabia. Among them are works that have had a significant impact on Chinese and Western cultures. Due to considerations of length and difficulty, some works are excerpts or slightly adapted. Each piece is arranged in both Chinese and English for reference, accompanied by sections such as "Reading Window," "Vocabulary Boost," and "Practice Tests." The "Reading Window" introduces the main content and literary value of each myth and legend, while excerpts provide an overview of the corresponding full works to facilitate further reading. The "Vocabulary Boost" explains key vocabulary and phrases in the works, and the "Practice Tests" aim to reinforce readers' grasp of these expressions. All exercises come with answers. While reading this book, readers are encouraged to focus primarily on the English original and use the Chinese translation as a reference to complete the exercises independently. Those with extra time can also delve deeper into the related works introduced in the "Reading Window."