关于大学英语六级阅读

成功离不开一点一滴的积累，对于考试，要想基础打得好，就要做大量的习题。那么关于英语一些六级阅读素材你们知道有哪些呢?以下是小编为大家准备了关于大学英语六级阅读模板，欢迎参阅。

关于大学英语六级阅读篇1

The drums beat as the dragon boats race . This must be mainland China or Taiwan, right? Think again. These days the traditional Chinese boats are racing in places as unlikely as England and Italy. Dragon -boat racing was introduced to the world in 1982, when the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival1 included international competitors. In the 1990s, dragon-boat racing caught on2 in many non-Asian countries. It quickly became the world’s fastest-growing water sport. What’s the appeal3 ? Dragon-boat racing combines athletic competition , cultural interest and just plain fun.

The boats are manned4 by 20 paddlers, one drummer and one person who steers. Nearly 18 meters long, the colorful boats resemble dragons with elaborate heads and tails. The team paddles to the beat of the drum. The boats speed along, rising high and moving smoothly along the water. In about three to six minutes, they cross the finish line.

The races recall Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet in ancient China. When he drowned in the Mi Luo River, the people raced out to save him. But they were too late .

Dragon boats are now racing in towns and cities around the world. Students, working people and older people race for fun and exercise . Serious paddlers compete for cups and medals. In the United States, the Pacific Northwest International Dragon Cup is in its 11 th year. In Toronto, about 250, 000 spectators turn out for dragon-boat races each summer. Sweden has over 400 teams. Poland, too, has several dragon-boat clubs.

There are even consulting businesses to help people organize local dragon-boat events. They help with site selection, team training and safety. Besides that, non-profit organizations hold competitions to raise money.

And various regional and worldwide races — too many to name — keep serious paddlers busy. In September 2003 , Rome hosted the Club Crews World Championship. In 2004, world-class teams gathered in Shanghai for the fifth International Dragon Boat Federation races. In 2005 . . .

Going to Europe this summer? If so, just remember: When in Rome, do as the Chinese do!

阅读自测

Ⅰ. Complete each sentence with a pro per word , making changes where necessary: ( catch on, appeal, man, patriotic , spectator, consult, amateur, worldclass)

1. Lily is an _________tennis player.

2. Several thousand _________watched the basketball game.

3. That new hairstyle has really_________ . Many people have that hairstyle now.

4. This company does _________work. It helps people start business.

5. The girls _________will the radar till we get back.

6. Kim really loves her country. She is very_________ .

7. This is a _________restaurant. It is known for having excellent quality.

8. The new fashion soon lost its_________ .

Ⅱ. An swe r the followin g que stio n in your own wo rds :

Why does the Dragon-boat Racing become so popular in the world ?

参考答案

Ⅰ. 1. amateur 2. spectators 3. caught on 4 . consulting 5. man 6. patriotic 7 . world-class 8. appeal

Ⅱ. Because it combines athletic competition, cultural interest and just plain fun, and people of all ages can take part in this activity.

参考译文

老传统, 新生命

鼓声阵阵, 龙舟竞渡。这一定是在中国大陆或是在中国台湾吧? 不对, 再猜猜看! 如 今, 传统的中国龙舟在英国和意大利等这些不太可能出现的地方比赛。1982 年, 香港龙舟 节广邀世界好手参加, 龙舟赛开始为世人所知。20 世纪90 年代, 龙舟赛逐渐在亚洲以外 许多国家盛行开来, 并迅速成为一项全球性的水上运动。龙舟赛的魅力何在? 它的魅力在 于它将运动竞技、文化趣味以及娱乐完美地结合起来。

船队由18 位划船手、1 位击鼓手和1 位舵手组成。龙舟将近18 米长, 船身被装点得五 彩缤纷, 船头和船尾被精心制作成龙头和龙尾的形状。队伍随着鼓声节奏划桨。随着龙舟 的速度不断加快, 船身的吃水越来越浅, 在水面上飞速前进。大概只需3 ～6 分钟, 龙舟就 能冲过终点线。

这项比赛是为了纪念中国古代爱国诗人屈原而举办的。当年他在汨罗江投水后, 人们 驾船去救他, 但为时已晚。

如今, 赛龙舟盛行于世界的各个城镇。学生、上班族和老年人参加龙舟赛是为了娱乐 和锻炼身体, 而职业的划船手则为奖杯和奖牌而赛。在美国, 西北太平洋世界龙舟锦标赛 已经迈入了第十一个年头。在多伦多, 每年夏天大约有25 万人前去观赏龙舟赛。瑞典有 400 多支龙舟队伍。波兰也有多个龙舟俱乐部。

一些地方甚至还有专门的咨询机构协助筹办地方性的龙舟赛事。他们负责选择比赛 场地, 训练队员和维护安全。此外, 一些非盈利性组织也通过举办龙舟赛来募集资金。

各地还会举办许多地区性或全球性的比赛——— 数目繁多, 不胜枚举——— 这让许多职业 划船手着实非常忙碌。2003 年9 月, 罗马主办了世界龙舟争霸赛。2004 年, 众多的 队伍聚集上海, 参加第五届国际龙舟联盟赛。2005 年⋯ ⋯

今年夏天要去欧洲吗? 如果是的话, 要记住: 入罗马境, 随龙人俗!

阅读导评

古诗《端午赛龙舟》云:“ 端午云开阵雨收, 万人江上赛龙舟。心随鼓点声声急, 忘却屈 原当日愁。”这是诗人描写人们观看赛龙舟的真实情景。赛龙舟作为中国一项传统民间运 动, 因其竞技性、文化趣味性、娱乐性和大众参与性, 在今天依然有着旺盛的生命力, 并风行 于世界各地。在全球一体化的今天, 各民族的传统文化正在不断地交流融合, 君不见, 时下 许多“ 洋节”也在我们身边悄然兴起。

阅读导释

1. 香港龙舟节是一项大型的文化活动, 每年8 月初举行, 每次大约有70 ～80 支来自世界各 039 地的业余龙舟队伍参赛, 至今已举办十几届了。

2. 受欢迎, 变得流行起来, 常用于口语。例如: Mini-skirts first caught on in the 1960s. ( 迷你 裙最初是在20 世纪60 年代流行开来。)

3. appeal n. 吸引力, 如: Learning English has a special appeal for business people in Asia. ( 亚洲商 界学英语的劲头很足

4. man v. 给⋯⋯配备人手, 如: manned spaceship ( 载人飞船) ; What sort of people would he select to man his government? ( 他将选择怎样的人员来组阁呢?)5. 此句改写自谚语:When in Rome, do as the Romans do. ( 入乡随俗。) 作者巧妙地改用广 为人知的俗语, 使文章结尾变得生动有趣, 整篇文章顿时活了起来。

关于大学英语六级阅读篇2

of all the thanksgiving symbols the turkey has become the most well known. the wild turkey is native1 to northern mexico and the eastern united states.

the turkey has brown features with buff-colored feathers on the tips of the wing and on the tail. the male turkey is called a tom2 and, as with most birds, is bigger and has brighter and more colorful plumage. the female is called a hen and is generally smaller and drab in color. the tom turkey has a long wattle ( a fleshy, wrinkled, brightly colored fold of skin hanging from the neck or throat) at the base of its bill and additional wattles on the neck, as well as a prominent tuft of bristles3 resembling a beard projecting downward from its chest.

the turkey was originally domesticated in mexico, and was brought into europe early in the 16th century. since that time, turkeys have been extensively raised because of the excellent quality of their meat and eggs. some of the common breeds of turkey in the united states are the bronze, narragansett, white holland, and bourbon red.

though there is no real evidence that turkey was served at the pilgrim’s4 first thanksgiving, in a book written by the pilgrim’s governor bradford, he does make mention of wild turkeys. in a letter sent to england, another pilgrim describes how the governor sent “ four men out fowling”returning with turkeys, ducks and geese .

benjamin franklin5 once said, “ i wish the bald eagle6 had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by sharping7 and robbing, he is generally poor and very often lousy. the turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of north america . ”

阅读自测

Ⅰ. fill in each blank according to what you’ve read:

of all the symbols the turkey has become the most well known . the male turkey is called a , and the female turkey is called

a . the turkey was originally domesticated in . turkeys have been extensively raised because of the excellent quality of their since the century. benjamin franklin once said that he wished turkeys but not had been chosen as the representative of the united states.

Ⅱ. question :

why did benjamin franklin think that the turkey but not the bald eagle should be chosen as the representative of the united states?

参考答案

Ⅰ. thanksgiving / tom / hen / mexico / meat and eggs / 16 th / the bald eagle Ⅱ. because he thought the bald eagle was a bird of bad moral character, while the turkey was much more respectable and it was the true original native of north america.

参考译文

火鸡漫谈

在 感恩节所有的象征中, 火鸡已经成为人们最熟悉的东西。野火鸡主要生长在墨西哥 北部和美国东部。

火鸡通体呈褐色, 只是在翅尖和尾部点缀些许浅黄色的羽毛。人们称雄性火鸡为 t om。和大多数鸟儿一样, 公火鸡个头更大, 羽毛的颜色也更加鲜艳明亮。人们把雌性火 鸡称作h en。母火鸡的个头较小, 羽毛是单调的土褐色。公火鸡嘴的底部有一条长长的肉 垂( 这是一种从脖子或喉咙垂下的肉质的皮肤褶皱, 色彩艳丽) , 脖子上也会长些肉垂。而 且, 公火鸡还长有一丛从胸部垂下来的像是一撮胡子一样的竖毛。

火鸡最早在墨西哥被驯化, 并在16 世纪早期被输送到欧洲。从那时起, 人们就因其高 品质的肉和蛋而开始大量饲养火鸡。美国最常见的火鸡品种主要有青铜色、纳拉甘塞特、 荷兰白和波旁红等。

尽管并没有确凿的证据证明美国清教徒在过第一个感恩节时曾把火鸡摆上宴席, 但是 他们的总督布雷德福在他写的一本书中确实提到了野火鸡。另一个清教徒在他寄往英格 兰的信中描述了总督是怎样派“ 四人出去捕鸟”, 结果却带了些火鸡、鸭子和鹅回来。

本杰明· 富兰克林曾经这样说:“ 要是当年我们没有选择秃头雕作为我国的象征就好 了。秃头雕的品行不好, 就像那些靠欺骗和掠夺为生的人中败类一样, 它一般都很卑下, 而 且行为通常也很卑劣。火鸡则是一种更加值得尊敬的鸟, 不仅如此, 它是北美真正土生土 长的鸟儿。”

阅读导评

一提到火鸡, 人们就会想到感恩节餐桌上那道香喷喷的大餐, 但是把它和美国历史联系起来的人并不多。假如美国人当年真的把火鸡选作国鸟, 是不是美国甚至整个世界的历 史都会改变呢? 鸟儿, 不论是高尚还是卑鄙, 无非是为了生存而已, 可人的欲 望却是无止境 的。要改变国鸟, 再难也容易, 要改变整个国家的政策和国民的性格, 才是最难最难的。

阅读导释

1. 这个词作“ 本地的, 土生的”解, 如: native land ( 故乡) ; native tongue ( 母语) ; a native italian ( 一个土生土长的意大利人) ; the maize is native to america. ( 玉米是美洲的土产。)

2. 这里指“ 雄性动物”, 特别是猫和火鸡。后文中的hen 多指雌性家禽和水生动物。考虑 到本文的写作特点, 直接译为公火鸡和母火鸡。

3. 该词原指竖起的鬃毛, 此处指火鸡脖子上竖起的较硬的羽毛。

4. pilgrim 原意为朝圣者。此处大写, 专指美国早期的清教徒移民。1620 年, 的“ 五月花”号船满载着不堪忍受英国国内宗教迫 害的102个清教徒到达美洲, 并且在新英格兰 建立普利茅斯殖民地。为了纪念那些虔诚的殖民者, 也为感谢上帝赐予丰收和健康, 美 国把每年11 月的第四个星期四定为感恩节。火鸡和南瓜饼都是这一节日的传统食物。

5. 本杰明·富兰克林( 1706—1790) , 18 世纪美国的政治家和文学家, 同时还是了不起 的科学家、发明家。他一生最真实的写照是他自己所说过的一句话:“诚实和勤勉, 应该 成为你永久的伴侣。”

6. 秃头雕。从1782 年起, 秃头雕就是美国的国鸟。秃头雕捕猎的本领较差, 只会跟随其他 海鸟一起去捉鱼, 往往只能抓那些死鱼和半死不活的鱼。有时候, 它们还会从鱼鹰的嘴 中把鱼抢去。

7. 这个词并不是标准用法, 出自sharp adj. 狡猾的, 欺骗的。此处相当于动词, 指“( 运用狡 猾的手段进行) 欺骗”, 特别用于商业贸易中。

关于大学英语六级阅读篇3

the last dinner

jesus spent his last few hours of liberty quietly in the suburb of bethany. it was the day of passover. the jews observed this feast by eating roast lamb and unleavened bread. 2

jesus asked his disciples to go to town and reserve a room in one of the smaller inns and order a dinner that they might all be together.

when evening came, judas, looking bland3 and innocent, left the house together with the others. they went down the mount of olives and entered the city and found that everything was ready. they took their seats around one long table and began to eat.

but it was not a cheerful meal. they felt the dread of those coming events which already were casting their terrible shadow over the small group of faithful friends.

jesus spoke very little. the others sat in gloomy silence. at last peter could stand it no longer, and he blurted4 out what was in everybody’s mind . “master, ”he said,“we want to know. do you have reason to suspect one of us?” softly jesus answered, “ yes. one among you who is now sitting at this table will bring disaster upon us all. ” then all the disciples got up and crowded around him. they protested their innocence. at that moment judas slipped quietly out of the room. they now all knew what was to come. they could no longer remain in that little room. they needed fresh air, and they left the inn and walked out of the gate and went back to the mount of olives and opened the wicket to a garden which a friend had told them to use whenever they wished to be alone . it was called gethsemane5 , after an old oil-press which stood in a corner. after a while jesus walked away from the little group. but three of the disciples who were closest to him, followed at a distance.

he turned around and bade them wait and watch while he prayed.

the time had come for a final decision. escape was still possible , but escape would mean a silent confession of guilt and defeat for his ideas.

he was alone among the silent trees and fought his last great battle . he was a man in the fullness of his years. life still held a great promise. death, once his enemies captured him, would come in a most terrible form. he made his choice . he stayed. he went back to his friends. and behold! they were fast asleep . a moment later, the whole garden was in an uproar. led by judas, the guards of the sanhedrin rushed upon the prophet. judas was at their head. he threw his arms around his master and kissed him. 6 that was the sign for which the soldiers had waited. at that moment, peter realized what was happening.

阅读自测

Ⅰ. welcome to the eden of animals . according to chinese , choose the correct english word: ( bee, rabbit, butterfly, lark, lion, mouse, donkey)

1. tom always has a lot of things to do. every time you see him, he is as busy as a ________( 忙得团团转) .

2. although it was an easy problem, i still made a mistake . it really made feel that i was as stupid as a ________( 蠢如驴) .

3. cathy is dressed very well and looks as beautiful as a ________( 像蝴蝶一样漂亮) .

4. the villagers beat the enemy and lived as merry as a ________( 非常快活) .

5. tom and jerry are twins, but they are quite different. tom is as timid as a ( 胆小如鼠) while jerry as bold as a________ ( 莽如雄狮) .

6. after the company went into bankruptcy ________( 宣告破产) , he was as poor as a church ________( 一贫如洗) .

Ⅱ. can you crack the riddle ?

have you heard of sphinx ( 斯芬克司) of greek mythology?

sphinx was a monster with the head and breast of a woman, the body of a lion, the wings of a bird, a serpent’s tail and lion’s paws. it had a human voice and usually asked passers-by to guess her riddle. if the man was unable to find the answer, she would eat them. if he could, she would kill herself. the riddle is this: what goes on four feet, on two feet, and three , but the more feet it goes on, the weaker it be ?

do you get the answer? explain yourself.

参考答案

Ⅰ. 1. bee 2. donkey 3. butterfly 4 . lark 5 . rabbit / lion 6 . mouse

Ⅱ. it is a man. as an infant, the man crawls upon all fours. when in manhood, he goes erect on two feet and when in old age , he supports his tottering legs with a stick.

关于大学英语六级阅读篇4

the apple of discord

the wedding of peleus and the sea-goddess thetis2 were held and all gods were invited. but her absence3 of one goddess was clearly noticeable. it was eris, the goddess of discord. as she planted seeds of discord wherever she went, it was natural that her presence at the ceremony was not desirable. she had good reason to feel angry. so she decided to make fun of4 the group at the party. eris slipped5 into the hall after the couple left and rolled on the floor a golden apple , having the words, “for the fairest”. it caused a violent quarrel among the three goddesses, hera , athena and aphrodite. zeus found it advisable to send them before a shepherd boy on mt ida, paris by name , for judgment. hermes, the messenger, took the apple in his hand and led the goddess away.

paris was son of priam, king of troy. as his mother dreamed at his birth that she was bearing a piece of burning wood, the babe was regarded as representing the destruction of the city itself. to save the kingdom from possible disaster6 , the parents had the helpless infant left on top of mt ida to die. however, he survived his ill fate. brought up by the herdsmen, he became a strong, handsome lad. he was secretly united with oenone, a fair and faithful mountain fairy maiden. on this particular day, as he was taking care of his sheep on the mountain side, the youth was surprised to see four human beings standing before him. hermes told him about his mission and left. the three holy beauties then competed with each other, showing themselves up before the shepherd. hera promised to make him king of asia. athena undertook7 to help him get imperishable fame in war; whereas aphrodite offered to secure for him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. the primitive instinct of the boy thus moved, aphrodite won the prize , and the other two goddesses left in anger and became deadly enemies of troy.

阅读自测

Ⅰ. fill in the blanks with proper words in the passage :

1. but the absence________ one goddess was clearly noticeable.

2. it was natural that eris, the goddess of discord, her presence________ the ceremony was not desirable.

3. he decided to make fun________ the group at the party.

4. eris slipped________ the hall after the new couple left.

5. as his mother dreamed ________ his birth that she was bearing a piece of burning wood, the babe was regarded representing ________ the destruction of the city itself.

Ⅱ. questions :

1. who rolled the golden apple on the floor?

2. who were the three goddesses to compete to win the apple ?

3. who at last won the title of“ the fairest”and what was the disaster?

参考答案

Ⅰ. 1. of 2. at 3. of 4. into 5 . at / as

Ⅱ. 1. eris rolled the golden apple on the floor. 2. the three goddesses were hera, athena , aphrodite. 3. aphrodite at last won the title of“ the fairest”, but it made the other two goddesses become the deadly enemies of troy.

关于大学英语六级阅读篇5

christianity

christianity began life as a jewish sect. far from attempting to find a new religion, the first christians viewed themselves as jews following the teachings of the jewish messiah . it was only later, after many non-jews converted, that christianity became a religion distinct from judaism2

although christianity shares much with judaism, these two faiths differ significantly with respect to such fundamental issues as god’s relationship with humanity. the central motif through which this relationship has been understood in both traditions is that of a covenant or contract. in hebrew scr iptures ( the old testament3) , god offers a special relationship with his chosen people — the jews through a contract that specifies the terms of this relationship . the details of this arrangement have been modified and expanded from time to time, in a series of covenants with noah, abraham, and moses4. the most well known of these contracts is god’s agreement with moses on mt. sinai, the ten commandments5.

in the christian understanding of covenant theology, god offers humanity a new contract — the new testament6— as revealed in the person and teaching of jesus. unlike previous covenants, the new covenant refers to the eternal fate of individuals rather than to the worldly fate of the nation of israel. also, rather than being offered only to jews, the new contract is offered to humanity as a whole . individual salvation7 and the question of how that salvation can be achieved is a dominant theme of traditional christianity.

salvation, according to this tradition, is necessary because otherwise the individual is condemned to spend eternity in hell8 , a place of eternal punishment. born into sin, the sentence of eternal damnation is the fate of every person unless she or he is saved from this fate by being“ born again ”through faith in jesus christ. all other doctrines are built around a warning of condemnation and a redeeming message of redemption. as the core doctrine, it would be natural that arguments over soteriology ( one’s theory of redemption) would lead to religions schisms. disagreement over competing notions of salvation led to the split between catholicism and protestantism.

given the stark contrast between heaven and hell as eternal abodes of the soul, serious thinkers have had to grapple with the question —what happens to people who, while not saints, nevertheless are generally good people who have never committed any major sins in their lives? reflection on this problem led to the development of purgatory9, an intermediate realm between heaven and hell. in purgatory, souls are tortured for their sins, but are eventually released and allowed to enter heaven.

阅读自测

tra nslate chinese in to english, to lea rn more a bout th e or igina l sin: god created the heavens, earth and all kinds of animals, including two men —adam and eve. they could eat from any tree, except one, in the garden of eden. _____________( 在上帝创造的所有动物之中, 毒蛇是最狡诈的。)“did god really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?”the serpent asked eve .“we may eat the fruit of any tree _____________( 除伊甸园中间那棵树上的果实之外) . god had even said,‘you shall not eat it or even touch it, otherwise you die. ’”but the serpent told eve ,“of course you will not die! god knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and _____________( 你们就会像上帝一样区分出善恶) . ”eve saw the tree was good for good, pleasing to the eyes and desirable for gaining wisdom. so she took some of its fruit and ate it. then she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it, too. then, the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked._____________( 于是他们就把树叶缝在一起, 制成衣服。) when god came, they hid themselves among the trees of the garden.“where are you?”the god asked.“ i heard you in the garden; but i am afraid. _____________( 因为我没有穿衣 服, 所以我躲了起来。) ”answered adam. it was just then god learnt that they had eaten the fruit of the tree in the middle . god was very angry and banished them from the garden of eden.

参考答案

of all the animals that god had made, the serpent was the most cunning. except the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden of eden you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad so they sewed leaves together and made clothes for themselves. because i was naked, i hid myself.

关于大学英语六级阅读篇6

jesus spent his last few hours of liberty quietly in the suburb of bethany. it was the day of passover. the jews observed this feast by eating roast lamb and unleavened bread. 2

jesus asked his disciples to go to town and reserve a room in one of the smaller inns and order a dinner that they might all be together.

when evening came, judas, looking bland3 and innocent, left the house together with the others. they went down the mount of olives and entered the city and found that everything was ready. they took their seats around one long table and began to eat.

but it was not a cheerful meal. they felt the dread of those coming events which already were casting their terrible shadow over the small group of faithful friends.

jesus spoke very little. the others sat in gloomy silence. at last peter could stand it no longer, and he blurted4 out what was in everybody’s mind . “master, ”he said,“we want to know. do you have reason to suspect one of us?” softly jesus answered, “ yes. one among you who is now sitting at this table will bring disaster upon us all. ” then all the disciples got up and crowded around him. they protested their innocence. at that moment judas slipped quietly out of the room. they now all knew what was to come. they could no longer remain in that little room. they needed fresh air, and they left the inn and walked out of the gate and went back to the mount of olives and opened the wicket to a garden which a friend had told them to use whenever they wished to be alone . it was called gethsemane5 , after an old oil-press which stood in a corner. after a while jesus walked away from the little group. but three of the disciples who were closest to him, followed at a distance.

he turned around and bade them wait and watch while he prayed.

the time had come for a final decision. escape was still possible , but escape would mean a silent confession of guilt and defeat for his ideas.

he was alone among the silent trees and fought his last great battle . he was a man in the fullness of his years. life still held a great promise. death, once his enemies captured him, would come in a most terrible form. he made his choice . he stayed. he went back to his friends. and behold! they were fast asleep . a moment later, the whole garden was in an uproar. led by judas, the guards of the sanhedrin rushed upon the prophet. judas was at their head. he threw his arms around his master and kissed him. 6 that was the sign for which the soldiers had waited. at that moment, peter realized what was happening.

阅读自测

Ⅰ. welcome to the eden of animals . according to chinese , choose the correct english word: ( bee, rabbit, butterfly, lark, lion, mouse, donkey)

1. tom always has a lot of things to do. every time you see him, he is as busy as a ________( 忙得团团转) .

2. although it was an easy problem, i still made a mistake . it really made feel that i was as stupid as a ________( 蠢如驴) .

3. cathy is dressed very well and looks as beautiful as a ________( 像蝴蝶一样漂亮) .

4. the villagers beat the enemy and lived as merry as a ________( 非常快活) .

5. tom and jerry are twins, but they are quite different. tom is as timid as a ( 胆小如鼠) while jerry as bold as a________ ( 莽如雄狮) .

6. after the company went into bankruptcy ________( 宣告破产) , he was as poor as a church ________( 一贫如洗) .

Ⅱ. can you crack the riddle ?

have you heard of sphinx ( 斯芬克司) of greek mythology?

sphinx was a monster with the head and breast of a woman, the body of a lion, the wings of a bird, a serpent’s tail and lion’s paws. it had a human voice and usually asked passers-by to guess her riddle. if the man was unable to find the answer, she would eat them. if he could, she would kill herself. the riddle is this: what goes on four feet, on two feet, and three , but the more feet it goes on, the weaker it be ?

do you get the answer? explain yourself.

参考答案

Ⅰ. 1. bee 2. donkey 3. butterfly 4 . lark 5 . rabbit / lion 6 . mouse

Ⅱ. it is a man. as an infant, the man crawls upon all fours. when in manhood, he goes erect on two feet and when in old age , he supports his tottering legs with a stick.

参考译文

最后的晚餐

耶稣在贝瑟尼郊区平静地度过了生命中最后几小时的自由行动时间。那天是逾越节,犹 太人吃烤羔羊肉和无酵饼来庆祝这一节日。

耶稣让门徒进城到一家小酒馆订了房间及晚餐, 他们将在那里聚会。

夜色降临, 犹大若无其事地和其他人一起离开了家。他们下了橄榄山, 进了城, 发现一 切均已备好。他们围着一张长桌坐了下来, 然后开始用餐。

可这并不是一顿让人感到愉快的晚餐。即将发生的事早已在这一小群忠实的教友中 间投下了可怕的阴影, 他们感到了恐惧。

耶稣没怎么说话。其他人忧郁且安静地坐着。

最后, 彼得再也无法忍受, 脱口道出了大家的心声。 “ 老师, ”他说,“ 我们想知道, 您是否有充分的理由怀疑我们中间的一个? ” 耶稣轻声地回答:“ 是的。现在坐在这张桌子旁的, 你们中间的一人将给我们大家带来 灾难。” 随后, 所有的门徒都站起来围在了他的四周, 声辩各自的清白。 就在那一刻, 犹大悄悄溜出了房间。 这下他们都知道要发生什么事了。他们再也无法呆在那个小房间里了。 他们需要呼吸一些新鲜的空气, 就离开小酒馆, 走出大门, 返回橄榄山, 然后打开通往 一个花园的边门。一个朋友告诉他们, 无论何时只要他们想单独呆一会, 都可以进那个花 园。

那个花园叫客西马尼, 就在角落里榨油机的后面。

过了一会儿, 耶稣走开了。和他关系最近的三个门徒在不远处跟着他。

他转过身, 命令他的门徒等待并守护着他做祷告。 做出最后决定的时刻来临了。虽然他仍有可能逃跑, 但那将意味着默认自己有罪和承 认自己思想的失败。 他独自呆在静悄悄的树林里, 作出了生前最英勇的斗争。 他正值壮年。生活仍有很多希望。 一旦敌人逮捕了他, 他将以一种很可怕的方式被处死。 他做出了抉择。他不逃。他回到教友们中间。 看! 他们都睡熟了。 片刻之后, 整个花园一片喧哗。 一群犹太教公会卫兵在犹大的带领下, 向这位先知冲过来。 犹大就在最前面。 他搂着老师并亲吻了他。 这正是士兵们等待的信号。 那一刻, 彼得终于明白发生了什么。

阅读导评

人的一生就像是道选择题, 而我们每个人, 无时无刻不在做出自己的选择, 以期达到所追求的境界。哈姆雷特在生死之间也曾犹豫过,“ 生还是死, 这是个问题。”耶稣在逃跑与 留下之间, 选择了留下, 选择了承担责任。尽管这样做的代价是在痛苦中结束自己的生命, 然而他得到的却是自己的清白和坚贞不渝的宗教信仰以及他不曾预想到的对后世的深远 影响。

阅读导释

1. 最后的晚餐, 讲述的是耶稣在逾越节的时候和他的12 个门徒聚餐时的情形。那天, 他被门 徒犹大出卖, 后来被钉死在十字架上。达·芬奇的名画《最后的晚餐》描绘的就是这次聚 餐时的情形。由于在最后的晚餐中, 犹大被认为是第13 个人, 因此现代英语国家对数字 “13”就很忌讳, 他们在请客时一定会避开这个数字, 既不会选13 日也不会请13 个人。

2. 这一小段主要是讲逾越节( passover) 的过法。犹太人吃烤羔羊肉和无酵饼庆贺。注意, 这里的observe 不是通常大家所说的“观察”或“ 评述”的意思, 而是“庆祝, 过( 节日、生日 等) ”的意思, 等同于celebrate, 如: observe the national day ( 庆祝国庆) ; we always observe birthdays at home. ( 我们总是在家里过生日。)

3. 这个词是“无动于衷的, 满不在乎的, 泰然自若的”的意思。还可作形容词, 作“淡而无味的, 枯 燥乏味的”解, 如:this is a bland story with little plot. ( 这是个缺乏情节而又枯燥乏味的故事。)

4. 指“ 脱口而出, 冲口说出”, 如: he blurted out the secret. ( 他不慎说出了秘密。)

5. 客西马尼, 地名, 耶路撒冷附近的一个小花园。在《圣经》中, 这是耶稣蒙难的地方, 故常 被引作为“ 蒙难地, 蒙难时刻”。

6. 这句话即judas kiss 一词的来源。在《圣经》中犹大以亲吻的方式暗示卫兵抓住耶稣, 所 以judas kiss 指“ 口蜜腹剑的伪善阴险行为”。与犹大有关的词语还有judas goat, 专指用 于引领羊群到屠宰场的“ 头羊, 领头山羊”。