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1、 PReadingA(UsedasaGeneralIntroduction)TextreadingTasksMini-pediaBReadingAAGeneralIntroductiontoChineseMythologyJnigLifulduDenaltigPara.1ByChinesemythology,wemeanthebodyofmythshistoricallyrecordedandcurrentiytransmittedwithinthepresentgeographicboundariesofChina.itshouldincludenotonlymythstrangmitted
2、bypeopleoftheHanethnicgroupbutalsothosebytheotherftfty-fiveethnicgroupslivinginthisbroadarea,Sincealmosteveryethnicgrouphasitsownmythicalgodsandstoriesabouttheircreativeactiong,there#notagystematic,integratedandhomogeneous“Chinesemythology“heldandtransmittedbyalltheChinesepeople,BvenamongHanpeople,t
3、hereinotanintegratedgystemofmyths:勾|心Para,2aTheearliestwrittenrecordsofancientmythscanbetracedbacktoabout3.000yearsago,thoughotherformsofdesignsandpaintingsonshells,bones,andbronzesprobablyrelatingto健Imyth“appearedearlier“than“tbis.RecentlyTesearchers“founda“bronze“vessel“named“Suigongxu“(Suigongwas
4、adukeoftheSuiState,nowbelongingtomodemShandongProvince:“Xu“ianancientbronzevesseltbhathasacoverandtwoears:步functiongasafoodcontainer),whichcandatebacktothe9thor8thcenturyBC,themiddleoftheWesternZhouDynasty,Theinscriptionontheinsidebottom_ofthevesselconsistsof98_Chinesecharacters,praisingtheachieveme
5、ntsofthemythicheroYE丁|心Para.2bttellsthestorythatheavenorderedYutoscatterearth,goYuwentaroundall乙eImountaing,cuttingdowntbhetreesintheforestsanddeepeningtbegeasandIiverstodrainallthewateronearthintothesea.ThisinscriptionshowsthatthetechniqueofTecordingmythin_Chinesecharactershadbecomerelativelymature
6、nearly3.000yearsago.Additionally,if讪ustratesthatatleastaslateasthemiddleoftheWesternZhouDynasty,themythaboutlcontrollingthetloodhadalreadybeenspread.andithadbeenhistoricizedintoalegendaboutagreatherooragreatkingintheupperclassofsocietyPara.3ButtheseinscriptiongrecordedmythsverysimplySometimesthemyth
7、ologicalstoriestbheyiltustratearehardtounderstand、Therefore,ChinesescholarsrelyprimarilyonaccountsofmythsrecordedinlaterancientwritingsaftertheWesternZhouDynastytostudythesemyths:Para,4aInChina,therei#nosacredcanonTecordingmyths,beliefs,orsacredhistorylike办eBiBleor纳eKoraoz,norWeretbhereanyliteratitr
8、oubadours,orghamans(sorcererorsorceress)whocollectedmythsftomoraltraditionandcompiledthemintoagystematicandintegratedmythology,liketheGreekcollectionsattributedtoHomerandHesiod.RathermythsinancientChinawWereUSuallyspreadingcatteredandffagmentedformsinvariouswWrittenmaterial吊|中Para,4bThesegourcesgcon
9、taininformationaboutarchaeology:literature,philosophy,geography,history,witchcrattethnography:religion,folklore,andsoon.Manyofthempreserveonlya垃wmyths,butsomeofthemholdacomparativelylargenumberofmythsandthusbecometreasuregofancientChinesemyths.Amongthem,Shamhoiipg(TheClossicafMoumtaimsaSeasyCJuci(Th
10、eSorgscfChu)and万uaimamziarethoughttobetheImajorrepositoriesofChineseancientmyths:Para$Mythsareneitherstaticnorseparatefromsociety.Rathertheirexistenceandtrangmissionaredeeplyinfluencedbytheirsocialandculturalcontexts.Ontheotherside,thosemythsthathavebeenhandeddownforthousandsofyearsandcontainChinese
11、peoplegsphilosophy,art,belief6。cugtoms,andvaluegystemsalsohavehadagreatinfluenceonChinesesocietyandculture.丁|homogeneousadconsistingofthingsorpeoplethatareallthesameorallofthesametype由同种族人组成的;由同类组成的e.g.Thepeopleofthiscountryarehomogeneous.这个国家的人同属一个种族。WordFormationhomo-十geneous(variationof“gers“)一ho
12、mogeneous“homo-“isaprefixwiththemeaningof“same“;“hetero-“,isaprefixwiththeoppositemeaning.e.g.heterogeneousad;不同类的Canon7alistofthebooksorotherworksthataregenerallyacceptedasthegenuineworkofaparticularWriterorasbeingimportant真作集;经典著作e.g.扬dtheringHeightsisacentralbookinthecanonofEnglishliterature.呼啸山庄
13、是英国文学经典中的一部重要作品。staticad/notmoving,changingordeveloping静止的;静态的;停滞的e.g.astaticpopulationlevel稳定的人口水平Synonymunchanging;motionlessAntonymdynamicL述W东RYucontrollingthefloodutheGreatorDaYt,thelegendarygod-emperorisknowntotheChinesefortammingthelong-termdestructivefloodingthatswampedChinaabout4.000yearsa80
14、,ThismythconsistedtheopeningchapterinthehistoryofhydraulicengineeringinChina,DaYisalsocreditedwithfoundingtheXiaDynasty、ChinasearliestulingfaImily.Accordingtothelegend,thespreadoftheWatersofthedelugeWassodevastatingthatpeopleWagedanUnrclentingstruggleWiththisoverwhelmingflood.正i#DaYuwhoadoptedthetacticofchannelingthefloodwatersandeventuallytriumphedinthebattlewithfloodsafter13yearsofstrenuouslabor:Duringallthoseyearsheputallhismindonbatlingthefloodandneversawhisfamily,AsaTewardforhisfeattherulergaveupthethronetoYwhobccamethefirstemperoroftheXiaDynasty,
