1、希腊罗马神话期末考试Section1：T or FSection2：ChoiceSection3：Explain idioms 1. Pandoras Box 灾难之盒 含义：to open Pandoras box means to create evil that cannot be undone.来源：Pandoras box involves a mythological story in which the a box was given to a human who was warned never to open the box, but his curiosity made h
2、im open it resulting in a disaster. 2. The Horn of Amalthea丰饶角 含义：A symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, nuts, other edibles, or wealth in some form.来源：One day, as Amalthea played with little Zeus, she accidentally broke off h
3、er horn. To make up for it and as a sign of gratitude, Zeus made the broken horn always be full of whatever its owner desired. 3. The Midas/Golden Touch点石成金 含义：Ability to turn everything he touched into gold. if someone has the Midas touch, everything they do is successful and makes money for them来源
4、：Midass job knew no bounds and as soon as he got home, he ordered the servants to set a splendid repast on the table. 4. A Procrustean Bed 强迫一致 含义：When something is Procrustean, different lengths or sizes or properties are fitted to an arbitrary standard.来源： Procrustes was a rogue smith and bandit f
5、rom Attica who physically attacked people by stretching them or cutting off their legs, so as to force them to fit the size of an iron bed. 5. Sow the Dragon Teeth挑起纠纷 含义：The dragons teeth, once planted, would grow into fully armed warriors.来源：In Greek myth, dragons teeth feature prominently in the
6、legends of the Phoenician prince Cadmus and Jasons quest for the Golden Fleece. 6. Apple of Discord祸根 含义： A euphemism for a small matter that could lead to a bigger dispute.来源：The Greek goddess of discord, Eris, became disgruntled after she was excluded from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. In reta
7、liation, she tossed a golden apple inscribed Kallisti (for the most beautiful one), into the wedding party. Three goddesses claimed the apple: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris of Troy was appointed to select the recipient. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, thus indirectly causing the Trojan War.
8、7. The Heel of Achilles唯一的弱点 含义：A deadly weakness in spite of overall strength, that can actually or potentially leads to downfall来源：The mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, metaphorical references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.Thetis treate
9、d Achilles with Ambrosia, making him invulnerable. Thetis burned away his mortality in the house fire except on the heel, with which he was held.Thetis dipped the infant Achilles in the river Styx, holding onto him by his heel. 8. Penelopes Web永远做不完的工作 含义：The tactics of delaying sth on purpose; the
10、task that can never be finished来源：Penelope is the wife of Odysseus who was called to fight in the Trojan War. She waits twenty years for the final return of her husband .In order to put off remarriage, She has devised tricks to delay her suitors, one of which is to pretend to be weaving a burial shr
11、oud for Odysseuss elderly father Laertes and claiming that she will choose a suitor when she has finished. Every night for three years, she undoes part of the shroud, until Melantho, one of twelve unfaithful serving women, discovers her chicanery and reveals it to the suitors. 9. Between Scylla and
12、Charybdis进退维谷 含义：Being between Scylla and Charybdis is an idiom expresses the meaning of having to choose between two evils.来源： Scylla was rationalized as a rock shoal (described as a six-headed sea monster) on the Italian side of the strait and Charybdis was a whirlpool off the coast of Sicily. The
13、y were regarded as a sea hazard located close enough to each other that they posed an inescapable threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis meant passing too close to Scylla and vice versa. According to Homer, Odysseus was forced to choose which monster to confront while passing through the stra
14、it; he opted to pass by Scylla and lose only a few sailors, rather than risk the loss of his entire ship in the whirlpool. 10. Necklace of Harmonia不祥之物 含义：Necklace of Harmonia brought great misfortune to all of its wearers or owners.来源：Aphrodite bore a daughter, Harmonia, from Ares seed. Harmonia ma
15、rried Cadmus, the founder of Thebes. Upon hearing of the royal engagement, Hephaestus presented Harmonia with an exquisite necklace as a wedding gift. The necklace was made by Hephaestus own hand and was cursed to bring disaster to any who wore it. 13. A Sisyphean Task含义：Endlessly laborious or futil
16、e来源：Sisyphus was famed as the craftiest of men. He was condemned forever to roll a huge stone up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again on nearing the top. 15. Give a cake to Cerberus含义：bribe来源：Cerberus is a watchdog at the gates of Tartarus. He would let the souls in but not out. However h
17、e could be bribed with a honey cake on occasion or with sweet music. Section4：Explain in English the meaning of following terms. 15% (5) 1. Anthropomorphism神人同形同性 In Greek myth, the gods and goddesses are not only personifications of the forces of the universe, they are seen as beings much like comm
18、on men and women. The term for this is “Anthropomorphism”, meaning “in the form of a human being.” 2. The Five Ages of Men五个时代 The Golden Age; the Silver Age; the Bronze Age; the Heroic Age; the Iron Age 3. Tartarus 地狱 The deeper region, where the Titans had been imprisoned(Tartarus itself formed a
19、dismal picture, it had gates of bronze guarded by Cerberus, surrounded by fire, encased by triple wall, and within, the wailing and cries of those being punished. It is the underworld zone of eternal torment, where the greatest sinners have been punished for their wrong doing.) 4. The Elysian Field
20、天堂领域 The paradise for the Greeks 5. The Asphodel Field 充满游魂的地方A field inhabited by wandering souls 6. Styx 冥河A river in Hades across which Charon ferried the souls of the dead. 7. Hubris 过分骄傲 Overbearing pride or presumption. 8. Satyr森林之神，好色的人 Satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysu
21、s .In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing 9. Maenad 酒神的女祭司，异常激动的女人 Often the maenads were portrayed as inspired by him into a state of ecstatic frenzy, through a combination of dancing and drunken intoxication. In this state, they would lose all self-control. 10. Narcissism 自恋 Narcissu
22、s is a man who was renowned for his beauty. He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis saw this and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty
23、 of his reflection, Narcissus died. 11. Harpy鹰身女妖 Half woman, half bird ；vicious winged monster; often depicted as a bird with the head of a woman 12. Xenia好客 Xenia is the Greek concept of hospitality, or generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home. 酒神节(in ancient Greece) festivals
24、of the god Dionysus, an orgiastic festival in ancient Greece in honor of Dionysus 羊皮盾（宙斯及其女儿雅典娜所持的帝盾）A shield hold by Athena. Under ones aegis means doing something under the protection of a powerful, knowledgeable, or benevolent source.15. Metamorphosis 变形，变质A person or thing develops and changes i
25、nto something completely different.( 变形a complete change of physical form or substance especially as by magic or witchcraft.) 半人半神A less important god, especially one who is half god and half human. 人首马身的动物，半人马A creature with the head, arms, and chest of a man, and the body and legs of a horse.( In
26、classical mythology, a centaur is a creature with the head, arms, and body of a man, and the body and legs of a horse.) Deucalion FloodAphrodites magic girdle was a golden girdle that caused men and gods to fall hopelessly in love with her.( Zeus visited Arcadia and Thessaly，and disliked the deadly
27、wrongs of men He decided to clear the earth of them allWithout hesitation he released the rainy south wind and called upon the heartless Poseidon to helpSoon the whole world sank in a vast ocean， and the entire human race disappeared in the unheard of flood，all but two poor Thessalians )Section5：Ess
28、ay questions 15 %( 3) Unit 1: Examples of mythological accounts explaining the explainable. Uranus lay upon Gaia and made love to her without stop. (The interplay between rain and soil that makes plants come to life and grow.)Human Beings fashioned from clayGods and heroes descending into the Underg
29、round in the west and emerging in the East. ( Sun rises in the East and sets in the West.)Persephone lived three months in the Underground with her husband and returned to live with her mother Demeter for the rest of year. (The return of spring after winter.)Eros, equipped with his sharp and blunt a
30、rrows, brings about many tragedies of human love. (Freuds theory about love or sex as the most fundamental drive from humans.) Unit 2: Similarities between “the first woman” in the Greek(Pandora) and Christian creation myth(Eve)Eve was the instigator of tbe whole affair, for through her beauty and h
31、er wiles she seduced Adam to taste of the forbidden fruit. Woman is like an apple, lovely without, rotten within.Eve was lured by the snake. Pandora was driven by her curiosity. Their behaviors caused evil and plagues to human-beings. Unit 3: Reasons that ancient Greeks tend to depict Zeus as a prom
32、iscuous man, an unfaithful husband Zeus fatal Weaknesses: an uncontrollable lust for sexual driveThis shows the anthropomorphism. The ancient emperors usually had many lovers, so the Greeks depict Zeus as a promiscuous man. This also shows the ancient Greeks imagination for a man. Reproduction is blessing. Unit 4: Symbolic meaning of Olive Tree in the Greek story and Holy Bible When Poseidon and Athena disputed as to which of them should gi
