Zeus2 told Prometheus to teach the mortals3 anything they needed to know in order to live . He was also to teach them the arts, so that they could build beautiful temples to honor the gods. There was, in fact, only one thing he could not teach them.
“You may give the mortals any gift except the gift of fire . ”Said Zeus.“ Fire belongs to the gods only, and must be kept on Mount Olympus4 . ”
Prometheus was happy to be of service5 to man. He taught people how to make their own tools and how to build homes for themselves. He taught them how to plant and grow their own food, and how to use animals to make their work easier. He even taught them how to make music and how to paint. But without fire, life on earth was very difficult. Food had to be eaten raw; houses could not be kept warm. Tools had to be of stone , because there was no fire for working metal.
Athena , daughter of Zeus, had been watching over6 Prometheus and had helped him in his work. Now, because Prometheus was kind and wanted man to be comfortable on earth, he called upon Athena to help him get fire from Mount Olympus. She knew that Zeus was away and promised to lead Prometheus to Mount Olympus by a secret path...
Just as he arrived Apollo came back from his day’s journey in his chariot7 of the sun. Prometheus lit a torch from the chariot and put the fire in a hollow stalk that he concealed under his cloak. Then he stole away without being seen by any of the gods, and brought his fire to earth.
When Prometheus lit the first campfire on earth, the people were afraid of it. But they trusted him, and so they came closer and closer and enjoyed the fire’s pleasant warmth and beautiful glow.
Prometheus knew that he would not have much time before Zeus discovered that he had been disobedient. But he also knew that, powerful as Zeus was, once a god had given a gift it could not be taken away. So he quickly taught the mortals how to use the gift of fire.
阅读自测
Ⅰ.Fill in each blank with word or phrase in the p as sage :
1. Zeus told Prometheus to teach the _______( 人类) anything they needed to know in order to live .
2. Prometheus was so happy to _______( 帮助) to man that he taught people how to make their own tools and how to build homes for themselves.
3. Athena , daughter of Zeus, had been _______( 监督) Prometheus and had helped him in his work.
4. Prometheus knew that he would not have much time before Zeus discovered that he had been _____( 违命) .
Ⅱ. Question : When the first campfire was lit on earth, how did human react to it?
参考答案
Ⅰ. 1. mortals 2. be of service 3 . watching over 4. disobedient
Ⅱ. When the first campfire was lit on earth, the people were afraid of it. As they trusted Prometheus, they came closer and closer and enjoyed the fire’s pleasant warmth and beautiful glow.
参考译文
偷来火种的巨人———普罗米修斯
宙斯让普罗米修斯传授了人类生存所必需的一切知识。普罗米修斯还必须教人类艺术, 这样人们就可以建造漂亮的庙宇来向诸神表达敬意了。事实上,只有一件事情他不能教 人类。
“除了火种,你可以送给人类任何礼物,”宙斯说,“火种仅为神灵所有,必须保存在奥林匹斯山上。”
普罗米修斯很乐意帮助人类。他教人类如何制造工具和建造房屋, 教他们怎样种植庄稼及利用牲畜减轻劳动负担。他甚至还教人类如何创作音乐与绘画。但是没有火,人间的生活异常艰辛。人们吃的是生食,住的房屋也不保暖。因为没有火烧制金属工具,人们只能用石头做的工具。
宙斯的女儿雅典娜一直都在监督并在工作中帮助普罗米修斯。由于普罗米修斯很善良, 而且很想让人类在世间生活得舒适一些, 他就求雅典娜帮他从奥林匹斯山上取来火种。雅典娜知道宙斯不在, 就答应带普罗米修斯从一条秘密小道上了奥林匹斯山。
普罗米修斯刚刚到达山上,阿波罗就行完一天的旅程,驾着太阳战车归来了。普罗米修斯从战车上点燃一把火炬, 将火种放进藏在他的披风下面的空心的筒状物里面。就这样, 谁也没有看到普罗米修斯悄悄地偷走了火种并将其带到了人间。当普罗米修斯点燃人间的第一堆篝火之时, 人类感到害怕。由于信任普罗米修斯,他们渐渐靠近了火堆,感受着篝火带来的宜人暖意,观赏着美丽的火焰。普罗米修斯知道, 宙斯很快就会发现他违抗了命令。可他同样明白,尽管宙斯威力无边,可一旦一件礼物送了出去是不可能收回的。于是,他很快教会了人类如何使用火种。