不久岩岛就进入了他们的视线。奥德修斯听到了迷人的歌声。歌声如此动听，他绝望地挣扎着要挣脱绳索，并向手下叫喊着要他们驶向正在花团锦簇的草地上唱歌的海妖姐妹，但没人理他。海员们驾驶船只一直向前，直到完全听不到歌声。这时他们才释放奥德修斯，取出他们耳朵中的蜡。这次塞壬海妖们算是白忙乎了。她们中的大姐帕耳塞洛珀深深地爱慕着奥德修斯。当奥德修斯的船只走过后，她就投海自尽了。
单词短语透视
1.
creature [‘krit（r）] n. 动物，生物；人例句
That mother is a vicious and heartless creature.
那位妈妈是个狠心无情的人。
2.
femme fatale [fem f’tn. 妖媚迷人的女子（为男子的祸患）例句
She was his femme fatale.
她是令他堕落的女人。
3.
lure [lu（r）] v. 吸引，诱惑（人或动物）例句
Greed lured him on.贪婪诱惑着他。
4.
enchanting [n‘tɑnt] adj. 令人喜悦的；迷人的；可爱的例句
What an enchanting little girl！
多么可爱的小姑娘！
5.
attract [’trv. 吸引，引诱
例句
The dog was attracted by the smell of the meat.狗受到肉味的吸引。
6.
exception [k‘sepn] n. 除外；例外；不包括在内的人或物例句
Most of the buildings in this town are rather unattractive， but this church is an exception.这座城镇中大多数建筑物都不太好看， 但这座教堂是个例外。
7.
preparation [，prep’ren] n.（常用作复数）准备工作；准备措施例句
The country is making preparations for war.该国正在进行备战。
8.
mast [mɑst] n. 船桅
例句
The mast was broken off.船桅断了。
9.
wax [wn. 蜡
例句
The box had been sealed with wax.
盒子被封上了蜡。
10.
fatal [‘fetl] adj. 致命的
例句
A mistake now would be fatal to our success.现在的任何一个错误对我们的成功都将是致命的。
11.
attractive [’trv] adj. 有吸引力的；诱人的；使人愉快的例句
I don’t find him at all attractive.
我觉得他一点儿也不讨人喜欢。
12.
despair [d‘spe（r）] n. 失去一切希望；绝望例句
He gave up the struggle in despair.
他绝望地放弃了斗争。
13.
flowery [’flauri] adj. 花的；华丽的；多花的例句
Flowery carpets became the vogue.
花卉图案的地毯变成了时髦货。
14.
straight [stret] adj. 直的；向一个方向延伸或运动的例句
The hawk dived straight at the chicken.
鹰俯冲而下，直扑那只鸡。
15.
free [fri] v. 释放，使自由，解放
例句
He freed the animal from a trap.
他把那只动物从陷阱中释放出来。
神话背后的习语
siren song 致命的诱惑；有诱惑力但不能听信的理论、事物在英语中siren常用来指那些迷人的女人，妖妇。而siren song则用于指那些致命的诱惑；或者有诱惑力但不能听信的理论、事物。
例如
It is said that she is a siren.据说她是个妖艳女人。
She played the siren in the movie.她在那部电影中扮演一位妖艳的女人。
The siren song of the land to adventures is irresistible.去那块陆地探险的诱惑是无法抵挡的。
Management educators need to resist the siren song of professionalism.
教育管理工作者需要抵制专业化的
诱惑。
22. Hecuba
Hecuba was the second wife of Priam， king of the city of Troy， and mother of 19 children by him， the most famous being Hector， Cassandra and Paris. She saw the death of her husband and most of her children， as well as the sack of her home - Troy.
While pregnant with Paris， Hecuba had a dream in which she gave birth to a fiery torch .The prophets of Troy told her that this was a bad omen and predicted that if the child lived， he would be responsible for the fall of Troy. Therefore， upon Paris’ birth， Hecuba ordered two servants to kill the child. Unable to perform such a terrible act， the servants left Paris on a mountain， and he was found and raised by a shepherd.
Years later， Paris returned to Troy， and as predicted， he caused the city’s destruction. He began the Trojan War by taking away Helen， wife of King Menelaus of Sparta.
After the fall of Troy， Hecuba became a slave to the Greek hero Odysseus. On his way back to Greece， Odysseus went through Thrace. Before the war， Hecuba had asked the king to protect her youngest son Polydorus. However， upon reaching Thrace， she found that the king had killed the boy. The enraged Hecuba tore out the king’s eyes and murdered both of his sons. As Odysseus was trying to control her， she turned into a dog. Unable to endure the misery， she threw herself into the sea， and ended her unfortunate life.
22. 赫克犹巴
赫克犹巴是特洛伊国王——普里阿摩斯的第二任妻子，她为国王生了19个孩子，其中最有名的有：赫克托耳，卡珊德拉和帕里斯。她既亲眼目睹了自己的丈夫和大部分孩子的死亡，也目睹了特洛伊城被洗劫一空。
当怀着帕里斯的时候，她梦到自己生了一只燃烧着的火把。特洛伊的预言家告诉她这是一个坏的征兆，预示着如果这个孩子活着，他会招致特洛伊城的沦陷。所以，帕里斯一出生，赫克犹巴就命令两位仆人杀掉这个孩子。仆人们不忍心做这么残忍的事，他们便把帕里斯丢弃到了山中，一位牧羊人发现了帕里斯，并把他抚养大。
许多年后，帕里斯回到了特洛伊城，如所预测的一样，他导致了特洛伊城的毁灭。他拐走斯巴达国王——墨涅拉俄斯的妻子海伦，引起了特洛伊战争。
特洛伊城沦陷后，赫克犹巴成为希腊英雄奥德修斯的奴隶。在回去希腊的路上，奥德修斯经过色雷斯。在战争爆发前，赫克犹巴让色雷斯国王保护自己最小的儿子波里德诺斯。然而，一到达色雷斯，她就发现国王已经杀掉了自己的儿子。被激怒了的赫克犹巴把国王的眼睛拔了出来，并杀掉了他的两个儿子。正当奥德修斯努力控制她的时候，她变成了一只狗。不堪忍受痛苦的赫克犹巴跳进海里，结束了自己不幸的生命。
单词短语透视
1.
sack [sn. 洗劫
例句
She saw the sack of Rome.
她目睹了罗马城被洗劫一空。
2.
pregnant [‘pregnnt] adj.（指妇女或雌性动物）怀孕的例句
She got pregnant by another man.
是另一个男子使她怀孕的。
3.
fiery [’far] adj. 含火的；燃烧着的例句
Would you see the fiery torch
你能看见那燃烧着的火把吗
4.
omen [‘umen] n. 预兆
例句
It seemed like a good omen.
这似乎是一个好的征兆。
5.
predict [pr’dkt] v. 预言（某事物）将发生例句
The earthquake had been predicted several months before.这次地震早在几个月以前就发布了预报。
6.be responsible for应归咎于
例句
Who’s responsible for this mess
是谁弄得这么乱
7.
perform [p‘fm] v. 做；施行（某事）例句
The doctor performed the operation yesterday.昨天大夫做了一例手术。
8.
raise [rez] v. 养育（孩子等）
例句
I was raised by my aunt on a farm.
我是在农场由姨妈抚养大的。
9.
destruction [d’strkn] n. 破坏；摧毁；毁灭例句
He was lured to destruction.
他受到诱惑而走向了毁灭。
10.
enrage [n‘red] v. 使（某人）非常愤怒；激怒；触怒例句
His arrogance enraged her.
他很傲慢， 她为此十分恼怒。
11.
tear out撕掉，扯开；拔出
例句
He tore out the sore tooth.
他拔出了那颗痛牙。
12.
murder [’md（r）] v. 谋杀某人
例句
He murdered his wife with a knife.
他用刀杀害了妻子。
13.
misery [‘mzr] n.（精神或肉体的）痛苦，难受例句
Fame brought her nothing but misery.
名声只给她带来了痛苦。
23. The Flood
Around the end of the Age of Bronze，the human world became very cruel. Men grew greedy， impolite and ungodly.
Zeus dressed up in human form and visited Arcadia and Thessaly. But the king of Arcadia， Lycaon， not only unfriendly but also cruel to his people. He didn’t believe Zeus was god when he showed god’s theurgy（神术）and laughed at the people’s religious pray（虔诚）to Zeus and said： “let’s test you are a human or god.” He killed a slave and cut his arms and legs to cook and toasted the rest to treat Zeus. Zeus saw all of these in his eyes， so he conjured his angry fire of revenge to turn the king into an atrocious wolf.
After this experience， Zeus decided to end the Bronze Age with the great flood to revenge the people. Deucalion and his wife， Pyrrha， were the only survivors.