B4U5: Reading

READING

In the beginning, Orchid Island was uninhabited. One day, the God of the Skies looked down and was amazed by the island’s beauty. “That no people live there is a pity,” he thought. Thus, he took a rock and bamboo and split them in half. He put a boy into the rock and a girl into the bamboo. Then, he dropped them on Orchid Island. @@

The rock finally landed on a mountaintop, while the bamboo landed at the foot of the mountain. The boy and the girl then started to live on this beautiful island, separately. Soon, the boy felt lonely, so he walked down the mountain to explore more of the island. SP1 He did not find a companion until he met the girl. They played together every day. One day, to their surprise, their knees suddenly began to swell, and then a boy and a girl came out of their knees. This was the beginning of their tribe. Later, more and more generations lived on the island. The people there simply called themselves “Tao,” which means “people” in their language. @@

Do you find this story of human creation incredible? In truth, this Tao myth is just one of the many legends told by the aboriginal people of Taiwan. All of the aboriginal tribes in Taiwan are said to have their own special myths. They usually use nature in creative ways to explain the creation of humans. @@

The Bunun people, for example, believe that human life started from an insect. In the past, only plants and animals existed on the earth. Then, one day, a golden flower floated gently down from the sky. When the flower landed on the ground, a small insect came out of it and gradually grew into a strong young man. All of the wild animals were surprised. They ran and shouted, “Bunun! Bunun!” @@

Although the young man made friends with the animals, he still felt lonely. Therefore, he climbed to the top of the mountain, and he requested a mate from the sun. Suddenly, a clay pot fell from the sky. The man did not touch it until a voice said, “Cover this pot with food and keep it warm.” He then followed the orders and took good care of the pot. Finally, the pot cracked open. A lovely young woman appeared. She and the man later had many children, who are now called the Bunun people. The name of their tribe also conveys the meaning of “people” in their language.

You see, the names of the tribes in Taiwan often carry the meaning of “people.” This is probably because every tribe regards itself as a particular human species. Without a doubt, every aboriginal tribe has its unique culture and myths. SP2 Passing on these legends can be a way to keep the identity of Taiwan’s aboriginal people alive and show respect for their culture. @@

B4U5: Vocabulary & Phrases

VOCABULARY

I. Words for Production

1. pity [`pItI] n. [sing.] used for showing someone is disappointed about something  可惜  SYN shame

　► It’s a pity that you can’t make it to the pool party.

真可惜你不能參加泳池派對。

n. [U] a feeling of sympathy for someone who is unhappy or in a bad situation  同情，憐憫

► Ashley took pity on the poor man and gave him some money.

艾希莉很同情那名可憐的男子，並給了他一些錢。

2. split [splIt] (split—split—split) vt.; vi. to divide or break something into two or more parts, or to be separated into parts　(使) 分開  SYN divide

► My brother split the watermelon down the middle and gave me half.

我哥哥將西瓜從中間分開，給了我一半。

3. separately [`sEp1rItlI] adv. not together　分開地，個別地

　► The two sisters came to school separately, but they left together.

   那對姊妹個別到校，但她們一起離開。

separate [`sEp1&ret] vt.; vi. (使) 分開，分離

► The people who have this disease should be separated from the public.

罹患這個疾病的患者應與大眾隔離。

4. explore [Ik`splor] vt.; vi. to travel through an area in order to learn more about it or to find something　探索，勘查

　► Tom wants to travel to Paris again in order to explore more of this city.

湯姆想再去巴黎旅遊一次，以探索城市更多地方。

exploration [&Ekspl1`reS1n] n. [U][C] 探索，勘查

► The scientists are excited about the exploration of the new areas.

科學家對於新區域的探索十分興奮。

5. swell [swEl] (swell—swelled—swollen) vi. to become larger than normal　腫脹，膨脹

　► Jenny’s arm began to swell after she hurt it in the tennis game.

珍妮的手臂在網球比賽中受傷後開始腫脹。

6. tribe [traIb] n. [C] a group of people of the same race who have the same religion, customs, language, and usually live in the same area　部族，部落

　► The tribe holds a harvest festival every August to thank their god for providing them with food.

這個部族於每年八月舉辦收穫祭，以感謝他們的神明賜予他們食物。

7. generation [&dZEn1`reS1n] n. [C] all the people who are of a similar age　世代，一代

　► Many elderly people have trouble understanding what the younger generation is thinking.

許多老年人難以理解年輕一代的想法。

8. incredible [In`krEd1bL] adj. difficult to believe  難以置信的  SYN unbelievable

　► It’s incredible that my friend got married at such a young age.

我的朋友這麼年輕就結婚了，真是難以置信。

9. legend [`lEdZ1nd] n. [C][U] an old and well-known story about people or events, that may or may not be true  傳說，傳奇故事　SYN myth

　► One Chinese legend tells the story of a white snake that can turn into a woman.

有一則中國傳說敘述了一條白蛇化身為女子的故事。

10. exist [IG`zIst] vi. to be real, or to be present in a particular situation or place　存在

　 ► This type of plant exists only in Taiwan. It cannot be found in other countries.

這種植物只存在於台灣。別的國家無法發現其蹤跡。

11. golden [`GoldN] adj. bright yellow like gold　金 (黃) 色的

　 ► The beautiful beach is famous for its golden sand and clear water.

這個漂亮的海灘以其金色的沙和清澈的海水著名。

adj. made of gold　金的，黃金製的

　 ► A golden ring is usually more valuable than a silver one.

金戒通常比銀戒更有價值。

gold [Gold] n. [U] 黃金

► The earrings are made of gold and are worth a large amount of money.

這副耳環以黃金打造，價值不菲。

12. gently [`dZEntlI] adv. carefully, without much force　和緩地，溫柔地　ANT roughly

　 ► Jasmine held the baby in her arms and rocked (搖) him gently.

賈絲敏將嬰兒抱在懷中，輕輕地搖晃他。

gentle [`dZEntL] adj. 溫柔的  ANT rough

► The father read a bedtime story to his daughter in a gentle voice.

那名父親用溫柔的聲音為他的女兒讀床邊故事。

13. wild [waIld] adj. living or growing in nature and not raised by humans　野生的  ANT tame

► Because no one takes care of this land, a lot of wild flowers are now growing there.

由於這塊地無人照料，現在那裡野花叢生。

14. request [rI`kwEst] vt. (formal) to ask for something formally or politely　請求，要求

　 ► My boss requested that the work be done by tomorrow, so I had to work late to finish it.

我的老闆要求這份工作須於明天前完成，所以我必須加班來完成它。

request [rI`kwEst] n. [C] 請求，要求

► At Bella’s request, I played a few songs on my guitar for her.

因貝拉要求，我用我的吉他為她彈了幾首歌。

15. crack [kr8k] vi.; vt. to break or make something break open or with lines appearing on its surface　裂開，破裂

　 ► The egg fell to the ground and cracked open.

那顆蛋掉到地上，裂了開來。

16. convey [k1n`ve] vt. to express ideas or feelings indirectly　傳達，表達

　 ► The movie conveys the message that true friendship may last forever.

這部電影所傳達的訊息是真正的友誼會永遠持續下去。

17. particular [p2`tIkj1l2] adj. special or specific　特別的，特定的

　 ► Jeffery whistled for no particular reason. He just did it without thinking too much.

傑佛瑞吹口哨並沒有特別的原因。他只是沒多想就這麼做了。

18. species [`spiSiz] n. [C] (複數species) a group of animals or plants whose members all have similar general features and can breed to produce young　種，物種

　 ► Some species of plants can survive at low temperatures.

有些植物物種能在低溫存活。

19. doubt [da5t] n. [C][U] a feeling of not being sure about something　疑問，疑惑

　 ► Eddie is confident of winning the race, and I have no doubts about his ability to win it.

艾迪對於贏得賽跑很有信心，而我也不懷疑他的能力。

doubt [da5t] vt. 懷疑

　 ► The show is very popular, so I doubt that I will be able to get a ticket to it.

這場表演非常熱門，所以我懷疑我是否能買到票。

20. unique [ju`nik] adj. unusual or very special; one of a kind　獨特的

► The bag’s unique design makes it different from any of the other bags in the store.

這款包包的獨特設計讓它從店內其他的包中脫穎而出。

21. identity [aI`dEnt1tI] n. [C][U] the qualities of a person that make him or her different from others; who a person is　特性，身分

► The reporter didn’t reveal the identity of the person who had given him the inside information.

記者沒有透露提供給他內部情報的人的身分。

II. Words for Recognition

1. Orchid Island [`OrkId `aIl1nd] n. (臺灣東南離島) 蘭嶼

2. uninhabited [&^nIn`h8bItId] adj. 無人居住的

3. bamboo [b8m`bu] n. [U][C] 竹子

4. Tao [tA`u] n. (the～) (臺灣原住民) 達悟族

Tao [tA`u] adj. (臺灣原住民) 達悟族的

5. myth [mIT] n. [C][U] 神話

6. aboriginal [&8b1`rIdZ1nL] adj. 原住民的

7. Bunun [`b5nun] adj. (臺灣原住民) 布農族的

Bunun [`b5nun] n. (the～) (臺灣原住民) 布農族

8. mate [met] n. [C] 同伴，伴侶

9. clay [kle] n. [U] 陶土，泥土

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

1. in truth  (formal) really, actually  事實上，實際上　SYN in fact

► Charles said he was stuck in heavy traffic. In truth, he was still home at that time.

查爾斯說他大塞車。事實上，他那時還在家裡。

2. grow into  to develop into a certain kind of person or thing over time　長成……，逐漸變為……

► As time goes by, my teenage cousin is growing into a beautiful woman.

隨著時間過去，我十幾歲的表妹已經長成一位美麗的女子。

3. without (a) doubt  very certainly, or used to emphasize an opinion  無疑地  SYN beyond doubt

► Jessica is good at many things. Without a doubt, she is very talented.

潔西卡擅長許多事情。無疑地，她非常有才華。

4. pass on  to give something to someone else after having received it  流傳，傳遞

► Since people keep passing on the gossip, it is not a secret anymore.

由於人們一直流傳這則八卦，它不再是個秘密。

Word Smart

字尾 “-­en” 加於特定名詞後可構成形容詞，表示「由……製成的」之意。 gold → golden　黃金製的         wood → wooden　木製的 silk → silken　絲質的           wool → woolen　羊毛的