常春藤生活英语【141】The Way of Witches 神秘的巫师之道

The Way of Witches 神秘的巫师之道

Most young people in Taiwan are familiar with the main characters in the "Harry Potter" series. They are witches as well as heroes in the books. However, there was a time when being a witch was thought of as a terrible thing. People even died because they had been accused of being witches.

Stories about witches exist in most countries in the world. They are often thought to be people who possess magical powers. In the West, witches were even considered to be friends of the Devil that used their powers to do bad things.

These witches were often people who went against the rules of society. In other words, they lived a very different lifestyle. In every society, people are afraid of things which they cannot understand. Even in modern times, people are treated cruelly for being different from others.

People used to organize witch hunts in the past. Those who acted differently would be seen as witches and put on trial. More often than not, the victims of these witch hunts were women. If they admitted to being witches, they might be let go. If they didn't, they would be killed. We still use the term witch hunt today. It describes a situation where people try to accuse others of doing bad things without any proof or convincing reasons.

Building Your Vocabulary  

1. accuse　vt. 指控；指责
Jo was angry that he was accused of lying.
对于被人指责说谎，阿乔感到很生气。
2. possess　vt. 拥有；持有
It is illegal to possess a gun in this country.
在这个国家持有枪械是违法的。
3. organize　vt. 筹划，筹办
We will organize a book fair this winter.
我们将在今年冬天筹办一场书展。
4. convincing　a. 令人信服的
The excuse Eddie gave wasn't convincing.
艾迪所给的借口难以令人信服。 

Phrases for Learning  

1. in other words　　换句话说
Vic was angry when he saw me with Tim. In other words, he was jealous.
维克看见我和提姆在一起时很生气。换句话说，他吃醋了。
2. on trial　　受到审判
The man was on trial for murder.
那个男子因谋杀而受到审判。
3. more often than not　　通常
More often than not, we eat curry for lunch.
通常我们中餐都会吃咖哩。
4. admit to + 动名词∕名词　　承认……
Carrie rarely admits to her mistakes.
凯莉鲜少会承认犯错。 

Extra Words  

1. magical　a. 有魔力的；魔法的
2. the West　n. 西方社会，西方世界
3. the Devil　n.（基督教中的）撒旦
4. proof　n. 证据；证明 

Tips In Use  

...witches were even considered to be friends of the Devil...
（……巫师甚至被当作是撒旦的朋友……）
be considered (to be)...　　被认为（是）……
= be thought of as...
= be seen as...
= be regarded as...
= be viewed as...
= be looked upon as...
Michael was considered (to be) one of the best dancers in the world.
= Michael was regarded as one of the best dancers in the world.
（麦可被视为是世上最棒的舞者之一。）

中文翻译  

台湾的年轻人大多对《哈利波特》系列里的主角们都相当熟悉。在书中，他们既是巫师也是英雄。不过曾有一段时期，身为巫师却被视为是一件糟糕的事。有人甚至因遭指控为巫师而丧命。

世界多数国家中都存在着关于巫师的故事。他们常被认为是一群拥有法力的人。在西方世界，巫师甚至被当作是撒旦的朋友，并且会用他们的法力为非作歹。

这些巫师通常是不按社会规范行事的人。换句话说，他们的生活方式有别于他人。在每个社会里，人们都很畏惧他们所不了解的事物。甚至到了现代，仍有人会因为异于他人而遭到残酷的对待。

在古代，人们曾经发起过witch hunt（猎巫行动）。那些行为举止较为不同的人会被认定是巫师而被抓去受审。这些行动的受害者通常是女性。如果她们承认自己是巫师就可能被释放。如果不认罪，她们就会被处死。时至今日，我们仍沿用witch hunt一词。它是用来形容人们在没有任何证据或充分理由的情况下，试图指控他人犯罪。

本课程选自常春藤免费电子刊物。若对您英语学习有所帮助，请支持购买常春藤英语相关正版教材。