Luis國際資訊事務所

The Way of Witches神秘的巫師之道 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 magical1 powers. In the West2, witches were even considered to be friends of the Devil3 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 proof4 or convincing reasons. Building Your Vocabulary 1. accuse　vt. 指控；指責 Jo was angry that he was accused of lying. 對於被人指責說謊，阿喬感到很生氣。 2. possess　vt. 擁有；持有 It is illegal to possess a gun in this country. 在這個國家持有槍械是違法的。 3. organize　vt. 籌劃，籌辦 We will organize a book fair this winter. 我們將在今年冬天籌辦一場書展。 4. convincing　a. 令人信服的 The excuse Eddie gave wasn't convincing. 艾迪所給的藉口難以令人信服。 Phrases for Learning 1. in other words　　換句話說 Vic was angry when he saw me with Tim. In other words, he was jealous. 維克看見我和提姆在一起時很生氣。換句話說，他吃醋了。 2. on trial　　受到審判 The man was on trial for murder. 那個男子因謀殺而受到審判。 3. more often than not　　通常 More often than not, we eat curry for lunch. 通常我們中餐都會吃咖哩。 4. admit to + 動名詞∕名詞　　承認…… Carrie rarely admits to her mistakes. 凱莉鮮少會承認犯錯。 Extra Words 1. magical　a. 有魔力的；魔法的 2. the West　n. 西方社會，西方世界 3. the Devil　n.（基督教中的）撒旦 4. proof　n. 證據；證明 Tips In Use ...witches were even considered to be friends of the Devil... （……巫師甚至被當作是撒旦的朋友……） be considered (to be)...　　被認為（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. （麥可被視為是世上最棒的舞者之一。） 中文翻譯 台灣的年輕人大多對《哈利波特》系列裡的主角們都相當熟悉。在書中，他們既是巫師也是英雄。不過曾有一段時期，身為巫師卻被視為是一件糟糕的事。有人甚至因遭指控為巫師而喪命。 　　世界多數國家中都存在著關於巫師的故事。他們常被認為是一群擁有法力的人。在西方世界，巫師甚至被當作是撒旦的朋友，並且會用他們的法力為非作歹。 　　這些巫師通常是不按社會規範行事的人。換句話說，他們的生活方式有別於他人。在每個社會裡，人們都很畏懼他們所不瞭解的事物。甚至到了現代，仍有人會因為異於他人而遭到殘酷的對待。 　　在古代，人們曾經發起過witch hunt（獵巫行動）。那些行為舉止較為不同的人會被認定是巫師而被抓去受審。這些行動的受害者通常是女性。如果她們承認自己是巫師就可能被釋放。如果不認罪，她們就會被處死。時至今日，我們仍沿用witch hunt一詞。它是用來形容人們在沒有任何證據或充分理由的情況下，試圖指控他人犯罪。 from 常春藤生活英語 ( HTML 圖文版 )