2013年1月31日 星期四

Island of the Dolls墨西哥鬼娃之島‏


 



How would you feel if you came across an abandoned island with thousands of ragged1 dolls and doll parts nailed2 to trees everywhere? The Island of the Dolls is a strange place started by Don Julián Santana. This man lived all by himself without electricity and many of the conveniences of modern life. Even though Santana passed away in 2001, his family maintains the island with donations from curious people wanting to take pictures of the dolls.
 
如果您偶然發現一座荒廢小島,島上有上千隻破舊娃娃及娃娃的身體部位被人釘在各處的樹上,這時您會作何感覺?鬼娃之島這個詭異的地方是由唐‧朱力安‧桑塔那一手打造出來的。這名男子在此獨自隱居,還過著既沒電力也缺乏現代生活中許多便利設施的生活。雖然桑塔那於2001年去世,但他的家人仍透過想為這些娃娃拍照的好奇民眾所捐贈的金錢來維護島上的一切。
  Many people thought Santana was a lunatic3, but his family tells a different story. They say that Santana believed the island was haunted by a little girl that drowned in one of the canals4 nearby. He told his relatives that her spirit was restless, so he fished dolls out of the canals and local trash bins and then nailed them up on trees all around the island. It was said that he did this to protect himself from evil as well as make the spirit of the young girl happy. Starting with only one doll, Santana soon transformed the Island of the Dolls into a doll-covered shrine5, not to mention a creepy tourist attraction.
許多人都覺得桑塔那是個瘋子,但是他的家人卻有一套不同的說法。他們說桑塔那相信一個在附近運河裡溺死的小女孩一直在這座島上陰魂不散。他跟他的親戚說女孩的靈魂無法安息,所以他會從運河中和當地的垃圾桶裡撈出娃娃,然後把它們釘在島上各處的樹上。據說他這麼做是為了要保護自己免受邪靈侵害,同時也能讓小女孩的靈魂得到寬慰。桑塔那從僅有一隻娃娃開始,不但很快就將整座鬼娃島變成一座佈滿娃娃的聖地,更別提還將這裡改造成一個令人毛骨悚然的觀光景點。
Questions 
1. Why did Santana nail dolls up on a lot of trees around the island?
(A) To ask for donations from curious people wanting to take photos of the dolls.
(B) To please the spirit of the girl that drowned in a nearby canal.
(C) To keep himself from being disturbed by his relatives.
(D) To create a world-famous haunted6 tourist attraction.
1. 桑塔那為何要將娃娃釘在島上各處的許多樹上?
(A) 要請想拍下娃娃照片的好奇民眾捐錢。
(B) 要取悅在附近一條運河裡溺死的小女孩的靈魂。
(C) 要讓自己免受親戚的打擾。
(D) 要打造一個舉世聞名的鬧鬼觀光勝地。
2. Which of the following is NOT true?
(A) Santana believed the island was haunted by a girl's restless spirit.
(B) Santana led an isolated life on the island.
(C) The dolls were collected from the canals and trash bins.
(D) The first doll belonged to the girl that drowned in the canal.
2. 下列何者為非?
(A) 桑塔那相信女孩無法安息的靈魂在島上久久不散。
(B) 桑塔那在島上過著與世隔絕的生活。
(C) 這些娃娃是從運河和垃圾桶裡收集來的。
(D) 第一隻娃娃是屬於在運河裡溺死的那個女孩的。
答案:1. (B) 2. (D)
Building Your Vocabulary 
1. maintain vt. 維持,維護
Jerry's 10-year-old scooter is well maintained and still runs like new.
傑瑞那台車齡十年的機車保養得很好,騎起來仍像新的一樣。
2. haunt vt.(鬼魂)經常出沒於;(某事)縈繞於心
Joseph was haunted by the memory of the terrible accident.
那場可怕的意外事故在喬瑟夫的腦海中揮散不去。
3. fish vt. 撈出;找出;掏出
Fred fished a piece of candy out of his pocket to give it to the crying girl.
弗雷從他的口袋裡掏出一顆糖果送給那個哭泣的女孩。
4. creepy a. 令人毛骨悚然的
The abandoned cabin was so creepy that no one dared to enter.
這間廢棄的小木屋令人感到毛骨悚然,因此沒人敢踏進一步。
5. disturb vt. 干擾,打擾
Don't disturb your father while he is working.
不要在你父親工作時去打擾他。
6. isolated a. 與外隔絕的;偏僻的
The isolated mountain village took days to reach.
要到達那座偏僻的山村得花上好幾天的時間。
Phrases for Learning 
1. transform A into B  把 A 轉變成 B
We transformed our yard into a beautiful garden.
我們把家裡的院子變成了一座美麗的花園。
2. belong to...  屬於……
It is wrong to take things that don't belong to you.
拿走不屬於你的東西是不對的。
Extra Words 
1. ragged a. 破舊的
2. nail vt. 釘
3. lunatic n. 瘋子
4. canal n. 運河
5. shrine n. 聖地;神壇
6. haunted a. 鬧鬼的
Tips In Use 
It was said that he did this to...
(據說他這麼做是為了要……)
  "It is said + that 子句"表『據說……』,本句的句型為"It is + 過去分詞 + that 子句",其它常見的相同用法尚有:
1. It is rumored + that 子句 謠傳……
2. It is reported + that 子句 據報導……
3. It is believed + that 子句 一般相信……
4. It is expected + that 子句 一般預料……
5. It is estimated + that 子句 據估計……
注意:
在"It is + 過去分詞 + that 子句"句構中,可將 that 子句中的主詞移至句首,形成"主詞 + be + 過去分詞 + to + 原形動詞"的句構。前後主詞時態不同時,to 之後則須接"have + 過去分詞"。
It is believed that eating vegetable helps reduce the risk of cancer.
= Eating vegetable is believed to help reduce the risk of cancer.
(一般相信,吃蔬菜有助於降低罹癌的風險。)

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