Dragons: East Meets West 中西龍，大不同‏

 In Taiwan, everyone knows the Dragon Boat Festival started with Qu Yuan, an honorable court1 official who committed suicide after being wrongfully put into exile2 from his native land. However, some scholars3 believe the story of Qu Yuan was told after the festival was already widely celebrated. They believe the festival began as dragon worship long before Qu Yuan. The dragon king rules the rivers and protects the villages through the tough winter
months. This leads to the conclusion that the food thrown into the river to feed the fish to prevent them from eating Qu Yuan's body may have actually been offerings4 to the dragon king.

在台灣，每個人都知道端午節始於屈原，他是一位品德高尚的朝廷官員，因被別人誣害而自祖國流放，最後自殺身亡。然而有些學者認為屈原的故事是在這個節日被廣為慶祝後才開始流傳的。他們認為這個節日是始於對龍的敬祀，並且早在屈原之前就已經存在了。龍王主宰著河川，並且保護各個村落安然度過寒冬。這樣的想法衍生出一個結論，就是那些丟進河裡餵食魚類以防牠們吃掉屈原身體的食物，其實有可能是用來供奉龍王的祭品。

　　Today, the influence of the dragon king remains in the beautifully decorated boats used on this holiday. Through these splendid5 images, the ancient worship of dragons as the masters of floods and rainfall6 as well as protectors of the people is still alive throughout Asia.
在今日，龍王帶給後世的影響依舊存在於這個節日中所使用的精美船隻上。透過這些華麗鮮明的圖像可以看出，將龍當作洪水之神、雨神及人民守護神的古老信仰，至今仍活躍於亞洲各地。
　　While dragons were worshipped and respected in Asia, they were portrayed differently in European legends. The tale of Saint George and the evil dragon he killed best shows the difference. Instead of food, this dragon was given a young, innocent princess from the village as a sacrifice7. The story of how the brave Saint George had killed the evil monster spread throughout Europe, which led to other cultures telling their own versions of the story. So important was Saint George that people in England, Greece, Russia, and Portugal all thought of him as their protector, which is the exact opposite of how most Asians see dragons as their protectors. 在亞洲受到人們信奉及尊敬的龍，在歐洲的傳說裡卻有著截然不同的描述。而最能突顯這項差異的就是聖喬治宰殺惡龍的故事。人們用來供奉這隻龍的祭品並非食物，而是村莊裡一位年輕天真的公主。勇敢的聖喬治如何殺掉這頭邪惡怪獸的故事傳遍了歐洲，進而導致其它文化紛紛述說起它們自己版本的故事。聖喬治是如此重要，以致於英國、希臘、俄國及葡萄牙的人民皆視其為守護者，而這點跟多數亞洲人視龍為守護神的觀念正好相反。
@Building Your Vocabulary
1. honorable　a. 品德高尚的；值得尊敬的
Peter was praised for his honorable deeds.
彼得因其值得尊敬的行為而被讚許。
2. wrongfully　adv. 不公正地，錯誤地
Rick was wrongfully accused of shoplifting.
瑞克被人誣告在商店裡順手牽羊。
3. native　a. 出生地的
I left my native country over 10 years ago.
我離開我的祖國已有十多年了。
4. worship　n. 信奉 & vt. 敬奉（神）；景仰
Many teenagers worship that rock band.
許多青少年都十分景仰那個搖滾樂團。
5. portray　vt. 描繪；描寫
This movie portrayed the life of a cowboy.
這部電影描述的是一名牛仔的生活。
6. opposite　n. 相反的人∕事∕物
Ian is calm, but his wife is just the opposite.
伊恩很冷靜，但是他太太跟他完全相反。
@Phrases for Learning
1. commit suicide　　自殺
Al committed suicide after going bankrupt.
艾爾破產後就自殺了。
2. lead to the conclusion + that 子句　　得出……的結論
All of the evidence led to the conclusion that John was guilty.
所有的證據都指出約翰是有罪的。
@Extra Words
1. court　n. 宮廷（本文中作形容詞用）
2. exile　n.（尤指政治因素的）流放
3. scholar　n. 學者
4. offering　n. 供品，祭品
5. splendid　a. 華麗的
6. rainfall　n. 降雨；雨量
7. sacrifice　n. 獻祭，活祭品
@SENTENCE PATTERN

So important was Saint George that people in England...
（聖喬治是如此重要，以致於英國……）
　　"so...that..."的句構中，若將 so 其所引導的詞類置於句首時，須採倒裝句構，共有以下三種情形：
1. 句中有 be 動詞時，該 be 動詞與主詞倒裝。
Jill is so tired that she can't move.
= So tired is Jill that she can't move.
（吉兒是如此地累，以致於她動不了。）
2. 句中有助動詞時，該助動詞與主詞倒裝。
Kevin can run so fast that no one can catch him.
= So fast can Kevin run that no one can catch him.
（凱文能跑得如此之快，以致於沒人能追得上他。）
3. 句中若為一般動詞時，則須置 do, does, did 於其主詞前，再將該動詞變成原形動詞。
I ate so much that I got sick.
= So much did I eat that I got sick.
（我吃得太多，以致於我覺得有點噁心想吐。）