考博英語外刊閱讀：When folklore is dying out

When folklore is dying out

by Victoria Ward

Folklore has long been passed down from one generation to the next, enchanting(使著迷) children whilst also binding families and communities together.

folklore /  n. 民間傳說

pass down 傳給下一代

generation / n. 一代人

whilst  =while

bind /v. 使團結

community / n. 社區(qū)

But the National Trust has warned that advances in technology and social media is causing traditional mythology(神話) to die out as it is no longer relevant to modern lives. It said that in a world dominated by smartphones and the internet, superstitions(迷信) that were once believed to save the lives of miners and tales of magical blacksmiths(鐵匠) were no longer of interest to children who have never ridden a horse or put coal on the fire.

National Trust (英國)信托基金(是一個從事環(huán)境和文化遺產(chǎn)保護的組織)

advance /  n. 進步

cause / v. 造成、導致

die out 消亡、滅絕

relevant / adj. 緊密相關的

dominate /  v. 支配、主宰

smartphone / n. 智能手機(由smart和phone組成)

miner /  n. 礦工

tale /te l/ n. 傳奇故事、傳說

magical / adj. 有魔力的(由magic加后綴-al變成形容詞)

of interest 讓人感興趣的

coal /n. 煤炭

Jessica Monaghan, the National Trust's Head of Experiences and Programming, called on the public to share its knowledge of folklore from different regions of the UK to keep it alive. "These tales and traditions tell us so much about our ancestors and their relationship with the world around them and help us appreciate the layers of history and symbolism(象征意義) in the places we live now," she said.

call on 呼吁、號召

the public 廣大民眾

alive /adj. 活著的、繼續(xù)存在的

tradition / n. 傳統(tǒng)

ancestor / n. 祖先

relationship / n. 關系

appreciate /v. 賞識、重視

layer /  n. 一層

Ms Monagahan said some tales were unique to particular parts of the country, reflecting local character, whilst others showed how much the nation shares in common. Many come from the same basic human needs, such as shelter, food, companionship and adventure.

unique /adj. 獨特的

reflect / v. 反映、顯示

character /  n. 特點、特色

nation / n.

shelter / n. 遮蔽、庇護

companionship /n. 陪伴

"Through these tales – whether they're about white harts(鹿), mirrors, water spirits or magpies(喜鵲) – we can explore and celebrate not only what makes communities around the UK unique, but also the threads that tie us together and have done for generations," she added.

spirit / n. 靈魂、鬼魂

explore /  v. 探究、探討

celebrate / v. 歌頌

thread /n. 線

Dee Dee Chainey, author of the National Trust's A Treasury of British Folklore, said: "In the Doctrine of Signatures of the 16th century, the walnut(核桃) was seen to cure diseases of the brain, purely because it resembles it. Few people today would believe this as we now have advanced medical knowledge and scientific methods through which to evaluate the success of medical treatments."

treasury / n. 寶庫

Doctrine of Signatures 是一本講述“以形補形”的書

cure / v. 治療、治愈

purely / adv. 僅僅

resemble /v. 跟…很像

medical / adj. 醫(yī)學的、醫(yī)療的

evaluate / v. 評估

treatment / n. 治療(由treat加后綴-ment變成名詞)

"It's interesting though, that new folklore is being created all the time." She said internet memes were a type of folklore, passed through online communities in the same way that old superstitions and tales were passed on by word of mouth in the past. "This new lore reflects modern needs," she added. "The things we dream about, and the fears that haunt us in the darkest nights today."

meme / n. 指互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上風行一時的圖片、視頻、新玩法等

by word of mouth 口頭地

lore /n. (口頭流傳的)知識

haunt /v. (不好的事情)縈繞于腦際

Ms Chainey insisted there was "still hope" with folklore seeing a resurgence(復蘇) as many attempt to unearth old tales, efforts she said were common in times of turmoil and unrest, when people look to the past for stability and comfort.

unearth / v. 發(fā)掘、挖出

turmoil / n. 動蕩

unrest /  n. 不安定(由rest加上表示否定的前綴un-)

stability / n. 穩(wěn)定

"Many of the old fairy tales are now being rewritten and retold in new ways: with new heroes, heroines, and new lessons that are relevant to the modern day," she said. "And that's what folklore is about: taking the old wisdom and traditions, and redefining them for who we are, and the lives we now have."

fairy /  tale 童話故事

rewrite /  v. 重寫(由write加上表示再次的前綴re-)

retell / v. 重新講述(由tell加上表示再次的前綴re-)

heroine /  n. 女英雄

wisdom /  n. 智慧

redefine /  v. 重新定義(由define加上表示再次的前綴re-)

英文原文節(jié)選自The Telegraph