Perseus, the son of a mortal woman and the king of the Greek gods, Zeus, was sent to capture the snake-haired Medusa's head. Even though one look at Medusa could turn anyone to stone, Perseus used his shield as a mirror and successfully sliced off her head. Blood flowed from the dead monster's neck and into the ocean. From this water sprang the white-winged horse known as Pegasus, the child of the sea god Poseidon and Medusa.
With Pegasus' help, the hero Perseus next rescued a princess. Afterwards, Athena, the goddess of war, entrusted the Muses, a group of sisters who inspired poets, with Pegasus' care. When he met them, Pegasus was so excited that he beat his hooves against the side of the mountain, producing a magical well that gives inspiration to all who drink from it. One of the Muses foretold that Pegasus would go on to greatness.
Bellerophon, a lesser-known Greek god, longed to capture and tame Pegasus. Upon capturing Pegasus, Bellerophon used the mighty-winged horse as a vehicle in his quest to kill a creature known for having a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. After the slaying, Bellerophon ordered Pegasus to fly him up to Mt. Olympus, the home of the gods. This angered Zeus so much that he had a fly sting Pegasus, causing him to buck his rider. Bellerophon fell to his death, while Pegasus flew to Mt. Olympus, where Zeus turned him into a heavenly constellation. Pegasus is said to carry Zeus' lightning bolts across the sky, and as he rushes across, his hooves create rumbles of thunder.
全文翻譯
希臘眾神之首宙斯與凡人所生之子——伯修斯被派往拿下蛇髮女妖梅杜莎的首級。雖然只消看她一眼就會變成石頭，伯修斯卻用盾牌當作鏡子，成功砍下她的頭。她頸部流出的血流入大海。從一片血海之中，海神波賽頓與梅杜莎之子——飛馬派格瑟斯就此誕生。
在派格瑟斯的協助下，伯修斯接下來拯救了一位公主。後來，女戰神雅典娜將照顧派格瑟斯的任務委託給啟發詩人靈感的繆思女神們。當他見到她們，興奮地將蹄往山邊一蹬，因此湧出神奇的泉水，所有飲用這泉水的人都會獲得靈感。其中一名繆思便預言，派格瑟斯將來必定不同凡響。
一位較不有名的希臘神祇珀勒洛豐渴望擄獲派格瑟斯並馴服他。一抓到派格瑟斯，珀勒洛豐就將這匹萬能的飛馬當作座騎，前往殺死一隻獅頭羊身蛇尾的怪物。殺了怪物之後，珀勒洛豐命令派格瑟斯飛往眾神的故鄉奧林匹斯山。此舉激怒了宙斯，因此派遣一隻蒼蠅去叮派格瑟斯，使他將背上的騎者摔出去。珀勒洛豐因此摔死，派格瑟斯則飛往奧林匹斯山，在那裡宙斯將他變成天上的星座。據說他背著宙斯的閃電橫跨天際，當他匆匆飛過天空時，他的蹄就踢出隆隆雷聲。
片語
1. slice off... 將……切下來
例: Slice off a piece of that apple for me.
（幫我切一片蘋果。）
2. springvi. 跳，躍
三態為：
spring, sprang, sprung。
spring up 突然出現
例: Many Internet cafés have sprung up in this city over the past few years.
（這城市過去幾年來許多網咖如雨後春筍般出現。）
3. entrust sb with... 將……委託給某人
例: My sister entrusted me with the job of arranging her wedding banquet.
（我姊姊將她婚宴的準備工作交付給我。）
4. inspire vt. 啟發
inspire sb to V 啟發某人做……
例: That rock and roll singer inspired Nick to start up his own band.
（那個搖滾歌手啟發尼克自己組團。）
5. long to V 渴望做……
例: Becky longs to study abroad and works three jobs to save money for it.
（貝琪渴望出國留學，因此兼了三份工作存錢。）
6. in one's quest to V 某人為了要……
例: In his quest to become popular, Ken tried to act cool in front of the girls.
（為了受人歡迎，阿健在女孩面前試著耍酷。）
7. allow sb to V 允許某人做……
例: Mary's father would never allow her to marry a man without a job.
（瑪麗的爸爸絕不會允許她嫁給無業遊民。）
8. stand for... 代表……
例: The superhero stands for truth and justice.
（超級英雄代表真理與正義。）
9. be a symbol of... 是……的象徵
= be symbolic of...
例: Doves are symbols of peace in most cultures.
（在大多數的文化中，鴿子是和平的象徵。）
單字
1. mortal n. 凡人
2. capture vt. 擄獲
3. hoof n. 蹄
4. foretell vt. 預言
三態為：foretell, foretold [ fOr`told ],
foretold。
5. tame vt. 馴服
6. serpent n. 大蛇
7. slay n. 殺戮
8. sting vt. 刺，
螫
9. buck vt.（馬）彎背躍起把（騎者）摔下
10. constellation n.
星座
11. bolt n. 閃電
12. rumble n. 隆隆聲
13. pregnant a. 懷孕的
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