---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/03-an-unknown-goddess.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：An Unknown Goddess。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 03 · 无名女神

### 第1段

Some time ago, an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean island of Kea. An American team explored a temple which stands in an ancient city on the promontory of Ayia Irini. The city at one time must have been prosperous, for it enjoyed a high level of civilization. Houses—often three storeys high—were built of stone. They had large rooms with beautifully decorated walls. The city was even equipped with a drainage system, for a great many clay pipes were found beneath the narrow streets.
The temple which the archaeologists explored was used as a place of worship from the fifteenth century B.C. until Roman times. In the most sacred room of the temple, clay fragments of fifteen statues were found. Each of these represented a goddess and had, at one time, been painted. The body of one statue was found among remains dating from the fifteenth century B.C.. Its missing head happened to be among remains of the fifth century B.C.. This head must have been found in Classical times and carefully preserved. It was very old and precious even then. When the archaeologists reconstructed the fragments, they were amazed to find that the goddess turned out to be a very modern-looking woman. She stood three feet high and her hands rested on her hips. She was wearing a full-length skirt which swept the ground. Despite her great age, she was very graceful indeed, but, so far, the archaeologists have been unable to discover her identity.

中文理解：前些时候，考古学家在爱琴海的基亚岛上有了一个有趣的发现。一支美国考古队考察了阿伊亚·依里尼海角一座古城中的神庙。这座城市当年一定十分繁荣，因为它拥有高度发达的文明。房屋由石头建成，往往高达三层；屋内房间宽敞，墙面装饰精美。城里甚至有排水系统，考古人员在狭窄的街道下面发现了大量陶土管道。
这座神庙从公元前15世纪起，一直到罗马时代，都是人们祭拜的场所。在神庙最神圣的殿堂里，考古人员发现了15尊陶像的碎片。每尊雕像都代表一位女神，而且都曾上过彩。其中一尊雕像的躯干出土于公元前15世纪的遗存中，原本缺失的头部却恰好在公元前5世纪的遗存中找到了。这颗头像一定在古典时代就已被人发现，并得到妥善保存；即使在那个时候，它也已是年代久远的珍贵文物。考古学家把碎片拼好后，惊讶地发现，这位女神的模样竟然十分现代。雕像高3英尺，双手叉腰，身穿一条长及地面的裙子。尽管年代久远，她的姿态依然十分优美。不过，考古学家至今仍无法确定她究竟是哪位女神。

* **discovery was made**：有所发现；作出发现；make a discovery 是搭配；被动语态把发现放在句首。

* **at one time**：曾经；一度；回看过去的一个阶段，与现在形成对照。

* **were built of**：用……建造；be built of + 看得出的材料；描述建筑本身时常用被动。

* **equipped with**：配备有；用 with 引出配备的东西。

* **a drainage system**：排水系统；install / repair a drainage system；不要将 drainage 当成饮用水供应。

* **a great many**：许多；只接可数名词复数，不接money等不可数名词。

* **a place of worship**：宗教礼拜场所；place of + 活动可给地点按功能分类。

* **had, at one time, been painted**：过去曾被涂过颜色；at one time 插在 had 与 been 之间，不让插入语打断完成被动结构。

* **dating from**：始于；可追溯到；作后置修饰时可用 dating from，不表示约会。

* **happened to be**：碰巧是；碰巧在；happen to do 表示巧合，不是事件发生的 happen in。

* **must have been found**：一定已被找到；对过去的被动事件作强推测，不是过去的义务。

* **were amazed to find**：惊讶地发现；be amazed to find that + 发现内容，可用来引出揭晓。

* **rested on her hips**：放在；支撑在；身体部位 + rest on + 支撑处，描述姿态；本课不是休息。

* **a full-length skirt**：长及脚踝的裙子；full-length 修饰衣物长度；连字符将两词连成一个修饰语。

* **so far**：到目前为止；常与现在完成时连用；so far 的范围止于当前，不能当最终结果。

#### 原文注释 · Some time ago, an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean island of Kea.

注释：①explored = examined。②ancient = very old。③prosperous = wealthy, booming, flourishing。④storeys = floors。⑤beneath = under。⑥for 引导原因状语从句，对主句附加说明，because 强调原因。

#### 原文注释 · The temple which the archaeologists explored was used as a place of worship from the fifteenth century B.C.

注释：①sacred = holy, solemn, divine。②fragments = pieces。③remains = surviving pieces。④这里B.C.的第二个点与句号合并，为了避免误以为是从句，用括号标出一个不必标出的句号，下同。⑤英语中表示惊讶的词语强弱程度如下：弱surprised， astonished，amazed，astounded 强。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]本句需要留意的是that 引导的宾语从句为额外划分的，因为本身已经是to find 动词不定式构成的补语之中。woman 下的横线包括了点句号，表示该额外划分的宾语从句到此为止。

#### Summary 摘要

Archaeologists found clay fragments in an ancient temple. These represented the fifteen statues of goddesses which had once been painted. The body of one statue was found among remains from the fifteenth century B.C. while its head was found among remains from the fifth century B.C. When the fragments were reconstructed, they turned out to be a goddess which stood three feet high. Her hands rested on her hips and she was wearing a full-length skirt. Her identity is unknown. (80 words)

#### Composition 作文

After walking round(四处走走) the ancient city, the archaeologists discovered an ancient temple. This temple had obviously been a place of worship because it contained a sacred room. On entering the sacred room, the archaeologists found the clay fragments of fifteen statues, each of which was a goddess which had once been painted. After this, workmen began digging and soon discovered the head of a statue among remains dating from the fifth century B.C. They also found the body of this statue among remains from the fifteenth century B.C. The archaeologists carefully put the fragments together. They were astonished(astounded/surprised) to find that the figure was a goddess. The goddess was a modern-looking woman. She had her hands on her hips and she was wearing a full-length skirt. Although the archaeologists tried very hard to identify her, they were unable to find out her name. (143 words)

## 学完这一课

描述一处旧建筑，选一个可见痕迹，再推断它过去的用途或状况。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第17—19页，2022年2月第3版。*