Key to Unit Two
Myths and Legends
Overview
Warm-up Activities
Intensive Reading
Extensive Reading
Reading & Writing
Warm-up Activities
I. Starting up
A.Decide from your common sense which of the following is a myth, a legend or a fable. Then
compare them with your partner’s.
•Kua Fu Chases the Sun. (myth)
•Yu the Great Conquers the Flood. (legend)
•Nü Gua Mends the Sky. (myth)
•The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. (fable)
•Zeus, Prometheus and Pandora. (myth)
•Mark the Boat for a Dropped Sword. (fable)
•Venus, the Roman goddess of love. (myth)
•King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. (legend)
•The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. (fable)
•Robin Hood---Bold Outlaw of Barnsdale and Sherwood Forest. (legend)
II. Listening
Listen to the following three passages and then do the relevant exercises.
A. Listen to Passage 1 and answer the questions.
1. Their names are Plan Ahead, Think Fast, and Wait and See.
2. Towards the same issue, the three fish made different responses: Plan Ahead said, “I'm
swimming down the ri ver tonight!” Think Fast said, “I'm sure I'll come up with a plan.” Wait and See lazily said, “I just can't think about it now!”
3. When the fisherman cast his nets, Plan Ahead was long gone. But Think Fast and Wait and
See were caught! Think Fast quickly rolled his belly up and pretended to be dead and so the fisherman threw him safely back into the water. But, Wait and See ended up in the fish market.
B.Listen to Passage 2 describing the myth and legend which surround St George’s Day and
complete the sentences below.
1.slayer, saviour, medieval texts and art, little information about
2.valorous deeds, 12th century, rescuing a king's daughter, slaying a dragon
3.popularized, knights, Middle East
4.have appeared, white robes, siege, patron saint, Henry V's victory
5.stake a claim, invoke, exorcise demons, associated with fertility
C.Listen to Passage 3. In this part, you will hear a lecture given by a historian. He will talk
about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake myths which persist even after 100 years. After you have heard the lecture, select the best answer from the four given choices.
1. B
2. C
3. D
4. D
5. C
6. D
7. A
8. D
III. Discussion
B. Work in groups of three or four and discuss the following questions:
1.Yes, it is. In the absence of scientific information of any kind, long ago societies all over the
world devised creation myths, resurrection myths, and complex systems of supernatural beings, each with specific powers, and stories about their actions. Since people were often isolated from each other, most myths evolved independently, but the various myths are surprisingly similar, in particular creation myths.
2.The first function of myth is the need: myth is a universal need. Over time, one version of a
myth would become the accepted standard that was passed down to succeeding generations, first through story-telling, and then, much later, set down in written form. Inevitably myths became part of systems of religion, and were integrated into rituals and ceremonies, which included music, dancing and magic.
The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and to account for its rites and customs. One constant rule of mythology is whatever happens among the gods reflects events on earth. In this way, events such as invasions and radical social changes became incorporated into myths. Some myths, especially those from the Greco-Roman and medieval periods, also serve to illustrate moral principles, frequently through feats of heroism performed by mortals.
Exercises
I. Reading Comprehension
1. Yes, they are. Myths are significant stories for their culture, and their significance sometimes
resonates over millennia and far beyond their original culture. Myths permeate every culture, and are borrowed, retold, and live again in fresh imaginings. They are the stories of cultural beginnings, of how people's lives and ways of thinking came to be shaped, and they still help to shape the way that many people understand themselves and the world.
2. Explanatory myths pose and offer the answers to questions that puzzle the philosophers. Such
questions cannot be answered from a purely rational framework, and the greatest philosophers have sometimes resorted to the language of myth to treat such issues. On the
