Helen was the most beautiful woman of the world．She was an infamous lady．She lighted the flames of the Trojan war and brought extreme destruction on the city of Troy．Helen was the daughter of Zeus．Helen's matchless beauty and charms drew towards her many heroes from all parts of Greece.
When still small she was carried off by Theseus，who wished to have a divine wife ．But she was rescued later by her brother Castor，and brought back to her native land．Her stepfather married her to Menelaus，king of Sparta．
Nothing of importance had happened to her married life until Paris came to visit Sparta．Helen was attracted by Paris' lovely face．They stole one another's love in the absence of Menelausand then eloped on board a ship to Troy．Helen left her young daughter behind．To get Helen back，the Greek army sailed across and laid a long siege to the city of Troy ．
Helen was quietly weaving her story into a web of golden carpet one day when she was called up the city walls of Troy to look at the fighting between Menelaus and Paris．Menelaus was determined to kill Paris in the battle．Sitting by the side of King Priam，she told the chiefs of the Greek side to him．Tears of love filled up her eyes when she saw her first husband down below．After Paris fled the field she had the feelings of love and scorn．She encouraged Hector and Paris to take the field again and sincerely mourned the death of the true hero Hector. But when Odysseus and Diomedes came in disguise to steal the Palladium，she helped them to do so as much as she could．After Paris died in battle she became the wife of another son of Priam．
In the meantime Menelaus was anxiously searching for Helen in the ruined palaces of Troy．Aphrodite had made Helen more beautiful，so that，when he finally found her trembling in a corner，Menelaus was most unwilling to bring his sword down on her charming face．Menelaus felt secretly overjoyed to have his wife back again．Following Menelaus through the ruins of the city，Helen felt ashamed of her impure behaviour．And she was truly scared at the terrible fate she was to have in the Greek Camp．
Once more her beauty saved her．No one could bring him self to thrust his sword into such a charming and graceful lady．In the tent of Menelaus she threw herself at the feet of the Spartan king，asking for forgiveness ．Moved by the scene，Menelaus helped her up and let her forget the past．He held her in his arms while she had tears of grief and happiness．The pair loved each other like before and vanished in the far west．
海倫是世上最美麗的女人。她也是壹位臭名昭著的女人。她點燃了特洛伊的戰火，並給特洛伊城造成了巨大的破壞。海倫是宙斯的女兒。她無可匹敵的美麗和魁力使希臘各地的英雄們都迷戀於她。她小的時候被提修斯掠走。提修斯想有壹個神性的妻子。但後來海倫被其兄卡斯特救出，帶回到了故土。海倫的繼父將她嫁給了斯巴達的國王墨涅勞斯。
在帕利斯來訪斯巴達之前，海倫的婚姻生活比較平靜。海倫被帕利斯可愛的面容迷住。當墨涅勞斯國王不在時，他們就相互偷情，之後壹起乘船私奔到了特洛伊城。海倫將幼小的女兒留在了斯巴達。為了奪回海倫，希臘軍隊越過海峽，將特洛伊城緊緊包圍。
壹天正當海倫靜靜地將自己的經歷編織成壹塊金色的地毯時，有人叫她在特洛伊城上觀看墨涅勞斯和帕利斯的決鬥。墨涅勞斯決心殺死帕利斯。坐在皮安姆國王旁邊，她將希臘壹方的首領告訴了國王。當她看到城墻下前夫的身影時，愛的熱淚流滿了眼簾。帕利斯戰敗逃離戰場後，她的感覺是既愛又卑視。她鼓勵海格特和帕利斯再次走上戰場，並真誠地為真正的英雄海格特的死而哀痛。但當奧德修斯和狄俄墨德斯化裝後來偷竊雅典娜神像時，她竭盡全力幫助了她們。帕利斯戰死後，她成了皮安姆國王另壹個兒子的妻子。
與此同時墨涅勞斯焦急地在毀壞的特洛伊宮中尋找海倫。愛神阿芙羅狄蒂使海倫變得更美麗了。結果當墨涅勞斯終於發現躲在角落中發抖的海倫時，極不情願將利劍刺向她那迷人的面孔。而他內心正為奪回海倫暗自高興，海倫跟隨墨涅勞斯穿過特洛伊城的廢墟，她深為自己的不潔行為感到恥辱。壹想到自己將在希臘軍營中遭受的命運，她就心驚膽顫。
她的美麗再次拯救了她。沒有人能忍心將劍刺向令人銷魂，嫵媚動人的女子之身。在墨涅勞斯的帳篷中，海倫跪在斯巴達國王的腳下，乞求饒恕。看到眼前的情形，墨涅勞斯深受感動，他扶起海倫，讓她忘掉過去的壹切。墨涅勞斯將她抱起來時，海倫的兩眼流出幸福與悲傷的淚水。他們倆像以前那樣相愛，壹同消失在遙遠的西方。 提問人的追問 2010-02-02 19:46 …好長…有些單詞不認識… 回答人的補充 2010-02-05 12:37 Good Boy
Little Robert asked his mother for two cents. "What did you do with the money I gave you yesterday?"
"I gave it to a poor old woman," he answered.
"You're a good boy," said the mother proudly. "Here are two cents more. But why are you so interested in the old woman?"
"She is the one who sells the candy."
好孩子
小羅伯特向媽媽要兩分錢。
“昨天給妳的錢幹什麽了？”
“我給了壹個可憐的老太婆，”他回答說。 “妳真是個好孩子，”媽媽驕傲地說。“再給妳兩分錢。可妳為什麽對那位老太太那麽感興趣呢？”
“她是個賣糖果的。”
Nest and Hair
My sister, a primary school teacher, was informed by one of her pupils that a bird had built its nest in the tree outside the classroom.
"What kind of bird?" my sister asked.
"I didn't see the bird, ma' am, only the nest," replied the child.
"Then, can you give us a description of the nest?" my sister encouraged her .
"Well, ma'am, it just resembles your hair. "
Notes:
(1) inform v.告訴
(2) nest n.窩；巢
(3) description n.描述
(4) encourage v.鼓勵
(5) resemble v. 相似；類似
18.鳥窩與頭發
我姐姐是壹位小學老師。壹次壹個學生告訴她說壹只鳥兒在教室外 的樹上壘了個窩。
“是什麽鳥呢？”我姐姐問她。
“我沒看到鳥兒，老師，只看到鳥窩。”那孩子回答說。
“那麽，妳能給我們描述壹下這個鳥巢嗎？”我姐姐鼓勵她道。
“哦，老師，就像妳的頭發壹樣。”
I've Just Bitten My Tongue
"Are we poisonous?" the young snake asked his mother.
"Yes, dear," she replied - "Why do you ask?"
"Cause I've just bitten my tongue! "
Notes:
(1) poisonous adj.有毒的
(2) Cause I've just bitten my tongue 因為我剛咬了自己的舌頭。 句中 Cause 是 Because 的縮略形式。
我剛咬破自己的舌頭
“我們有毒嗎？”壹個年幼的蛇問它的母親。
“是的，親愛的，”她回答說，“妳問這個幹什麽？”
“因為我剛剛咬破自己的舌頭。”
這個行嗎