The Garden of Eden 1. Background Knowledge Background Knowledge 2. Text Analysis Text Analysis 3. Exercises Exercises 4. Questions For Discussion Questions.

The Garden of Eden

1. Background Knowledge

2. Text Analysis

3. Exercises

4. Questions For Discussion

Background Knowledge

1. Bible: The Bible, a collection of sacred books of Judaism and Christianity, is composed of two main parts: the Old Testament （旧约） and the New Testament （新约） . The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and later it was translated into Greek and Latin. The Old Testament is traditionally divided into three parts: the Law （律法书或摩西五经） , the Prophets （先知书） and the Writings （圣录） . Christianity regards the Old Testament as an accurate record of God’s dealings with His people in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, containing much New Testament teaching at its early stage of development.

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The New Testament, the part of the Bible concerned with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and his earliest followers, comprises the four GOSPELS （四福音书：马太福音、马可福音、路加福音、约翰福音） , the ACTS of the APOSTLES （使徒行传） , the EPISTLES （使徒书信） , and the Book of REVELATION（启示录） . The GOSPELS are named after Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

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The Bible has exerted an incalculable influence on the thought, attitudes, beliefs, art, science, and politics of Western society. Ever since its coming into being, there have been many versions and translations of the Bible. It has now been translated into more than 1,400 languages, and millions of copies are sold every year throughout the world.

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The Bible is not only a sacred book, it is also important literature and a source of literary inspiration. Many great poets, writers and painters created masterpieces based on the Bible and its stories, among which are Milton’s long poems Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, and Leonardo da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper.

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2. According to Genesis, God created the world in seven days.

In the beginning of creation, when God made heaven and earth, the earth floated through space in silence and darkness. God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light. God separated light from darkness. He called the light day, and the darkness night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (picture)

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Then God said, “Let there be a dome between waters, to separate water from water.” God made the dome and called it Heaven. And the evening and morning were the second day.

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God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth and the gathering of the waters Seas. Then god said, “Let the land be rich with plants which bear seed, and with trees that bear flowers and fruit.” This was done. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

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God said, “Let there be lights in the heaven to separate day from night, and let them serve as signs both for festivals and for seasons and years.” God made the two great lights: the sun which ruled the day and the moon that ruled the night. God also made the stars. The evening and the morning were the fourth day. (picture)

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And God said, “Let the waters be full of fishes and sky full of birds.” God created the living creatures that moved in the waters and every kind of bird that flew above the earth. God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and increase. The evening and the morning were the fifth day.

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God said, “It is not enough. Let the earth also be full of creatures that creep and walk on legs.” God made the cattle, the creeping animals and the wild beasts. When this was done, God took some dust from the ground and formed an image like Himself. He gave it life, called him man and placed it at the head of all creation. So ended the labour of the sixth day.

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God was contented with what He had done and on the seventh day, He rested from his work. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day He ended all the work He had set Himself to do. This is the story of the heaven and the earth.

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God placed the man he had formed in the Garden of Eden and made a woman out of the man’s rib to keep him company. Our selection describes how Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden by God, which is a widely-known Bible story.

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Exercises

1. True/False Questions

2. Translation

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True/False Questions

1.The animals and birds the Lord God made were all good companions of Adam.

2.The snake tricked the woman and persuaded her to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge.

3.Adam and Eve were punished and sent out of the Garden of Eden.

4.Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to eat the fruit of the tree of life. Therefore, they could not live for ever.

5.The snake was punished for life for its false words.


1.The animals and birds the Lord God made were all good companions of Adam. (F)

2.The snake tricked the woman and persuaded her to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge.






2.The snake tricked the woman and persuaded her to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. (T)







3.Adam and Eve were punished and sent out of the Garden of Eden. (T)







4.Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to eat the fruit of the tree of life. Therefore, they could not live for ever. (T)






4.Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to eat the fruit of the tree of life. Therefore, they could not live for ever. (T)

5.The snake was punished for life for its false words. (T)

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Learn to use the word “make” by finding in the text the English equivalent of each of the following

1. 制造宇宙万物



make the universe



make the universe

2. 造出一个合适的伙伴帮助他



make the universe


make a suitable companion to help him



make the universe



3. 让各种美丽的树木生长



make the universe



3. 让各种美丽的树木生长

make all kinds of beautiful trees grow


4. 让那人熟睡


4. 让那人熟睡

make the man fall into a deep sleep


4. 让那人熟睡


5. 我要让你和女人相互仇恨


4. 让那人熟睡



make you and the woman hate each other


4. 让那人熟睡




6. 让大地为你生产够吃的食物


4. 让那人熟睡




6. 让大地为你生产够吃的食物

make it (the ground) produce enough food for

you


7. 让土地生产万物



make the soil produce anything




8. 让他耕作土地




8. 让他耕作土地

make him cultivate the soil

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Find in the text the English equivalent of each of the following and learn what can be planted and cultivated.

1. 那时没有人耕种土地。



There was no one to cultivate the land.




2. 上帝在伊甸园栽种了一片园子。




2. 上帝在伊甸园栽种了一片园子。

The Lord God planted a garden in Eden.


3. 男人被放在伊甸园中耕种和守卫伊甸园。



The man was placed in the Garden of Eden to

cultivate it and guard it.





4. 于是上帝将他逐出伊甸园，并让他耕种他赖以生存的土地。





4. 于是上帝将他逐出伊甸园，并让他耕种他赖以生存的土地。

So the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden and made him cultivate the soil from which he had been formed.

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Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were expelled by God out of the Garden of Eden, what do you think about that event? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

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Text Analysis

The Bible is a very important part of Western culture. The following is a famous story from the Bible. Read and see if you know the whole story.

When the LORD God made the universe, there were no plants on the earth and no seeds had sprouted, because he had not sent any rain, and there was no one to cultivate the land; but water would come up from beneath the surface and water the ground.

Text Analysis

Then the LORD God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he put the man he had formed. He made all kinds of beautiful trees grow there and produce good fruit. In the middle of the garden stood the tree that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.

Text Analysis

Then the LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. He said to him, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.”

Text Analysis

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him.” So he took some soil from the ground and formed all the animals and all the birds. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and that is how they all got their names. So the man named all the birds and all the animals; but not one of them was a suitable companion to help him.

Text Analysis

Then the LORD God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the flesh. He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him. Then the man said,

“At last, here is one of my own kind—

Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh.

‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.”

Text Analysis

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.

The man and the woman were both naked, but they were not embarrassed.

Now the snake was the most cunning animal that the LORD God had made. The snake asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”

Text Analysis

“We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden,” the woman answered, “except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.”

The snake replied, “That’s not true: you will not die. God said that, because he knows that when you eat it you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.”

Text Analysis

The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it. As soon as they had eaten it, they were given understanding and realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and covered themselves.

Text Analysis

That evening they heard the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked.” “Who told you that you were naked?” God asked, “Did you eat the fruit that I told you not to eat?”

The man answered, “The woman you put here with me gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

Text Analysis

The LORD God asked the woman, “Why did you do this?”

She replied, “The snake tricked me into eating it.”

Then the LORD God said to the snake, “You will be punished for this; you alone of all the animals must bear this curse: From now on you will crawl on your belly, and you will have to eat dust as long as you live. I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite their heel.”

Text Analysis

And he said to the woman, “I will increase your trouble in pregnancy and your pain in giving birth. In spite of this, you will still have desire for your husband, yet you will be subject to him.”

Text Analysis

And he said to the man, “You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you. It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will have to eat wild plants. You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. You were made from soil, and you will become soil again.”

Text Analysis

Adam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all human beings. And the LORD God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and he clothed them.

Then the LORD God said, “Now the man has become like one of us and has knowledge of what is good and what is bad. He must not be allowed to eat fruit from the tree of life, and live for ever.” So the LORD God sent him out of the Garden of Eden and made him cultivate the soil from which he had been formed. Return

universe []n. 天地万物；宇宙；世界 =everything that exists everywheree.g. Somewhere in the universe there must be another world like ours.宇宙中某处一定有与我们世界相似的另一个世界。

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cultivate[] vt. 耕 =prepare (land) for crops by ploughinge.g. Peppermint is cultivated on some farms here.这儿有些农场种薄荷。

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beneath []prep. 在…底下 =below, undere.g. There is a large cellar beneath the kitchen.厨房下面有一个大地窖。

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nostril[] n. 鼻孔 =either of the two external openings into the nosee.g. Glasses and stick are the breath of her nostrils for the old lady.对这个老太太来说，眼睛和拐杖是必不可少的东西。

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suitable []adj. 合适的 =right for the purpose or occasione.g. We’ve found a suitable place for a picnic.我们已经找到了一个适合野餐的地方。

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companion []n. 同伴 =person who goes withe.g. Lisa is a perfect companion on the journey.丽莎是个理想的旅伴。

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flesh []n. 肉体 =soft substance, esp muscle, between the skin and bones of animal bodiese.g. Tigers are flesh-eating animals.虎是肉食动物。

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embarrassed []adj. 窘的，尴尬的 =awkward or ashamede.g. He is embarrassed by lack of money.他因缺钱而窘迫。

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cunning[ ] adj. 狡诈的 =clever at deceivinge.g. This businessman is a cunning old fox.这个商人是个狡猾的老狐狸。

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naked []adj. 裸体的 =without clothes one.g. He is as naked as the day he was born.他象他出生时那样赤裸裸的。

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bear[] vt. 承担；忍受 =carry, enduree.g. The pain was almost more than he could bear.那疼痛几乎使他受不了。

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curse[] n. 灾祸；诅咒 =word, phrase or sentence calling for the punishment, injury or destruction of sth or sbe.g. The witch put a curse on the princess.女巫对公主施了咒语。

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crawl[] vi. 爬行 =move slowly, pulling the body along the ground or other surfacee.g. The wounded soldier crawled into a shell-hole.那受伤的士兵爬入一个炮弹坑。

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belly []n. 肚子，腹部 =abdomene.g. His joke caused a belly laugh.他的笑话引起一阵高声大笑。

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offspring []n. 后代；儿女 =child or childrene.g. He is the offspring of a scientific genius and a ballet dancer.他是一位天才科学家和一位芭蕾舞蹈家的后代。

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crush []vt. 碾碎；压坏 =press, be pressed, so that there is breaking or injurye.g. Don’t crush this box; it has flowers in it.不要把这个盒子压破了；里面装的是花。

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pregnancy [] n. 怀孕 =the state of being pregnante.g. She’s had six pregnancies in six years.她在六年中怀孕六次。

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subject [] adj. 受…支配的；从属的 =under control ofe.g. We are subject to the laws of the country.

我们都受到国家法律的约束。

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thorn [] n. 荆棘 =kinds of shrub or tree with thornse.g. His presence is a thorn in the host’s flesh.

他的出席使主人觉得如芒在背。

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sweat []vi. 出汗 =give out sweate.g. The long hot climb made him sweat.长距离的攀登使他出汗。

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the same day 当天e.g. He paid in cash and received the goods the same day.他用现金付账并于当天收到了货物。

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fall into a sleep 入睡e.g. After a long day’s hard work, he fell into a sound sleep immediately.辛苦地干了一天活之后，他立即陷入沉睡中。

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call out to… 向…大声喊叫e.g. She called out to the police for help.她大声向警察求救。

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hide from 躲避e.g. The future is hidden from us.未来是我们难以预卜的。

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trick … into (doing) 诱骗…做e.g. He tricked the poor girl into marrying him by pretending that he was rich.他假装有钱而骗那可怜女孩与他结婚。

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because of 因为e.g. Because of his bad leg, he couldn’t walk so fast as the others.因为他的腿有毛病，他不能跟别的人走得一样快。

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be under a curse 受诅咒而遭殃e.g. It is said that anyone living in that house will be under a curse.据说住在那栋房子里的人会受到诅咒而遭殃。

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… he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.上帝朝他鼻孔吹了一口生气，于是男人就有了生命。英语中有一类动宾词组，动词和宾语是同源词，使用时能达到强调的表达效果。在这种用法中宾语前常有形容词修饰。如：She died a heroic death.He smiled a contemptuous smile.She dreamt a sweet dream.Today we are living a happy life.He sighed a sigh.

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“At last, here is one of my own kind — Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh.

‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.” “ 现在，终于有了和我同类的生灵—— 骨取自我骨，肉取自我肉，这就称之为女人，因为她取自于男人。”

‘ woman’: from old English ‘wifman’ meaning wife plus man

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“From now on you will crawl on your belly, and you will have to eat dust as long as you live. I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite their heel.”“你要终身用肚皮爬行，啃泥过活。我要让你和女人互相仇恨，而且世代为敌。她的后代都将砸你的头，而你则会咬他们的脚跟。”

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“I will increase your trouble in pregnancy and your pain in giving birth.”“我要增加你的苦难，使你备受怀孕和分娩之痛苦。”

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“Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse.”“由于你偷吃了禁果，土地因你受诅咒而遭殃。”

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“You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. You were made from soil, and you will become soil again.”“一直到你入土之日，你都得辛勤劳动，用汗水耕耘土地，使之生产万物。你原来自于泥土，你将回到泥土中去。”

until you go back to the soil from which you were formed: until you die

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no seeds had sprouted: no seeds had begun to grow

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the tree that gives life: or the tree of life 生命树

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the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad: or the tree of knowledge 智慧之树

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Adam ([]): 亚当 This name in Hebrew （希伯来语） means “mankind （人类） .” According to the Bible, Adam was the father of mankind.

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Eve ([]): 夏娃 According to the Bible, she was wife of Adam and the first woman in the universe. “Eve” in Hebrew means “life”. The woman that gave life to all human beings was their mother.

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Have you ever read any Bible stories such as The Garden of Eden; Noah’s Ark; The Prodigal Son; The Last Supper; The Death of Jesus?

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How did God make the man? (picture)

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Where did the man live? What was God’s warning to him?

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How did God make the woman? (picture)

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How did the snake trick Eve into eating the forbidden fruit? (picture)

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What happened to Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit? (picture)

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How did God punish the snake for what he had done?

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How did God punish the woman?

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How did God punish the man?

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What did God then do to Adam and Eve? Why? (picture)

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《创造亚当》米开朗基罗

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《创造夏娃》米开朗基罗

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The Garden of Eden 1. Background Knowledge Background Knowledge 2. Text Analysis Text Analysis 3. Exercises Exercises 4. Questions For Discussion Questions.

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