In an age long ago, the people of the Amis tribe living near Mt. Pazik were deeply troubled. On the mountain lived a coldhearted and mischievous giant. He belonged to a race of giants called the Alikakay, and he liked nothing better than to terrorize the Amis villagers. The giant possessed many magic powers. For instance, he could adopt human form and walk undetected among them. One time, he took on the appearance of a young mother and, with her other daughters watching, pretended to be nursing her baby. In reality, he was stealing the child's internal organs to eat. This and other wicked tricks brought great pain and misery to the Amis.
在一個很久以前的時代，住在美崙山附近阿美族部落的人們深感困擾。在山上住著一個冷血又愛惡作劇的巨人。他屬於一個叫做阿里嘎蓋的巨人種族，他最喜歡做的事就是恐嚇阿美族的村民。這個巨人擁有許多魔力。例如，他可以化成人形然後在人群中行走而不被發現。有一次，他以一位年輕母親的樣貌出現，並在她其他女兒的觀看下，假裝在照顧她的嬰兒。實際上，他是在偷這個孩子的內臟來吃。這件事和其他邪惡的把戲帶來了極大的痛苦跟悲慘給阿美族人。
Using his potent magic, the giant became more and more cruel until the Amis could no longer bear his torments. A meeting of the village elders came to the conclusion that the evil giant could only be defeated by great warriors. So, they gathered the strongest and bravest young men in the tribe and put them through a tough training program. For weeks on end, the men practiced archery and other combat skills. When the elders felt the warriors were ready, they sent them up Mt. Pazik to confront the giant.
運用他強大的魔法，巨人變得越來越殘酷，直到阿美族人再也無法忍受他的折磨。一場村中長老的會議得出結論，這個邪惡的巨人只能被勇猛的戰士打敗。因此，他們聚集了部落中最強壯和最勇敢的年輕人，並讓他們經歷了艱苦的訓練計畫。連續好幾個禮拜，這些男子練習箭術和其他格鬥技巧。當長老們認為這些戰士已經準備好了，就派他們上美崙山去面對巨人。
Summoning up all their courage and determination, the warriors attacked the Alikakay giant the minute they found him. They hurled stones and shot arrows with great accuracy, but their missiles just bounced off him. In addition, they tried using fire, but it had no effect. The giant laughed and mocked them as he wounded and killed them at will. With the situation hopeless, Marang, the warriors' leader, ordered a retreat. The exhausted men plodded back down the mountain in despair.
鼓起他們所有的勇氣和決心，戰士們一發現阿里嘎蓋巨人就攻擊了他。他們精準地投擲石頭和射箭，但他們的投擲物都只從他身上彈開而已。另外，他們嘗試使用火，但也沒有效果。巨人大笑並嘲笑他們，同時任意地傷害和殺害他們。由於情況毫無希望，戰士們的領袖 Marang 下令撤退。筋疲力竭的男子們絕望又吃力地走下山回去。
As leader, Marang found the defeat a heavy burden to bear. He felt he had let the tribe down. Moreover, he could not imagine how the giant could be destroyed. He only knew that he must not give up. At this point, the great Sea Spirit, Kafit, took pity on him. While Marang grabbed a few hours of restless sleep, the Spirit visited him in a dream and told him the secret of how the giant could be beaten. "He is not human, so you can't fight him like a normal enemy," said the Spirit. "You must use the porong, and then you will be victorious."
身為領袖，Marang 覺得戰敗是一個難以承受的沉重負擔。他覺得他讓部落失望了。此外，他無法想像巨人要如何被打敗。他只知道他絕不可以放棄。就在此時，偉大的海神 Kafit 同情他。當 Marang 抓緊時間很不安穩地睡了幾個小時，海神託夢給他，並且告訴他巨人可以如何被打敗的祕密。海神說：「他不是人類，所以你不能像對正常敵人一樣對抗他。」「你必須用芒草然後你才會勝利。」
"Porong" is a type of razor grass that grew near their homes. The Amis often used it to make an arrow-like object that they used in religious ceremonies. Also, it was said to have magic powers. Marang told the elders about his dream, and they agreed to follow the Sea Spirit's advice. Everyone worked together to gather porong. They made them into arrows, and the warriors carried them into battle.
「Porong」是一種生長在他們住所附近的芒草。阿美族人經常把它用來做成一個像箭的物品，他們將之使用於宗教慶典。此外，據說它有魔力。Marang 告訴長老們他的夢，他們同意聽從海神的建議。每個人合作收集芒草。他們把它們做成箭，然後勇士們帶著它們上戰場。
None of the Amis had ever suspected how much the giant feared the porong, so what happened next astonished them. As soon as he saw Marang and the other warriors coming toward him with the porong, he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. Marang was a great warrior, and he was not a cruel man. He allowed the giant to live as long as he promised not to bother the Amis anymore. The giant fled to the sea and was as good as his word. What's more, he even used his magic to ensure that Amis fishermen always got a bountiful catch.
沒有任何一個阿美族人曾臆測過巨人會有多麼害怕芒草，因此接著發生的事使他們感到震驚。他一看到 Marang 和其他的勇士帶著芒草上前，他就跪了下來並乞求饒命。Marang 是個偉大的勇士，而且他並非殘忍的人。他允許巨人活命，前提是只要他承諾不再騷擾阿美族人。巨人逃到大海並信守諾言。更棒的是，他甚至用他的魔法來確保阿美族的漁夫總能有豐富的收獲。
Every year, during their harvest festival, the Amis still commemorate the story of how they defeated the Alikakay giant. Porong plays a role in their ceremonies, and so does the training of young men in hunting and fighting skills. Of course, they also give thanks to the Sea Spirit, who came to their aid at their time of greatest need.
每年，在豐年祭的時候，阿美族依然紀念著他們如何打敗阿里嘎蓋巨人的故事。芒草在祭典中扮演了角色，年輕人捕獵和打鬥的技巧訓練也是。當然，他們也對在他們最急需時伸出援手的海神表達謝意。
- tribe [traɪb] n.
部落
The Amazon rainforest is home to many different tribes, and some of them have had no contact with the outside world yet. - mischievous [ˋmɪstʃɪvəs] adj.
惡意的；愛惡作劇的
I have heard some stories about Jed, but I believe they are just mischievous rumors.
Pamela's son has become quite mischievous, and she worries about his conduct in school. - mischief [ˋmɪstʃɪf] n.
惡作劇，搗蛋
Joe is in trouble for stealing and other kinds of mischief. - terrorize [ˋtɛrə͵raɪz] v.
使驚恐，威脅
It is reported that motorcycle gangs have been terrorizing local people with robberies and late-night street races. - terror [ˋtɛrɚ] n.
恐懼
People ran out of buildings in terror during the powerful earthquake. - pretend [prɪˋtɛnd] v.
假裝
After pretending to be innocent, Joey reluctantly admitted that he had broken the window. - internal [ɪnˋtɝn!] adj.
體內的；內部的
I had a terrible stomachache, so I went to see a doctor in the Department of Internal Medicine.
At first, the accident victim appeared unharmed, but it soon became clear that he had suffered severe internal injuries. - wicked [ˋwɪkɪd] adj.
邪惡的，缺德的
The wicked murderer was sent to prison for the rest of his life. - misery [ˋmɪzərɪ] n.
悲慘，痛苦
Instead of sitting in misery at home, go out and find a new girlfriend! - torment [ˋtɔr͵mɛnt] n.
痛苦，折磨
The torments brought by this terrible disease are extremely difficult to bear. - torment [tɔrˋmɛnt] v.
使痛苦，折磨
Some cruel boys were tormenting a kitten in the park, so I stopped them. - defeat [dɪˋfit] v.
擊敗，挫敗
The young boxer is keen to get a chance to defeat the world champion. - defeat [dɪˋfit] n.
擊敗，失敗
The Yankees suffered their first defeat of the series, which they now lead 3-1. - warrior [ˋwɔrɪɚ] n.
武士，勇士
This story tells of a great warrior who fought and killed many powerful enemies. - combat [ˋkɑmbæt] n.
戰鬥，搏鬥
After several days of fierce combat, the army took control of the small island. - combat [ˋkɑmbæt] v.
與⋯⋯戰鬥，打擊
The explorers had to combat many dangers on their journey to discover a new land. - summon [ˋsʌmən] v.
鼓起（勇氣等）；召喚
It was hard to summon up the energy to play basketball after such a busy and tiring week.
When the principal heard what Jordan had done, she summoned him to her office. - hurl [hɝl] v.
用力丟擲
The man was so furious that he hurled his phone against the wall and broke it. - accuracy [ˋækjərəsɪ] n.
準確性；正確性
The success of this experiment depends on the accuracy of the methods used.
The politician says he doubts the accuracy of the media reports, but maybe he just doesn't want to believe them. - accurate [ˋækjərɪt] adj.
精確的
Some of the figures in your report don't seem to be accurate, so please check them again. - missile [ˋmɪs!] n.
投擲物；飛彈
During the riot, the crowd threw stones and other missiles at the police.
The nuclear missile can hit a target 2,500 kilometers away. - bounce [baʊns] v.
（使）反彈，（使）彈起
To my amazement, the vase bounced on the floor and didn't break at all.
Having nothing else to do, Tony amused himself by bouncing a ball against the wall. - retreat [rɪˋtrit] n.
撤退，退後
The attack failed badly and the general was forced to call a retreat. - retreat [rɪˋtrit] v.
撤退，退卻
As the atmosphere turned worse, George decided to retreat from the encounter with the angry young men. - despair [dɪˋspɛr] n.
絕望
Joshua has been arrested again, and he's driving his parents to despair. - ceremony [ˋsɛrə͵monɪ] n.
典禮，儀式
Lisa's wedding ceremony is going to take place outdoors, in the garden of a large hotel. - suspect [səˋspɛkt] v.
懷疑，料想（某事為真）
I suspect that Howard's parents will try to talk him out of his decision to quit college. - suspect [ˋsəspɛkt] n.
嫌疑犯
I just heard that one of my neighbors is a suspect in a robbery case. - suspicion [səˋspɪʃən] n.
懷疑，猜疑
Margaret's suspicions about the man she met online were correct, and she was glad that she didn't make any plans to meet him. - astonish [əˋstɑnɪʃ] v.
使驚訝
Carla's attitude astonishes me, and I can't understand why she hates her job so much. - astonishment [əˋstɑnɪʃmənt] n.
驚訝，驚愕
The children watched in astonishment as the magician performed his amazing tricks. - mercy [ˋmɝsɪ] n.
憐憫，仁慈
Alex hoped that the judges would show mercy and not send him to prison. - flee [fli] v.
逃走
The flooding was serious, but most people in the coastal town were able to flee in time. - ensure [ɪnˋʃʊr] v.
保證，確保
To ensure that his work would be protected, Brian bought and installed a reliable anti-virus program. - commemorate [kəˋmɛmə͵ret] v.
緬懷，紀念
The purpose of this ceremony is to commemorate all the people who lost their lives during the war. - take on
呈現
Rodney's face took on a bright expression when I told him Taki would be at the party. - put somebody through
使某人經歷（不愉快的事或困難）
Olivia apologized for making her parents worry and putting them through such a difficult time. - on end
連續地
It has rained for days on end, and there is no sign of it stopping. - at will
任意地
Michael was easily the best player on either team, and he seemed able to score baskets at will. - let somebody down
使某人失望
I thought Dave would give me a ride to school today, but he let me down. - at this point
此時
Let's take a break at this point and continue the meeting in fifteen minutes. - take pity on
同情，憐憫
Maggie took pity on the stray dog and gave it some food. - fall to one's knees
跪下來
At the end of the game, some players on the winning team fell to their knees with joy.
