People everywhere read traditional European fairy and folk tales. Stories like Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood have delighted children and adults for generations. One Broadway musical, Into the Woods has successfully brought some of the most notable characters together. It is a long-running show that offers a lighthearted and thought-provoking look at what happens when wishes come true.
各地的人們都閱讀傳統的歐洲童話和民間故事。故事像是《灰姑娘》、《長髮公主》、《傑克與豌豆》、《小紅帽》，已經娛樂了好幾個世代的小孩與大人。一部百老匯音樂劇《拜訪森林》已經成功地將一些最知名的角色湊在一起。這齣歷久不衰的劇，對於當願望成真會發生什麼事，提供了輕鬆又令人省思的看法。
"I wish that we had a child," is something the baker and his wife, the central characters of Into the Woods, often say to each other. While they dream of becoming parents, Cinderella wishes she could attend the King's festival.
At the same time, Jack just wishes his cow would give him some milk, and Rapunzel wishes she could escape from the high tower to which her mother has had her confined. Her mother is the same witch that put a curse on the baker and his wife.
「我希望我們有個孩子」，是《拜訪森林》的核心角色麵包師傅和他的老婆，常常對彼此說的話。當他們夢想成為父母時，灰姑娘希望她能參加國王舉辦的舞會。同時，Jack 只希望他的牛能產些牛奶，而長髮公主希望她能逃離母親囚禁她的高塔。她的母親就是對麵包師傅和他的老婆下詛咒的巫婆。
The infertile couple set out on a quest in the woods, hoping to reverse the witch's wicked spell. To do so, they must find four special items: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, a strand of hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. As they go along, they encounter Jack, Little Red, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, from whom they obtain the four items. Things seem to turn out well, and all the characters have their wishes granted.
這對不孕的夫妻展開了森林中的冒險，希望能逆轉巫婆的邪惡咒語。為了要達成目的，他們必須找到四樣特殊物品：如牛奶般潔白的乳牛，鮮紅如血般的斗篷，一股如玉米般金黃的頭髮，純金般的拖鞋。他們進行的過程中，遇見了傑克、小紅帽、長髮公主以及灰姑娘，並從他們四個身上，拿到了這四樣物品。事情似乎結果都很順利，所有的角色都如願以償。
Even though they all get what they wish for, they remain discontented. The baker considers himself a poor father to his newborn baby. Cinderella's prince is unfaithful to her, and the witch realizes that she has lost her magic powers. Meanwhile, another beanstalk allows the giant's wife to climb down from the sky. She threatens to destroy the kingdom unless they give her Jack, who she holds accountable for her husband's death. While the characters are arguing whether they should hand Jack over, Little Red's mother and grandmother, Jack's mother, and the baker's wife are all killed. The remaining characters blame each other for the tragedies. However, realizing that blaming others will do them no good, they decide to cooperate and join hands to defeat the giant.
即使他們都得到了自己想要的東西，他們仍然不滿足。麵包師傅認為對自己剛出生的寶寶來說，是個糟透的父親。灰姑娘的王子對她不忠，女巫意識到她已經失去了魔力。同時，另一條豌豆莖讓巨人的妻子可以從天上爬下來。她威脅要毀掉這個王國，除非他們交出傑克，因為她認為傑克要為她老公的死負責。當這些角色正在爭論是否要交出傑克時，小紅帽的母親和外婆、傑克的母親和麵包師傅的老婆都死了。剩下的角色因那些悲劇責怪彼此。然而，他們了解到責怪他人並沒好處，於是決定團結合作，攜手打敗巨人。
Into the Woods is more than a simple fairy tale. Its "good" characters all have wishes, hopes, and dreams, just like the majority of people. These wishes come true, but, like the fine print in a contract, there are conditions that are easy to overlook in the thrill of the moments. In other words, the message of the story is that we should be careful what we wish for. Most of us wish life could be better, but there is always a price to pay. In contrast to a typical fairy tale, it can't be all good even if we get what we want at first.
《拜訪森林》不僅僅是個簡單的童話故事。故事中的「好」人都有願望、希望和夢想，就像是普羅大眾一樣。這些願望是實現了，但就像是合約中的細則，總有一些人們在狂喜之際容易忽略的條件。換句話說，故事要傳達的訊息是，我們應該要小心自己許了什麼願望。多數人都希望生活能夠更好，但總要付出代價。和典型童話故事形成對比的是，即使我們得到一開始想要的東西，人生卻非總是完美。
- generation [͵dʒɛnəˋreʃən] n.
世代，一代
The big old house has been home to the same family for many generations. - notable [ˋnotəb!] adj.
著名的
The event was attended by the mayor, a few business leaders, and some other notable people. - lighthearted [ˋlaɪtˋhɑrtɪd] adj.
輕鬆愉快的
The TV program gave us a lighthearted look at the daily life of a vet. - thought-provoking [ˋθɔtprə͵vokɪŋ] adj.
令人深思的，引起思考的
I found the story about the mischievous boy both entertaining and thought-provoking. - provoke [prəˋvok] v.
引發
News of the food scandal provoked anger in a great many of the store's customers. - curse [kɝs] n.
詛咒
A kiss from the girl broke the curse that had turned the prince into a frog. - infertile [ɪnˋfɝtɪl] adj.
不孕的
Many infertile couples apply to adopt unwanted children. - fertile [ˋfɝt!] adj.
多產的，繁殖力強的；肥沃的
Horses and donkeys can reproduce together, but their offspring will not grow up to be fertile.
The soil is very fertile in this region, and many kinds of fruit and vegetables are grown here. - quest [kwɛst] n.
尋找，追求
The knight and his faithful companion set out on a quest to save the kingdom from the monster. - reverse [rɪˋvɝs] v.
翻轉，徹底改變
It was disappointing for Sue when the airline reversed its decision to give her a free flight. - cape [kep] n.
披肩，斗篷
Who was the woman wearing the red cape in this old painting? - strand [strænd] n.
股，縷，線
The detectives found two strands of cotton that may have come from the thief's clothing. - obtain [əbˋten] v.
得到，獲得
Samuel told me he had obtained a rare and valuable stamp for his collection. - grant [grænt] v.
准許，同意
My uncle granted me a big favor by letting me work in his office part-time. - discontented [dɪskənˋtɛntɪd] adj.
不滿的
Hank seems discontented with his job and may be considering leaving the company. - newborn [ˋnju͵bɔrn] adj.
新生的
Many newborn animals, such as horses, are able to stand up and walk almost immediately. - accountable [əˋkaʊntəb!] adj.
應負責任的
Boris lost his job when the company held him accountable for the poor investment decision. - remaining [rɪˋmenɪŋ] adj.
剩餘的，剩下的
I completed the test paper with twenty minutes to go, and I used the remaining time to check it carefully. - blame [blem] v.
責備，指責
Peter was furious that one of his teammates blamed him for losing the game. - tragedy [ˋtrædʒədɪ] n.
悲劇，悲劇性事件
The ship sank in a storm, and hundreds of people died in the tragedy. - tragic [ˋtrædʒɪk] adj.
悲劇的，悲慘的
We were very sorry to hear of the tragic death of your close friend Mr. Bell. - cooperate [koˋɑpə͵ret] v.
合作，協作
The two chefs cooperated in introducing new flavors to the restaurant's cuisine. - cooperation [ko͵ɑpəˋreʃən] n.
合作，協力
With the cooperation of people in the neighborhood, the police caught the burglar very quickly. - contract [ˋkɑntrækt] n.
契約，合同
According to the contract with his employer, Howard receives fifteen days' paid vacation a year. - contract [kənˋtrækt] v.
與⋯⋯訂契約
Mrs. Anderson contracted a local company to repair the storm damage to her house. - overlook [͵ovɚˋlʊk] v.
忽略，沒注意到；俯瞰
When Bob sent an invitation to Tony, he overlooked his friend's sister, who would have liked to attend the wedding as well.
My hotel room overlooked a river and a small park beside it. - thrill [θrɪl] n.
興奮，激動
It was such a thrill to visit Paris for the first time and see the wonderful paintings in the Louvre museum. - thrill [θrɪl] v.
使興奮，使激動
News that the band will perform in Taiwan has thrilled their fans here. - contrast [ˋkɑn͵træst] n.
對比，對照
In contrast to your previous assignment, this essay is of a very high standard.
There are sharp contrasts between the two methods of construction. - contrast [kənˋtræst] v.
對比，對照
By contrasting this painting with her earlier works, we can see how the artist has developed her own style. - dream of
夢想
Alec dreams of becoming a successful racing driver one day. - set out
動身，開始
We set out at five in the morning on the long climb up the mountain. - turn out
結果是，結果成為
Because of Molly's careful planning, the party turned out to be a great success. - hand sb. / sth. over
把某人 / 某物交給
Patricia found the missing puppy and handed it over to its relieved owner. - join hands
合作，聯手
As long as we join hands and work together, we can make our dream of creating an amazing new website come true.
