2016届高考英语一轮复习考点规范练：Module6 Unexplained Mysteries of the Natural World24（含解析）外研版必修4_高考复习指南

2016届高考英语一轮复习考点规范练：Module6 Unexplained Mysteries of the Natural World24（含解析）外研版必修4

　　In this article,we’ll see where the various elements of the vampire legend come from.We’ll also look at the psychological significance of these creatures and find out about some real-life people or things that are remarkably similar to the supernatural vampire.

　　The vampires in today’s books,movies and television shows are incredibly complicated creatures.According to the mythology(神话),every vampire was once a human,who,after being bitten by a vampire,died and rose from the grave as a monster.Vampires desire the blood of the living,whom they hunt during the night.They bite their victims’ necks with their two sharp front teeth.

　　Since they’re back-to-life corpses(尸体)—the living remains of a dead person—vampires are often referred to as “the undead”.They can still pass as healthy humans,however,and will walk undetected among the living.In fact,vampires may be attractive,highly sexual beings,seducing(引诱) their prey before feeding.A vampire may also take the form of an animal,usually a bat or wolf,in order to launch a sudden attack on a victim before being detected.

　　Vampires are potentially immortal(不死的),but they do have a few weaknesses.They can be destroyed by a stake through the heart,fire,beheading and direct sunlight,and they are afraid of holy water and garlic.Vampires don’t cast a reflection,and they have superhuman strength.

　　This vampire figure,with its particular combination of characteristics and governing rules,is actually a fairly recent invention.Bram Stoker made it up in his 1897 novel Dracula.Other authors reinterpreted Dracula in a number of plays,movies and books.